Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Why is it called Black Friday?

The Legend of Black Friday

 Introduction

      Black Friday is like an annual mark of the beginning of the shopping season. It is the day after Thanksgiving, which signals it that Christmas and New Years are on their way. Canada and Great Britain have a similar holiday called "Boxing Day." Black Friday has become a legendary marketing day. Since 2005, it has been the busiest shopping day of the year. But why is it called Black Friday? Historians believe that it started in the historic city of Philadelphia. During the mid-1960s, bus drivers and police used the term "Black Friday" to describe heavy traffic that occurred during the day after Thanksgiving. But businesses didn't like the negative affect of that story, so they came up with a little more "positive" explanation.They said that businesses use the phrase "In the red" to signal a loss of income. This is because accountants usually use red ink to show loss of money. Profits were signaled with black ink. So being "In the black" was good. So they called the day after Thanksgiving "Black" Friday because many businesses were "In the black."

 My Opinion

      My opinion is that the true story behind Black Fridays' name is the one that historians believe. I agree with their opinion because the day after thanksgiving does become hectic and busy because people are doing their Christmas shopping. Traffic becomes heavy, the streets sand sidewalks are flooded with people, it all becomes a giant mess. Riots break out, the mayhem rises, everything becomes heated as parents fight to get good deals. It makes sense. I read an article about it on About.com and it told me the same thing. Riots break out, everything becomes mayhem and anarchy. It is pretty interesting because not many people would ever wonder about how Black Friday got its name. Since it's not something you see every day, people would be more interested in something different. Basically, Black Friday got its name by all the busy traffic and mayhem that happens on that day.

       Top 10 list

Top 10 stores with good deals

1. Gamestop - Xbox 360 250GB bundle for $199.99. Save $140.












2. Gamestop - PS3 250GB bundle for $199.99. Save $165


 









3. Sports Authority - Buy 1 get 1 50% off on Men's, Women's, and children's footwear.
 









4. Walmart - Vizio 60 inch Class smart LED HDTV for $688













5. Chevy - 2014 Equinox LS FWD $25,275 to $23,167 for Black Friday. Save $2,108










6. Best Buy - Samsung Galaxy S III 4G for $299.99, save $100











7. Samsung - 51" Class Plasma 4500 series TV for $429.99. You save $420











8. Microsoft- ASUS X102BA-BH41T touchscreen laptop. $299, save $100










9. J.C Penny - 25% off over $200, 20% off over $100 on everything


10. Home Depot - up to 40% off on French Door Refrigerators, up to 30% on washers or dryers











Conclusion

So why was Black Friday called by that name? Because it marks the day when people flood the cities to buy their gifts for the holiday season. Now here is my challenge or you. Try to find other stories on how Black Friday got its name. List them in the comment section. My opinion was that the historians explanation was true, what do you think? Answer in the comment section.

1 comment:

  1. Hey Ashwin, shouldn't green ink be used to show profits?

    ReplyDelete