What is Black Friday: Black Friday University

Now that you know when Black Friday is, it’s time to answer the next important question:

What is Black Friday?

Traditionally, Black Friday is the day that kicks off the holiday shopping season in the United States. Retailers advertise deals that they believe will draw consumers into their stores and result in a large amount of sales, which will then in turn bring them into the “black” (profitable) for the year. This is how the day originally received its name.

Hype for the big day is built up when Black Friday advertisements, that are intended to be distributed in newspapers on Thanksgiving Day, are leaked and published on the internet. This provideds shoppers with the ability to plot their plan of attack weeks before the ads are officially released. While most retailers originally strongly opposed and battled these early leaks, each year more and more of them learn to embrace it and ride the wave of free publicity.

We have seen Black Friday evolve in a great way during the past ten years. This year more than ever before, I expect to see a large number of the hot deals that are available in stores, also available online.