On this day, there is no holding open doors for other people or any of that 'good will toward your fellow man' stuff we hear about as we get closer to Christmas. Nope, Black Friday is all about doing whatever it takes to get the newest internet enabled 55" 3D flat screen tv for only $299. Even if it means camping out and trampling the 3 people in front of you to death to get it.
FYI. I think murder is actually legal on Black Friday. It seems every year I hear about so many people dying on Black Friday. but I never hear about anyone being arrested. Just something to keep in mind when you bump that lady out of the way so you can satisfy you caffeine addiction by grabbing the last Keurig coffee maker.
For those of you looking to thank someone for forcing your still-turkey-stuffed-butt out of bed because the best sale of the year starts at 5 am, have to look no farther than Macy's. Well, to be more accurate the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
It seems we weren't always sleep deprived bargain hungry hate filled shopping fiends the day after Thanksgiving. It wasn't until the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924 that the day after Thanksgiving became the unofficial start to the bustling holiday shopping season. This is because many businesses would use the parade as a marketing tool to promote upcoming huge sales which were always the next day. Which at that time, as of yet, did not have a cute nationally recognized nickname. I'm assuming they just called it, "Hell Day".
It wasn't until sometime in the 1960's that the ominous day after Thanksgiving would be given the name, Black Friday. The name originally came from police working in Philadelphia, who would often complain about the horrible traffic and the huge unruly crowds on that day.
The term, Black Friday, also became popular with businesses since it symbolized them moving out of the 'red' and into the 'black'. For those of you unfamiliar with bookkeeping that does not involve computers, red ink was used to symbolize a loss while black ink reflected profits.
In recent years, peoples distaste for standing in long lines at unforgivable early hours has led to more and more shopping being done online. This has led to the birth of a new major unofficial shopping day known as, 'Cyber Monday'. However, that is a story for another time.
Now, if you will excuse me, I have to get myself cleaned up. See, I need at new tv and Best Buy only has 5 of those new internet enabled 55" 3D flat screen tvs for only $299. I know. I'm not proud of myself, but you have to admit, that is a really good price. Now, has anyone seen my taser gun?
