This year Black Friday falls on November 27th
Cheat sheet: What is Black Friday?
Black Friday is the first Friday after Thanksgiving, and it
represents a perfect storm for retailers: many people in the US have the day
off, and as a result it's been the busiest shopping day of the year for nearly
a decade.
To make things even busier, many retailers now offer some of
their best sale bargains on Black Friday. Even Apple joins in.
When is Black Friday?
That depends on when you're reading this. If it's 2014,
Black Friday is Friday 28 November. If it's 2015, it's Friday 27 November. And
if it's 2013, you've been asleep for a year. The things you've missed!
How did Black Friday get its name?
Take your pick: some say it's the day that retailers'
profits finally move into the black, although Wikipedia reckons that the true
origin of the term comes from Philadelphia where it referred to the disruptive
pedestrian and vehicle traffic that occurred during the holiday.
Is Black Friday as big a deal as it
seems?
Yes it is. Every year there are reports of fisticuffs as
bargain-crazed shoppers beat each other up, partly because of the practice of
using "doorbusters" - amazing and excruciatingly limited deals to
attract as many customers as possible. US-based retailers such as Amazon are
now keen to make it a tradition in the UK.
Is Black Friday connected to Cyber
Monday?
Cyber Monday is the Monday immediately after Black Friday,
and it was invented in 2005 in an attempt to create an online equivalent of
Black Friday. What this has resulted in now, is an entire 4-day weekend of hot
deals both in store and online.
