Newspaper Page Text
A8 Fayette County News
Wednesday, November 22,2023
Black Friday & Cyber Monday ‘Dos and Don'ts’
Leah Banks
Senior Reporter
leah@fayette-news.net
Each year, with bellies
full from Thanksgiving
gatherings, Americans hit
the pavement in route to
major stores like Walmart,
Best Buy, and Target for
Black Friday sales.
While there are many
myths and stories of old
that have been passed
down through generations
regarding the origins of the
retail market’s biggest day,
one commonly repeated is
the story of a time of eco
nomic chaos in 1869.
According to Sarah
Pruitt, a contributor for the
History Channel, the re
peated story dates to the
early years of accounting
and financial undertakings
of retail businesses who
were searching to revive
their businesses from the
year’s economic turmoil.
“As the story goes, after
an entire year of operating
at a loss, ‘in the red’ stores
would supposedly earn a
profit (‘move into the
black’) on the day after
Thanksgiving, because
holiday shoppers blew so
much money on dis
counted merchandise,”
Pruitt said.
Pruitt indicated that,
while this story is one that
was officially sanctioned in
history, it airs on the side of
inaccuracy when it comes
to the true meaning behind
the tradition, leading to the
real history of Black Friday.
“Back in the 1950s, po
lice in the City of Philadel
phia used the term to
describe the chaos that en
sued on the day after
Thanksgiving, when hordes
of suburban shoppers and
tourists flooded into the
city in advance of the big
Army-Navy football game
held on that Saturday every
year,” Pruitt said. “Not only
were Philly cops not able to
take the day off, but they
had to work extra-long
shifts dealing with the ad
ditional crowds and traffic.
Shoplifters also took ad
vantage of the bedlam in
stores and made off with
merchandise, adding to the
law enforcement head
ache.”
By the late 1980s, the
tides of Black Friday turned
from one of large crowds
and chaos to that of re-
invention and multi-use
connotations that allow for
the meaning it has today.
“Sometime in the late
1980s, however, retailers
found a way to reinvent
Black Friday and turn it
into something that re
flected positively, rather
than negatively, on them
and their customers,”
Pruitt said. “The result was
the ‘red to black’ concept of
the holiday mentioned ear
lier, and the notion that the
day after Thanksgiving
marked the occasion when
America’s stores finally
turned a profit.”
Pruitt notes that this
Black Friday story was the
one that was able to capti
vate the country and send
persons of all walks of life
to these sorts of “retail holi
days,” such as Small Busi
ness Saturday/Sunday and
Cyber Monday.
According to Britan-
nica, Cyber Monday is the
counterpart to Black Fri
day, taking place on the
Monday that follows
Thanksgiving week. Over
time, this day has become
one of lucrative retail sales
in the United States.
According to Nicholas
Gisonna of Britannica,
Cyber Monday as a term is
relatively new, having been
coined in 2005 as a day
that promotes continued fi
nancial spending in prepa
ration for the holiday
gift-giving season.
"The term Cyber Mon
day was first coined by the
National Retail Federation
in 2005 when they noticed
that people would continue
their holiday shopping on
line while at work on the
Monday after Thanksgiv
ing, because, at that time,
many people had a faster
internet connection at
work than at home,” Gi
sonna said.
Gisonna notes an in
crease in popularity for
Cyber Monday compared
to Black Friday due to the
association of dangerously
large crowds and the pos
sible dangers that lie within
them.
“The challenges associ
ated with chaotic crowds
on Black Friday proved to
be an advantage to Cyber
Monday, as consumers
began choosing to wait to
take advantage of promo
tions online rather than
fighting crowds in malls
and stores,” Gisonna said.
“Cyber Monday also en
joyed increased growth
when online shopping grew
in popularity during the
COVID-19 pandemic.”
These doorbuster sales
are ones that are often por
trayed in media and movies
as people storm through
entrances, racing for the
largest screen television or
the newest iPhone, but
there are common “dos and
don’ts” to prepare for the
rush at the stores and the
budgets for the pockets.
According to represen
tatives from Consumer Re
ports, some tips and
nuggets of knowledge to
reaching the deals on this
year’s Black Friday sales in
clude starting the shopping
early, skipping the in-store
sales and shopping online,
and using the websites and
apps to track what stores
have the best deals.
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RENEWING THE MIND
Importance of Gathering at the 'Friendsgiving' Table
Leah Banks
Senior Reporter
leah@fayette-news.net
With Thanksgiving
quickly approaching, and
families preparing to
gather in unity and joy
around a table filled with
their holiday favorites,
many young people value
friendships so much that
they recognize “Friends
giving” as a time of joint
celebration during the
--
-fS
V -\
f
Thanksgiving season.
According to Merriam-
Webster, the word
“Friendsgiving” was
added to the dictionary in
January 2020 as a blend
ing of “friend” and
“Thanksgiving.” The word
refers to a large meal
eaten with friends either
on or near Thanksgiving.
The website indicates
that, while some may not
celebrate Friendsgiving,
there are many who take
these gatherings
riously.
“People
about their Friendsgiving
celebrations: there are or
‘how-tos, sample menus,
rules, and even com
mandments for Friends
giving,” representatives
from Merriam-Webster
explain.
Although the day is no
official holiday, people
who elect to celebrate
se-
are serious
plan it for any fall day in
November, or any date
that their friends can
gather and join in the fes
tivities.
According to Michaela
Bahn of Pioneer Woman,
the traditions that lie
within Friendsgiving are
completely up to the host
of the day, whether it be
traditional Thanksgiving
cuisine or a potluck of
new dishes and treats for
all to enjoy.
“Food is also an inte
gral part of the day,
whether that means eat
ing a big feast at the table
enjoying a smaller
spread on the living room
floor!” Bahn said. “Hosts
can also share their fam
ily's Thanksgiving tradi
tions with guests, from
watching classic holiday
movies to playing cute
Thanksgiving games with
any kids in attendance.”
For Bahn, it is impor
tant to note that there are
distinct differences be
tween Thanksgiving and
Friendsgiving, one of
which deals in the formal
ity of the celebrations.
“The main distinction
between Thanksgiving
and Friendsgiving is that
Friendsgiving gatherings
tend to be a bit more in
formal and are specifically
focused on your closest
friends,” Bahn said.
“Folks who host Friends
giving may use it as an op
portunity to bring
together neighbors and
friends, or even co
workers, for a more casual
dinner before planning
ramps up for the real deal.
Friendsgiving also en
courages family members
to join, just as some fam
ilies welcome friends at
their Thanksgiving table.”
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BAZAAR
Get ready to indulge in a
delightful shopping experience, filled with unique
gifts, delicious treats and festive vibes.
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