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What is Black Friday? - Black Friday is a sales promotion that takes place the day after the US holiday of Thanksgiving.

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Thanksgiving Day - Thanksgiving is a major holiday in the United States. Canada and some parts of the Caribbean also have a version of the celebration. In the US, it is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November and is an opportunity to express thanks for food and family.

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History - The term Black Friday was apparently first used in September 1869. At the time, Jay Gould and James Fisk tried to corner the gold market at the New York Stock Exchange.

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History - However the conspiracy ended up going south, and the stock market crashed, bankrupting many.

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Came from slavery? - There is also a darker idea about the origins of Black Friday, that states that Southern plantation owners could buy slaves at a discounted price on the day after Thanksgiving. However this has no factual basis.

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Philadelphia - The true story behind Black Friday is actually that in the 1950s local police in Philadelphia started calling the day after Thanksgiving Black Friday in response to the crowds of people and huge traffic jams caused by the beginning of Christmas shopping season.

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Increasing popularity - The famous shopping day really took off in the 1990s and massively increased in the early 2000s.

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Terminology - The term "in the black" means to be making money or to be at a profit. Therefore Black Friday is when stores can move from "in the red," meaning in debt, to "in the black."

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Accident -

Black Friday is known for having terrible accidents mingled in with the chaos. In 2008, a man named Jdimytai Damour, aged 34, was trampled to death. The Walmart employee was crushed by a mob of 2,000 people who smashed through the door of a New York store. Eleven other people were injured.

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Interesting fact - Before being labeled as Black Friday, the day was intended to be marketed as Big Friday. However people didn't like the name, and the term didn't stick.

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UK - While some in the UK called Black Friday just another "Americanism," in recent years the amount spent has increased significantly.

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Canada - The success of Black Friday over the border led to Canadian retailers introducing the event.

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Mexico - In Mexico, Black Friday is called 'El Buen Fin' (good weekend). In existence since 2011, the weekend falls on the days preceding the celebration of the Mexican Revolution, which is always celebrated on a Monday.

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Panama - In Panama, Black Friday weekend was actually moved to September in order to increase sales in that period. 

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Norway - Black Friday has now been categorized in Norway as their "most important shopping day."

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Colombia - Colombia actually has more than one Black Friday. While they may also celebrate on the traditional day after US Thanksgiving, they also have other days throughout the year, one of which is in May.

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Ireland - In Ireland, Black Friday has become a profitable day for store owners and shoppers, with incredible discounts available for a few days in November.

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Australia - Black Friday is an incredibly important day for Australian store owners, and the number of consumers goes way up on this day in November.

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Brazil - This South American country is another that has adopted Black Friday as the most important shopping day of the year. Thousands of people take the opportunity to do their Christmas shopping and make the most of the sales.

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Crowds - The eagerness of shoppers can lead to endless lines and crowds. In the US, during peak Black Friday shopping times, people can spend many hours waiting in line just to get into a store. In recent years, stores have explored solutions like online sales or extending the Black Friday sales to a week or the whole month.

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Online shopping - The advent of new technology means Black Friday shopping can be done in comfort online. Lots of people opt for this method.

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Cyber Monday -

Cyber Monday was created in the US in 2005. This day takes place on the first Monday following Black Friday. Cyber Monday sales only offer discounts for online products.

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Cheapest products? - A widespread myth perpetuated by store owners is that the promotions offered on Black Friday will always be the best of the year.

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Cheapest products? - The average price of products is lower, but some items may be cheaper at another time of year. It all depends on supply and demand, as well as the laws of each country.

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The most lucrative day? - Contrary to what you might think, Black Friday is not the most profitable shopping day in the United States.

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Money - Even so, the event rakes in a lot of money. In the US alone, retailers made US$7.9 billion in 2017, which isn't even counting Cyber Monday.

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Breaking tradition - Walmart, one of the world's biggest retailers, broke Black Friday tradition in 2011, when it opened its doors to customers a few hours earlier, on Thanksgiving night.

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Consumerism - In protest against excess consumerism, Buy Nothing Day takes place on the same day as Black Friday.

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Products -

In recent years, it seems like tech items are the best-selling Black Friday products. This is especially true for online shopping.

Source: (History.com)

See also: How the world worked before internet

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