Author: Unknown
•4:13 PM
By Nea Brown


What is Black Friday exactly? It is the day after Thanksgiving in the United States. On this day shops traditionally hold sales in order to welcome the Christmas shopping season, or Golden Quarter as retailers often call it. A recent trend is for retailers to open their doors early in the morning to maximize footfall. This also creates an event atmosphere among shoppers.

The origin of the name Black Friday has several explanations. Commentators have suggested that it is the day when retailers make most profit, so are "in the black". Academics report that the name derives from the Philadelphia Police. In that city, the first Christmas shopping day coincides with the annual Army vs Navy college football game. Traffic is therefore terrible and people flood the streets. The result is several accidents and a difficult day for the police force.

Over the last decade, it has become the busiest day of the year. Crowds of people descend on stores in a quest to find a bargain. Employers often allow staff to leave work early, or even give them the day off entirely. Over the last few years, retailers' definition of early opening has gone further and further. Many shops now open at 4 a. M. And some have started trading at midnight.

The early opening times have captured the public's imagination and many people line up outside the entrance to be one of the first. As this has become increasingly popular, people arrive ever earlier to get a good spot. Today, people often spend hours waiting for the store to open its doors.

With the large number of shoppers waiting outside, many safety issues are raised. There is a significant risk of a crush when the doors open, so the entrance has to be well monitored. The whole event has to be well stewarded by security or police to make sure order is kept. Paramedics should be quickly available in event of people falling ill, especially those waiting overnight.

The day after Thanksgiving can be a rewarding experience for both shoppers and stores. It is now marked down on the American calendar and it is clearly popular. Today, stores make the highest number of sales on this day. Nonetheless, it is vital that the day is well-organized. Any timing issues, machine failures or insufficient stock can frustrate and thus make for an ugly scene among shoppers.

It is important to advertise the event well, as most of the competition will be doing something similar. Advertising should be done on local TV and on the internet. Promotions should target a few main products, along with smaller discounts on many other items. Publicity could also be made in coherence with the local weather. For example, if a shop is in a cold-climate city, the retailer could offer free soup to those waiting outside.

Ads could highlight the efficiency of the store on the day. The headline could be What Is Black Friday To You?, and show a chaotic local nameless store. Then it could show the calmness of the advertised store. It could be aired on TV and viral version online.




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