With all the chaos and controversy involving the presidential election, Thanksgiving rolled around at the perfect time in order to settle the tension. Thanksgiving in the air. Regardless if we Americans still continue to ignore the truth behind the holiday.
Black Friday sales
Yes, this is a heartwarming season for most but for others this is also bargain season. The day after Thanksgiving is an unofficial holiday called Black Friday. This is a day (or weekend in some states) to take advantage of the best commercial deals, providing customers with the feeling that you're getting one over on the companies you usually buy your materials from.
During this time families often get a head start with Christmas shopping for the kids. Which is why most clothing and electronic stores like Macy's, Toys R Us, Best Buy and JCPenney will have the best sales.
Sadly what was before a benefit for the consumer has now become the pure opposite, regardless of how much items are discounted. Businesses may cut the profit of each individual purchase but the average number of buyers increases and makes up for the profit loss. The amount of items purchased by the customers also increases, ultimately doubling the profit for businesses in a single day. Also businesses prepare for days like this by marking up prices the weekend before and really throughout the entire year, so overall they won't take a lost.
Origins of Black Friday
Many events have been described as Black Friday, although the most significant such event in American History was the Panic of 1869, which occurred when financiers Jay Gould and James Fisk took advantage of their connection to the Grant Administration in an attempt to corner the gold made market. Allegedly the phrase may have derived in the south before the Civil War, from the practice of selling slaves on the day after Thanksgiving. Nowadays, however, most people seem to care more about what deals they will snag and what new electronics they will have in their collective households by the end of the purchasing cycle.
