Black Friday always occurs on the day after Thanksgiving. It is the last Friday of the month of November.
Black
Friday is not a national holiday, although many employers give their
workers this day off work in addition to Thanksgiving Thursday.
Black Friday is also known as ‘The Day After Thanksgiving’.
It’s believed that Black Friday originated in Philadelphia in the early 1960s.
The
name supposedly originates from the moment in the year when retailers
begin to turn a profit, and so go from their takings being in the ‘red’
to in the ‘black’.
Since about 2005, Black Friday has always been the busiest shopping day of the year.
In
recent years, Black Friday has become less important as shops choose to
offer discounts over the whole of November and December, and not just
on Black Friday.
Many retailers open their stores from 4 or 5am
to entice customers in to get the best deals. Some stores, including
Target and Macy’s, open at midnight on Thanksgiving.
Some retailers even open on Thanksgiving Day itself. This day has become known as ‘Black Thursday’ or ‘Gray Thursday’ by some.