Black Friday

The day after Thanksgiving is the start of the holiday

shopping season. Thanksgiving is always on a Thur-

sday, so the day after is a Friday. This day has come to

be known as Black Friday. It has been the busiest sho-

pping day of the year since 2005.

Most stores offer great deals ................................ Black Friday. They

open their doors .................... the wee hours ........................... the

morning. They try to attract shoppers with big discou-

nts. Some items like TVs are much cheaper than usual.

Stores may even lose money on these items. They

hope that shoppers will buy gifts ................................ other people

while they are in the store.

Black Friday is a great time to get good deals. The

problem is that there are not enough low-priced items

to go around. Each store may only have a few. These

items are in high demand. People stand in long lines

to get such great deals. They may line up hours before

a store opens. They may be hoping to get a low price

on a TV or laptop, but not everyone who wants one

will get one. Some people leave disappointed.

The situation can be tense. Some Black Friday events

have been violent. Large, eager crowds have trampled

workers. Fights have broken out over toys or people

cutting in line. People have shot one another over

parking spots. But most Black Friday events are safe

and fun. Still, if you plan on going, expect large crowds

and a bit of shoving.

So where does the name “Black Friday” come from? It

was first used in Philadelphia in the 1950s. The police

called this day Black Friday because of the heavy traffic

it drew. In the 1960s, stores tried to rename the day

“Big Friday.” It did not stick. The name “Black Friday”

continued to spread across the country. It seems that

it is here to stay.

Now people all over the country take part in the

event known as Black Friday. It is even spreading to

other parts of the world. Stores have held Black Friday

events in the U.K., Australia, and Brazil since 2012. In

Costa Rica Black Friday is known as “Viernes Negro.”

And in Mexico, stores offer an annual weekend of

discounts. They call it “El Buen Fin,” which means “the

good weekend” in Spanish. I guess the language of

savings is universal.