I'm About To Ask A Real Stupid Question..But...

I always thought it was because that is the day retailers are "in the black" meaning having/making money as opposed to being "in the red" losing money. In book-keeping "red" means loss, "black" means credit.

I know this!!!! They call it black Friday because most business are in the red and for some reason this better than best sale the stores have is supposed to put them in the black. Thus "Black Friday". dl

I think and I may be wrong b/c it is only 6 am LOL But it is called black Friday because this is usually the first day all year that companies start operating out of the red (ie negative; think abou7t your check book black is positive, red is negative)

Hey, I'm with you! I go to work today - getting ready to leave right now as a matter of fact... I used to work in the mall and I hated today. Although, I've only heard it refered to as "Black Friday" in the last six years or so. You couldn't PAY me to go shopping today. I think it's totally rediculous.

Hmmm, on Black Tuesday the stock market crashed. On Black Friday, prices crash! Makes sense, huh? I really have no idea. I thought of looking it up but I'm not that interested. The only thing I care about on Black Friday is that I don't have to go out! LOL I HATE crowded stores... hoards of people trying to be the first to grab that awesome sales item! Nope, not for me! I avoid it like the plague! I went out early one Black Friday many years ago. I was in the parking lot at 4:00 a.m. Stores opened at 5:00 a.m. When I saw the line of people camped out in front of the store (and actually around the side as well), I said NO WAY! I went home and crawled back into bed. After that time, I've always done my gift shopping early... sometimes it's even finished before Thanksgiving! It was this year. All I have to buy now is the food for Christmas dinner and I already have some of that bought! I will do anything to make the holidays as stress-free as possible. They're supposed to be enjoyable and, when you think about the true meaning of Thanksgiving and Christmas, there should not be any stress associated with it at all! It's the commercialism of it that has made it stressful and I want no part of that!

Hey pye! I with you! I'm certainly not ever going to dare to to a store on Black Friday! I have never been nor would I ever and for the reason that I am deathly afraid of being hurt or trampled. And that is exactly what happened to a poor man today in Long Island who had the job of opening the door for some insane shoppers at a Walmart store. He was only a temporary maintenance person who was doing his job and the crowd broke the doors down knocking him down and stepping on him and killing him. This is my fear and it happened to this poor unsuspecting man. These people are sick and disgusting! And they continued to shop knowing that someone was hurt! They didn't even want to leave the store when they were told what happened! And this very store re-opened only a few hours later! I am appalled at this! I have no words to describe how awful I feel for this man's family! And how disgusted I am about the actions of these people knowing that they killed some innocent person for their own greed. And for Walmart for re-opening this store which had a crime scene! Black Friday is named for the stores finally coming out of the "red" meaning "debt". This is when they make their biggest "profit"!

Apparently, the name Black Friday was first applied in 1869 and refers to a steep drop in the financial market due to prospectors attempting to corner the gold market. Today, the title typically refers to the Friday after Thanksgiving; the unofficial start to the holiday shopping season. It is the best day for early rising bargain shoppers to get great deals, and in the case of retailers, generally marks an upward spiral in sales. Therefore, it's a time when they are more likely to go into the 'black' and out of the 'red'. It's not a very pleasant time for those who work in retail though, as the day often ends up in 'combat shopping' between those hungrily seeking a bargain. That's how I understand it, anyway, my friend. Brightest Blessings.

What's in a colour. I have never thought about your question. But it is interesting enought to keep reading your thread. Thanks for pin pointing this issue.

It really isn't a dumb question--Black Friday was traditionally the beginning of the six weeks that many retailers began showing profits, or being "in the black". This year is a do or die for many retailers--if Friday's numbers aren't decent, that retailer may be on it's way out.

It looks like they would call it Green Friday. Black Friday is supposed to mean that the stores get out of the red and into making some profit for the year, so it looks to me that they would go from red to green.

Py-yeeee, its when business finally go into the "black" from being in the "red" the rest of the year. Its when they finally turn a profit.

Answering from email here, so maybe somebody's already answered your first question: Why is it called Black Friday? The high volume of sales is supposed to put the stores "in the black" if they aren't already. Black ink = credit, red ink = debit As for taking advantage of it, I know many Canadians do, but I'm not one of them. I adhere to Dief the Chief's admonition to "Buy Canadian."

I have never done the Black Friday thing, and I never will. It seems like such a hassle fighting crowds and crowded parking lots, and most likley not getting what I want anyway.

