What the hell is this Black Friday business?

Hello, I don't mean to be rude, but I keep seeing black Friday this, and black Friday that on forums.
I don't even remember hearing about this so called 'black Friday' 5 years ago.

What is it?

In Australia there is no such thing.
When we talk about 'black something day', it usually has to do with a bushfire that has ravaged some part of the country.

From what I've gathered this is a manufactured shopping day. Or is there some cultural significance to this 'Black Friday' that I am missing?

I don't know why they call it black friday but I can tell you that it is a stores way of getting you out of your house and into the stores at an ungodly hour. Last night I got up at 2 a.m. and waited in line at Walmart for a $200 laptop. You could only start buying them at 5 a.m. BUT you had to be one of the few (30 or so) that got a ticket and waited in line. I was second to last in line.

Here... I googled it for you (your welcome) and this is what I found...

Black Friday, named because it traditionally was the day when huge crowds would push stores into "the black," or profitability.

Source

reply to post by ppk55


It is unique to the United States.

The day after Thanksgiving (always a Friday) is slated as the kick-off to the profitable shopping period leading up to Christmas.


The word "black" nowadays refers to the standard of accounting practices, where an asset (or profit) is in the "black", and a loss or debt is "red".

Really, it is rather easy to have answered this with a simple Internet search, after all:

en.wikipedia.org...(shopping)

Its a Steely Dan kinda thing . . .

reply to post by stellawayten


Thanks for that. I suppose what I'm more concerned about is how it seems to be attaining the same dubious shopping requirements of Christmas, Thanksgiving, Father's Day, Mother's Day, Halloween, Easter, ... mmm what am I missing here ?

I really, really hope this doesn't catch on here in oz.

Black Friday is another one of those "ungodly" American things. The start of the holiday buying season to see how much money the retailers can sell cheap Chinese goods to gullible Amerikans that can not afford food in some cases but won't bat an eye at spending what little money they have at a 50 inch TV.

And of course because the "sale" is soooo good (most times it is what the item should cost the consumer before mark up) many people will become just what they are...Sheeple.

There are stampedes, fights, and even some people have been killed...and all for consumerism.

That is Black Friday...never done it, never will....and it pains me to see just how some people can be...but no surprise.

Its apart of an MK Ultra Programming experiment.

It is pretty successful.

Not to mention it shows how people are gathered together. Its herd mentality, its very common on freeways also, well at least where I live.

Its all about discounts on Consumer items. I personally don't ever have anything to do with that day. It is way to crazy and people turn into animals it seems.

I don't know what the fuss is about.

We have a simple system set up here.
The neighborhood watch sets up a perimeter and we rent big trucks.
All of our Christmas money is pooled in one account and before Thanksgiving we scout out the best deals. Once we know what stores will be the targets we get together the tactical action committee.
The ex and active military and law enforcement folks along with a few ex wrestlers and a one time pro nose tackle for the Saints named Lou, all dress up like homeless people and loiter at the entrance just before the store opens.

The other members of the team pull up in an unmarked van just prior to S-Hour.

At a pre arranged signal the team comes together in a wedge formation going at high speed with concealed tasers and brass knuckles. We take out the door while the aquisition team followes closely behind. If this maneuver is done correctly, we can get a 30 to 40 second head start on the competition. The third part of the entry plan calls for our toughest members to intercept the throngs of rabid consumer zombies by taking them out with walkers and umbrellas. Our best interception member is Maude, knee killer Mac Gillicutty. She was a professional roller derby queen in her day. She can take em out at the knees even at the age of 73.

The rest is a piece of cake due to the younger members of the team being pre stationed at the key points in the store by the time the doors are opened. They sneak in Mission Impossible style and conceal themselves among the clothing racks and displays.

All of the good deals have been pre marked with tracking beacons and flourescent paint that is visible with the special glasses that the aquisition team wears.

Once the primary targets have been secured the team begins to check in with the mobile command post who then gives redirects to secondary targets or helps to triangulate in on any unsecured primary items.

By this point the store is flooded with shoppers all going for the best deals. It's chaotic but that helps to conceal the teams efforts and breaks up any indications of a pre concieved plan within the shopping group.

The original entry team breaks up into individuals and pairs and works as blockers and security on high priority aquisitions as the team moves to the checkout lines. This is actually the most critical part of the operation as it is the point where the zombies begin to realize that the Fisher price "Little Brains" 3D learning video game system with holographic video projection (batteries not included) they waited two days in the rain and snow for is no longer on the shelves but is being hustled down the long aisle between sporting goods and womens wear by a teenager wearing an ear mike and a 73 year old roller derby champ.

The zombie glares, points and yells "Brains!"
Soon, every basket with a high priority gift is being pursued by zombie shoppers desperate to get one of the $500 dollar game sets at 93 1/2% off with coupon. Of which the store stocked only 3.

The race to the checkout counter is punctuated by short but violent skirmishes with soccer moms and women with adjectives written across the bottoms of their too tight sweat pants. Once in a while a member of the entry team will have to take out an encroaching zombie who has managed to get between the cart and the check out line with a full body block or a tazer to the ribs.

Within 5 minutes it's all over. The big ticket bait and switch items are all gone and the team moves quickly and efficiently to the exits. The zombie hordes are content to wonder the store muttering to themselves as they settle for buying overpriced stocking stuffers and last years game controllers at 3% off of MSRP.

The team meets at a rented warehouse to consolidate and redistribute the newly aquired gifts and takes up a collection for Maude who has somehow lost her favorite pre-weighted dead blow walking cane with the tactical Pachmayer grip and optional retractable stainless spike for close encounters.

When all is said and done we disperse into the growing daylight. Each has what they came for and thinks with satisfaction about the success of the operation. Lou gets misty eyed and talks about teamwork being the most important part of any good holiday operation. He always was a bit sentimental.

We take back roads and avoid main thoroughfares to avoid the fire trucks, ambulances and National guard trucks that are headed for the nearest mega Wal-Mart where a column of smoke is beginning to drift into the blue November sky.

I'd explain to you what Black Friday is...

..But in the time it would take me to type it out...

Wal-Mart will have made $10 Million...

...Brb, buying $0.50 crockpot, curteousy of Zhang Yan in China; I hope the 1/5th of an eggplant was worth his 10 hours of work.

In my local paper this morning in the forum section a black american went on a serious rant over the racist black friday stuff saying it was demeaning to pretend that blacks only want to shop. BWHAHAHA.. yes, I almost injured myself when I fell on the floor laughing and woke kthe husband up to come read it. No, I didnt tell her any different.. it was too amusing to see the wall of text rant on racism related to post thanksgiving sales and accounting practices/terminology.

The call it "Black Friday" because it's the day when retailers balance sheets go from being in the red to being in the black due to increased holiday shopping. The day after Thanksgiving is typically the biggest shopping day of the year, and always falls on a Friday.