Black Friday

[bluntforcemama]

... is what people are starting to call the giant shopping day after Thanksgiving. I wonder why they picked "black." Does anyone know? I hate shopping, but I never attributed a color to it. Is it really something like Black Thursday, etc... when the stock market crashed back in 1929? I would think it was more of an economic boost for most retailers.

 

[nasty]

It's because Black is associated with dark times. And, for the employees, it's a dark time.

 

[bluntforcemama]

You're making that up. Holidays aren't black, even for the people behind the counter. I love the holidays, even when I'm gift-wrapping for the retailer like a mad woman on crack.

 

[KillerMuffin]

The picked black because it's the day that retailers have almost always written with black ink, not red ink. It has nothing to do with employees and what they have to put up with.

 

[Spinaroonie]

It's the day retailers trade in red ink for black ink. 1/4 of their yearly income comes in December.

 

[nasty]

What I mean to say, is, the employees are SO STRESSED on that day, that they feel like they just wanna SCREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you the person behind the Customer Service desk, you woulda screamed, too. It's a MADHOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Lost Cause]

I prefer to call it "Plastic Friday". Because of the credit card angle, and also you are judged on how much you care about people by how much you spend! Tsk, Tsk.
Time is valuable to us all, we only have so many seconds on this earth, so spending time with those you love should have the highest value.

 

[nasty]

The picked black because it's the day that retailers have almost always written with black ink, not red ink. It has nothing to do with employees and what they have to put up with.

Well, shut my mouth. Muffy's probably right. I don't wanna argue with Muffikins. Last time I did that, I got a new asshole. OOPS!!!!!!! I put my foot in my mouth, again.

 

[Angel]

I believe Muffkill is right. (Isn't she always?) and that recently The Black Friday thing got turned into "Hell Day" from the employees who perform most of the grunt work while uppermanagement push their black ink all day.

 

[KillerMuffin]

Yeah, whatever, Nasty. But don't take my word for it. You'll find the information you seek halfway down the page. If that's not enough for you, you can play with a search engine.

http://www.newsday.com/business/printedition/ny-bzout182469025nov18.story?coll=ny-business-archive

 

[nasty]

I was just sucking up. NOW! Can I lick that ass?

 

[xzchief]

Black Friday reminds me of Black Monday ('29 crash) and Black Thursday ('87 crash). I heard the news stories about black ink but I think the day should have been called Green Friday, in honor of the cash rolling into stores.

 

[teresafannin]

My store actually had a good "Black Friday". People seemed to have a lot more patience than in past years & very few of our customers got upset about waiting in line, things like that. I don't know if it is because of 9/11 or the fact that our weather was really nice, but it was a good day. We went way over our sales plan & only had a few technical glitches. I did notice that people were buying more practical items than in the past & using more cash than credit cards. I worked from 3am to 3pm because there is only one other person who has the training to do what I do.

 

[bluntforcemama]

Thanks!

 

[Mistress]

All I know is it's hell, and fights broke out at stores, some woman even got trampled to death. Well she's not dead but, she's in the hospital pretty banged up.

 

[Chuckus]

It's because Black is associated with dark times. And, for the employees, it's a dark time.

you might be on to something, although KM is right..........

 

[Spinaroonie]

It's also national "Buy Nothing day" for capitalism protestors