[b]I just asked that the other day! Turns out the day is the one when retailers expect to show their books in the BLACK, rather than the RED column, as so many people shop then. But I got to thinking about the concept that black = negative. As often as it is, it's just as often positive! I'm sure you can, if you think on it some, come up with more, but here's a starter list of examples: Black coffee (strength!) Black cherry (yum!) Blackberry (see Black cherry...) Blackbottom (feisty old dance style) Black rose (rare & beautiful) Black satin (slinky & sexy) Black olives (ripe & mellow) The Black Stallion (Beautiful horse!)Black diamonds (also rare & beautiful) Black belt (power, strength, wisdom) And so on! Maggiepie[/b]

I think like most it has to do with greedy merchants who have been running in the red, because they are greedy and have huge markups on things and so allegedly they lower their prices to a sales price to draw tons of people but here is the catch. Most merchants have a little clause that says "while quanities last" The quanities they know are between two and maybe thirty. There is no raincheck usually given. Target is great for this and that is why I don't shop there since 2001. It is a ploy to get you to come in and they ALWAYS have a LITTLE bit higher priced item very like the other sold out one. Which often is sold out before the stores open to employees. So they tell you well we only had a limited number sorry no rainchecks. But we have this other one only $35 more. Most people are like oh well okay I will take that one. UH UH not me. You pull a bait and switch it is bye bye for ever you liars. We went down once to get a CD player for our son for his DECEMBER 9th birthday we stood in line and were second in the store. I asked a clerk at "Target about the sale CD player and he said oh we already sold those out and are not getting any more in. "WHAT???? how can you sell them out you just opened and we were the first to ask. Answer two of the store employees bought the ONLY TWO QUANITIES????? they had in the store. You call two a quanity? I visualize at least twenty or more. And we got the immedeate sale pitch "We have this other player for ONLY and I said you can stick where the sun don't shine and I am NEVER shopping in Target again and have not been there since 2001. It is pure greed. They could have more customers and make more sales if they lowered thier prices all year. I never go out on black Friday since 2001 and that was the only time I did go. People are insane. They should call it INSANITY FRIDAY instead. It is much better to buy all year and get things on sale way early, shop around and have a list. Then you can be sane, stay hope on Friday, sleep in and relax while everyone else is acting frantic, madly shopping for things and the merchants are going chaching, chaching and hoping that it will be enough sales to get them out of the red they have been running all year. GREED is what it is pure rotten nasty selfish materialistic greed. Shop early, make do, regift, thrift gift, make home made. If your family doesn't like it they are selfish and need a reality check. This time of year is stupid and it is supposed to be about "LOVE, GIVING, PEACE, GOOD WILL to all MEN. Right!!! NOT!!!. Tell that to the man who was killed to day over a greedy crowds stampede to be first to grab the sale items before someone else go there before them in case there was not enough for everyone which they know there will NOT be. And people run up credit cards beyond their ability to pay and go into debt for six months or more. The kids are IN a GET me this and that selfish mode. Kids are taught to tell "SANTA" a lie parents teach their kids, to ask and say I WANT I WANT I WANT. SELFISH! No respect, No honor, no love. Just pure greed. I stay home as much as possible this time of year to avoid the frenzied mad crazy crowd, traffic, ice, snow, and am glad it over when it is. The person who many "ALLEGE " why they keep the holiday called "CHRISTMAS" would be ashamed and saddened. Besides he was NOT born DEC 25th he was born sometime in the fall. Over the centuries all sorts of customs, traditions and beliefs have been woven into this holiday and 99% are not about Christ at all. Why wait til December to have a party, a feast a celebration. Why not have one in February, May, August and October. Just for fun and because and just plan it. People think they have to do it they worry what everyone else thinks and are like a wolf pack and follow the leader to whatever fate there is. All for the glitter, and gloss and glitz of Greed.

Its the workers that have to work that day I think that started calling it black Friday for it is such a mess with all those people fighting to get in there did you see where some place the customers broke down the door and trampled teh security Guard now thats madness so Black Friday. ! Aslo he store workeds call the 3rd of the month mad moms day1

That is actually not a dumb question at all and one that I would be interested in knowing the answer to as well. In my opinion is it a pretty negative thing because people get so very hyped up over it and that is never good. I went out once years ago and it all went ok but really not something that entices me. Hearing that there were people camping out waiting for the stores to open kind of spooked me. That is pretty insane, I think. Truthfully, I think the whole concept of christmas has gotten a bit black and I try to stay clear from all of it. We celebrate a very simple christmas and gift giving is a very minor part of it. Considering that a man lost his life due to this crazy day makes it very black indeed.

Interesting question Pye, as I'm not american I really don't know why, but there must be some reson for it, I hope you get your answer from some other mylotters..bb littloewl

Sadly not all get this Black Friday thing...in my store its just a regular working day since most are flocking to the Malls and Walmarts..those people don't need the money as much as Mom and Pop stores do..so i'm not out of the red yet at all..

Well i dont know the true reason they call it black friday but i could research it for you, and by the way no question is stupid because if you are curious about it and you dont ask well there might be more people curious about it too! My mother always told me that the only stupid question is the one not asked so just a little piece of advice that might cheer you up, i mean shoot read some of these discussions and you will see for yourself there is no stupid question. Ok well my guess is they call it black friday because well its on a friday and two well i mean lets face it at 4am in the morning there is no light except maybe street lights, its black when it starts and day or sometimes black at nite when it ends so that might be a possibility. Yes i personally did go to a black friday and let me tell you it was worth well worth every little penny i spent, i bought 9 presents including something for me, my grandkids and a friend for like less than $200 so i think its worth it i am in a wheelchair now but if i had money man i would go for sure somehow lol.