Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving Day in the USA and falls on the Friday after the fourth Thursday in November. It is a busy shopping day and is a holiday in some states.
What do people do?
Many people have a day off work or choose to take a day from their
quota of annual leave on Black Friday. Some people use this to make
trips to see family members or friends who live in other areas or to go
on vacation. Others use it to start shopping for the Christmas season.
Shopping for Christmas presents is also popular on Black Friday. Many
stores have special offers and lower their prices on some goods, such
as toys.
Public life
Black Friday is not a federal holiday, but is a public holiday in
some states. Many people take a day of their annual leave on the day
after Thanksgiving Day. Many organizations also close for the
Thanksgiving weekend.
Public transit systems may run on their normal schedule or may have
changes. Some stores extend their opening hours on Black Friday. There
can also be congestion on roads to popular shopping destinations.
Background
Black Friday is one of the busiest shopping days in the USA. There
are two popular theories as to why the day after Thanksgiving Day is
called Black Friday. One theory is that the wheels of vehicles in heavy
traffic on the day after Thanksgiving Day left many black markings on
the road surface, leading to the term Black Friday.
The other theory is that the term Black Friday comes from an old way
of recording business accounts. Losses were recorded in red ink and
profits in black ink. Many businesses, particularly small businesses,
started making profits prior to Christmas. Many hoped to start showing a
profit, marked in black ink, on the day after Thanksgiving Day.
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