Black Friday is coming, the craziest shopping day

But what is Black Friday? These two words, which literally mean “Black Friday” in Italian, indicate the day after Thanksgiving in the United States. A celebration, this, which takes place on the fourth Thursday of November and which, this year, falls on Thursday 22 November. Black Friday is the day immediately following this holiday and, traditionally, marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. It is therefore a special day from a commercial and economic point of view. So important that it is carefully observed and studied by analysts and financial experts, to understand many aspects of the country’s economy. During this day, the big chains open their doors to customers by offering them products and items subject to strong discounts. The promotions attract many people, who flock to the stores of more and less known brands to grab QUALITY goods at low cost. The purpose of the companies is to increase sales and to start the season in the best way. A goal that meets the desire of buyers to do business and buy everything at a discount. A desire so deeply rooted in shopping enthusiasts that we often see endless queues and people in front of the shop windows from the previous night. Maybe with their own sleeping bag, to sleep in front of the premises before they open. Scenes that are almost normal and that you are used to, at least in the United States. The USA is in fact the country of origin of this tradition. The name, in fact, was coined in Philadelphia, and is linked to the unsustainable road traffic of that specific day of the week. Furthermore, the origins of the name are to be found in the relationship between gains and losses, which were marked with two different colors on the dealers’ booklets. The losses were shown in red, the gains in black. The big deals of this day of the year, therefore, made the booklets of the companies fill with black writing (and therefore with profits). A first mention of this practice occurred back in 1924. At the time, during the day after Thanksgiving, the Macy’s distribution chain organized the first parade to celebrate the start of Christmas shopping. A sort of ancestor of what became a popular costume from the 1980s onwards. Given the success of the initiative in the United States, Black Friday has started to take hold in other countries in recent decades. Excellent results and great participation were recorded in Brazil, the United Kingdom, Spain, France and Germany. The most famous e-commerce sites are particularly operational here. Even in Italy Black Friday has arrived. In our country, however, this practice is much more tied to internet promotions. This is because there is no Thanksgiving Day in Italy, which marks the arrival of this phenomenon. A custom that still needs to be developed within our national borders, given that it has far fewer members than in other countries.