Black Friday? Sponsors doing anything special?

[MaryAnne]

I was just reading an article in the Sunday Times, and small mention was made that Amazon UK was extending the Black Friday sales to the UK. That's the Friday after Thanksgiving (this year Black Friday is 25th November) and is a HUGE sale day in the USA.

I thought I remembered that there were a few sponsors who did it last year (although I could be wrong - wishful thinking maybe? ) so thought I would ask. And it's worth noting the Amazon info as they do carry a huge amount of stuff, not just books, games and movies/music. The article doesn't say what is on sale or how it is structured, but everyone loves a sale, and at this time of year "every little helps" as they say, so I just thought it was worth mentioning.

[Lou@CCW]

We are in process of planning

[MrsMcf]

Regarding the Amazon sale, last year it was 60-70% off three selected items per hour. I managed to get myself a Kipling handbag that I have just about used every day for £16 and I got DH a shaver (that didnt fare so well, I think its gathering dust in the bathroom cabinet)

[Jampot]

I think I read somewhere that they were starting the Black Friday sales earlier this year.

[lizzylou]

Amazon's black friday starts on the monday the 21st over here ive just had an email. it would be great if some of the sponsers were doing it too like you said every little helps

[lizzylou]

I enjoyed the amazon black friday last year im glad they are doing it again

[Gadget Monkey]

I enjoyed the amazon black friday last year, got a full edition of Photoshop Element 9 for £20, but never actually used it as I upgraded just after that to photoshop CS5

[Weaselwise]

Okay, so Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving - but why is it called Black Friday - and if the day after Thanksgiving isn't a Friday does its name change?

[simplyme]

Okay, so Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving - but why is it called Black Friday - and if the day after Thanksgiving isn't a Friday does its name change?

I might be wrong but I think Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday - the 3rd Thursday of November (sure I read that somewhere)

[Mrs Cheshire]

Just googled it and it's the 4th Thursday in November for the USA, Canada also celebrated but they celebrate theirs in October

[simplyme]

ahhh so close

[scrappinsilly]

Can I ask why its called Black Friday?

[Trudyw]

We were told that with all the sales etc this is the day most of the shops go into the Black and out of the red with there sales figures and profit.

[Weaselwise]

Ahhh - makes sense now - thanks ladies!

[naim]

I wondered about the name aswell so just checked wiki:

JANUARY 1966 -- "Black Friday" is the name which the Philadelphia Police Department has given to the Friday following Thanksgiving Day. It is not a term of endearment to them. "Black Friday" officially opens the Christmas shopping season in center city, and it usually brings massive traffic jams and over-crowded sidewalks as the downtown stores are mobbed from opening to closing.
Store aisles were jammed. Escalators were nonstop people. It was the first day of the Christmas shopping season and despite the economy, folks here went on a buying spree. ... "That's why the bus drivers and cab drivers call today 'Black Friday,'" a sales manager at Gimbels said as she watched a traffic cop trying to control a crowd of jaywalkers. "They think in terms of headaches it gives them."