Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving Day in the USA, falling on the Friday after the fourth Thursday in November.
Many people choose a day from their annual leave and have a day off on Black Friday. Some people use this to take trips to see family members or friends who live in other areas or to go on vacation. Shopping for Christmas presents is popular on Black Friday. Many stores have special offers and lower their prices of some goods, such as toys.
Public life
Many people take a day off on the day after Thanksgiving Day. Many organizations also close for the Thanksgiving weekend.
Public transportation systems may run on their normal schedule or may have changes. Some stores extend their opening hours on Black Friday.
Background
Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving Day, is one of the busiest shopping days in the USA. One theory is that the wheels of vehicles in heavy traffic on the day after Thanksgiving Day leave many black marks on the road surface, leading to the term "Black Friday".
The other theory is that the term "Black Friday" comes from an old way of recording business accounts. Many businesses, particularly small businesses, started making profits before Christmas. They hoped to start showing a profit marked in black ink on the day after Thanksgiving Day.
More recently, Black Friday has been exported to nations outside of North America such as the United Kingdom by major online retailers like Amazon or Apple. In 2011, IBM reported online Black Friday sales were up by 24.3%, according to a study that includes 500 retailers.
A. People's activities
B. History of Black Friday
C. Losses were recorded in red ink and profits in black ink.
D. A busy shopping day is a holiday in some states.
E. There can also be jams on roads to popular shopping destinations.
F. There are two popular theories as to why it is called “Black Friday”.
G. Black Friday is not a federal holiday but a public one in some states.
