"Black" Friday

[cassiesmom]

Last year I had to work. When I came home from my mom and dad's last night there was already a line of people waiting to get into Target. The only place I went today was the supermarket, for just a few things.

[Karen]

It is both, Karen, and originally it was in reference to the heavy pedestrian and vehicle traffic on that day - the start of the holiday shopping season. It originated in Philadelphia in the 60's and spread, and eventually took on it's other meaning of the profit/loss scenario.

I heard a story today on NPR - Black Friday was a term in the 1950s - when factory managers called it "black friday" because so many people called in "sick" that day, they compared it to the "black death" - a.k.a. the bubonic plague. Then in the 1960s, it was adopted by the Philadelphia police as you mentioned, the 1970s it became the financial meaning I mentioned, and in the 1980s it transformed into the shopping event it is now, and was adopted by retailers as a positive connotation and name for sales.

So we were both wrong as to how it originated, and both right in a way, we just didn't know about the first usage!

[Marigold2]

Oh I love love love Black Friday. I got up at 3:00 am got to the dollar store at 4:00, stood in line for two hours.
Got great deals, they marked these items down to .99 pencils, chalk, sponges, paperclips.
My Christmas shopping is almost done.
99 cents, whoa baby......

[snakemama]

I love Black Friday shopping! One of my favorite things to do is go to the "Midnight madness" sale at the outlet malls nearby. Alas, I had to work today so I skipped it. The local humane society has a holiday craft fair every year around thsi time, so I'll just hang onto my shopping money until then!

[sana]

LOL
Sana - Black Friday isn't a place - it's a term given to the first "official" shopping day of the Christmas/holiday season - and is always the day after Thanksgiving - today - Friday.

The term "black" comes from the concept that the stores will operate in the "black" - meaning that they will actually make money. When they operate in the "red", that means they aren't seeing any profits and claim that they aren't making money thru out the year. So stores have super sales on everything, with the hopes that it will bring lots and lots of people to their stores, and that they will be "in the black" - making lots of money on the products that they sell.

And with these super sales, people tend to go kind of crazy and wait in lines for hours to get in the store and get all kinds of products at super low prices. It's really crazy, but if you like the mob scene and don't mind driving around forever to find a parking place for your car in the mall, then I guess it's not bad. Not my idea of fun tho. Electronics and toys are a BIG attraction that draws people out on this crazy shopping day.

Haha! Thank You for letting me know I was confused earlier when i was posting about where the Black Friday actually takes place and so, I just said "Black Friday place"

[pomtzu]

I heard a story today on NPR - Black Friday was a term in the 1950s - when factory managers called it "black friday" because so many people called in "sick" that day, they compared it to the "black death" - a.k.a. the bubonic plague.

I never heard of that one and it looks like Wikipedia hasn't either. Maybe you should send it to them so they can update.

Out of curiosity, I did a search to see how many others showed up, and I only found reference to this "plague" in one article. It seems that someone in the very early 50's, published an article in Factory Management and Maintenance magazine on the subject of worker absenteeism, and the day after Thanksgiving was mentioned. The subject appeared to die off until the Philadelphia use of it kicked in, in the 60's.

So who knows??? All I know is that it's a day for me to stay home and do any shopping I might want to do, on line.

There were other meanings applied to BF also, one being that after the Civil War, that blacks were allowed to shop in retail establishments on Friday only, but of course that would have absolutely nothing to do with the current holiday shopping meaning. I'm certain that there's plenty more out there that nobody ever heard of too.

[Grace]

Black Friday, indeed. Makes us look like a bunch of barbarians to the rest of the world.


Black Friday

[lizbud]

Oh I love love love Black Friday. I got up at 3:00 am got to the dollar store at 4:00, stood in line for two hours.
Got great deals, they marked these items down to .99 pencils, chalk, sponges, paperclips.
My Christmas shopping is almost done.
99 cents, whoa baby......

Marked down Dollar store stuff to .99 cents, WOW, what a bargain.

[phesina]

Black Friday, indeed. Makes us look like a bunch of barbarians to the rest of the world.


Black Friday

Yes indeed, the season of peace, love, and good cheer is here!

[chocolatepuppy]

Whew, no way, just look at all those people! I stayed home except for a walk! I found this on FB.

[sparks19]

I did not go out. Not my thing. Afriends hubby went to walmart and waited for hours gor an xbox with kinect for $199. I stayed home and got an xbox with kinect for $199 plus a $50 credit (xbox 360 with kinect is normally $300+). No crowds no lines no getting up early or staying up all night. Pj's, coffee and the computer were all i needed lol

[sana]

I did not go out. Not my thing. Afriends hubby went to walmart and waited for hours gor an xbox with kinect for $199. I stayed home and got an xbox with kinect for $199 plus a $50 credit (xbox 360 with kinect is normally $300+). No crowds no lines no getting up early or staying up all night. Pj's, coffee and the computer were all i needed lol

omg! That is awesome

[Asiel]

All I can say is that we don't have it out here and I hope we never get it . this year some of the stores were hinting at picking up the tradition but I pray it's only gossip.
No way would I ever get caught up shopping in that kind of frenzy - shopping is bad enough on normal days.

[RICHARD]

Black Friday-Steely Dan.

When Black Friday comes
I'll stand down by the door
And catch the grey men when they
Dive from the fourteenth floor
When Black Friday comes
I'll collect everything I'm owed
And before my friends find out
I'll be on the road
When Black Friday falls you know it's got to be
Don't let it fall on me
When Black Friday comes
I'll fly down to Muswellbrook
Gonna strike all the big red words
From my little black book
Gonna do just what I please
Gonna wear no socks and shoes
With nothing to do but feed
All the kangaroos
When Black Friday comes I'll be on that hill
You know I will

When Black Friday comes
I'm gonna dig myself a hole
Gonna lay down in it 'til
I satisfy my soul
Gonna let the world pass by me
The Archbishop's gonna sanctify me
And if he don't come across
I'm gonna let it roll
When Black Friday comes
I'm gonna stake my claim
I'll guess I'll change my name

---------------------

Growing up I used to HATE the holidays.

Ma worked for the huge toy store with the "R" in the name and they made her work some ungodly hours. She would get out of work at i-2 in the morning and she would come home so tired and broken that we could not enjoy the time with her........

That was back on the 70's, too bad it's come to getting pepper sprayed at Walmart by some wacko during the holidays.

[Alysser]

I actually wound up at the local mall last night with a few friends. It was still packed and the mall was open till 11 PM. I quickly remembered WHY I normally don't go out on black friday. Two women got into a screaming match in sears over something in the electronics department. They were yelling profanities at each other. Me and my friends left soon after that! We had no clue what it was about, it was unbelievable! Almost like something out of a movie To think it was after the Black Friday rush as well