subject: Black Friday Sends Shoppers Into A Frenzy [print this page] Black Friday Sends Shoppers Into A Frenzy
There are many exclusively American phenomena that become known far outside of United States' borders. One such oddity is "Black Friday".
Black Friday is a term used for the day following Thanksgiving in the United States, and is considered the first day of the Christmas shopping season. Although not an officially-recognized holiday as such, many workers have the day after Thanksgiving off, meaning the number of shoppers descending on the malls of America is increased.
The name "Black Friday", in relation to the day after Thanksgiving, was first used in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1966. The city's police department used the term negatively, as that busy shopping day brought masses of people into the centre of the city, causing traffic jams and overcrowding.
One theory how the name came about is that the mad shopping activity can potentially push a retail shop from being 'in the red' (operating at a loss) to 'in the black' (making a profit). If you asked some employees of retail outlets why they call it "Black Friday", they would probably say it's because they have to work such long hours and deal with huge crowds of sale-crazy consumers.
Black Friday does have a darker side, though. In 2008, an employee at a Walmart in Long Island, New York was trampled to death by stampeding shoppers smashed through the store's front doors. The same year, two men shot each other to death at a toy store in California, although representatives for the shop claimed the incident was not shopping-related.
So, is Black Friday a good thing or a bad thing? It depends on your point of view. People on the "front line" most likely think the day is a royal pain, but the owners who stay behind the scenes and reap the profits will undoubtedly think it's an early Christmas.
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