All week I've wondered about the origins of this horrible terminology "Black Friday" - it reeks of wrong. Help me understand!
Nov 23, 2012 · 7:03 AM UTC
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@mollydotcom : This is the day holiday season starts, & the 'books' of retailers start to turn 'black' (black = profit, red = loss)
@mollydotcom isn't it the day shops' books go in to the black for the first time in the year?
@mollydotcom My guess: "in the black" (making a profit, e.g. in retail) vs. "in the red" (in debt): red ink signfied a negative balance.
@mollydotcom In the UK, "Black Friday" was a Stock Exchange crash.
@mollydotcom Google Steely Dan and "Black Friday". That makes more sense. :)
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@mollydotcom I believe Black Friday was the point in the year when retailers broke even. Everything else after today was profit.
@mollydotcom there appear to be 2 theories; one is shops having profits go into the black again, the other is the trouble the sales cause
@mollydotcom and here I thought it was an attempt to turn a dark memory positive; 10/29/29, the price (stocks) collapse: 1st Black Friday.
@mollydotcom legend has it that lots of traffic etc accidents on that day bcse of numbers of perp who went shopping. Org: Philly police
