READ: What is Black Friday, and why is it called Black Friday?
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TOMORROW (Friday 24 November), it’s Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year. But why has Black Friday become such a big deal? And when did it start?
What is Black Friday?
It’s ONLY the biggest shopping day of the year! On the last Friday of November, businesses all over the UK – and the world – will lower their prices.
Where did the day come from?
In the USA, the fourth Thursday of every November is Thanksgiving. A national holiday in the US, Thanksgiving sees families come together, and eat lots of turkey! Since the 1960s, it’s been seen as an opportunity by shops to sell some of the extra stock a little bit cheaper over the long holiday. While shops have used the opportunity to sell extra stock on the weekend for a long time, shops only began to call the day Black Friday in the 1980s!
In fact, it’s thought that Black Friday has only become a big deal in the UK over the last six years.
Why do we call it Black Friday?
Unfortunately, the true source of the name has faded time, but there are lots of stories behind it.
Some people say that the name is to do with the huge amount of traffic that would come to the US state of Philadelphia over the Thanksgiving weekend for a big American football game. Extra police would have to work long hours, and over time they began to call it ‘Black Friday’, which eventually stuck and spread across the US.
Another story behind the name is that Black Friday refers to when shops finally go from a loss to a profit. Back before computers, stores would record the amount of money made or lost in the colours red and black. If a store had lost money in a day, it would be written in red – and if the store had made money, it would be written in black. Due to all the sales, most stores would make money, meaning they’d move from the red to the black!
Are you excited for the sales!? Comment below and let us know.
1 Comment
turquoise4 · 7 years ago
Interesting