In the end of every year, there are a few major holidays the majority of Americans celebrate. Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November, and Christmas on December 25th, have been around for a long time. But, within the last 30 years or so, the Friday after Thanksgiving — Black Friday — has become just as important as the other two.
How did Black Friday start?
The term "Black Friday" was actually first associated with a financial crisis, not sales shopping. Two Wall Street financiers, Jim Fisk and Jay Gould, together bought a significant amount of US gold in the hope of the overall price soaring and in turn being able to sell it for huge profits.
On Friday 24 September, 1869, in what became referred to as "Black Friday", the US gold market crashed and Fisk and Gould's actions left Wall Street barons bankrupt.
It was not until later years that the post-Thanksgiving period became associated with the name, and the expression we know today was coined by police in Philadelphia to describe crowds and traffic conditions on the Friday following Thanksgiving, dating back to the 1950s.
These days, Black Friday has something of a consumerist holiday. It has become a day that many retailers and e-commerce offer up their best deals during the holiday.
Is Black Friday a worldwide thing?
In recent years, this “retail phenomenon” has expanded to other countries around the world. Canada, Scandinavia, the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Australia, Brazil, Chile, China and Singapore all have some form of this event in November.
Imported from the US, the event grows in popularity year after year. In 2021, Black Friday takes place on November 26th, and on this day, you can find numerous offers on products from fashion to electronics. Sales will be taking place both in stores and online, with discounts of up to 70%. Black Friday is the perfect day to get the best bargains and save lots of money on your Christmas presents, or as many Brazilians think (myself included) to buy that Air fryer you’ve been ‘dating’ for months.
Some retailers begin to offer discounts in the run-up to Black Friday, while others have flash sales for a few hours only during the day itself. Stores are likely to operate extended opening hours to cope with the crowds of shoppers, and online stores will announce the starting dates of their Black Friday sales in advance.
Some brands have discounts for the whole week of Black Friday, starting on Monday the 25th. Others even make Black Friday a month-long event lasting all of November.
In recent years, this “retail phenomenon” has expanded to other countries around the world. Canada, Scandinavia, the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Australia, Brazil, Chile, China and Singapore all have some form of this event in November.
In celebration of this global adoption of this retail extravaganza, here are some fun facts about this holiday and how it has impacted other countries during the holiday shopping season.
In the UK, it was Amazon who first introduced Black Friday. That was back in 2010. Prior to that, it was Boxing Day (the day after Christmas) that was the largest shopping day. Today, in the UK, sales typically last 5 days and are termed “Black Friday”.
In Scandinavian countries, the event’s awareness is on the rise, with more and more people having heard of the term and participate in the sales offered.
Some countries have created their own November–based retail events. China for example, celebrates “Singles Day” on November 11 And The Spanish speaking countries in South America that do not celebrate Black Friday, have Cyber Mondays.
What about Black Friday in Brazil?
Brazil also takes part in this sales event, even calling it “Black Friday” rather than translating it into Portuguese, but is it the same?
But, as so many other things, Black Friday is not a real thing in Brazil. At least you should Google the trustworthy retailers before committing to something.
For many years it was used just as a decoy, a hoax, to attract customers and make sales at any cost, but the consumers are a little smarter and paying more attention to the prices as early as October, to make sure there is no bad faith from the retailers. There are a few tips, in case you want to learn how to become a better consumer, at Black Friday:
- Compare prices in advance – many shops rise their prices earlier to make the price just the same on Black Friday and announce it as a discount.
- Be alert if prices that are too low, shipment prices or even payment installments that will charge you a bunch of interests.
- Beware of fake websites (if you’re buying online) and fraudulent purchases that start asking for too many of your personal details.
Because of this, Brazil’s fake Black Friday even got its own name Black Fraud, where companies would charge the half of the double – talking about the price hike right before November, and the extremely expensive shipments, fake discounts and window products that aren’t available.
So, if you are planning to buy something on Black Friday, just make sure you really are making a good deal, not to find yourself in debt or making an impulsive purchase, so you get to the end of the day with a sense of accomplishment and not of frustration.
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