7 THINGS YOU DID NOT KNOW ABOUT BLACK FRIDAY

If by now you have not heard of the so-called Black Friday or Black Friday, an American tradition that is here to stay in our country, we have to tell you that you do not live on this planet. And it is that this overwhelming moment of discounts and offers everywhere that make us long teeth and prepare us for Christmas shopping, does not stop surprising us. What's more, when we thought that avalanches at the doors of stores in the US were impossible to avoid, we found that last year, as a result of the pandemic, there was a drop in people who went to buy in physical stores. Does this mean that we held back the crazy urge to buy? No, quite the opposite, but our way of buying changed and, in the case of the US, 65% of purchases were made online. But... did you know that this tradition could have arisen from the greatest economic crisis in the US in the 19th century?

WHY THE DATE AND THE NAME?

The origins of this Friday full of offers are various and confusing. The only thing we are clear about is that it was in the US as a result of a crisis, but… what kind of crisis? The oldest theory places it on September 24, 1869, when due to a financial crisis the price of gold rose, this was the first time this term was used. This crisis was produced by the government's action in trying to reverse these effects, falling prices. On the other hand, as we entered the 20th century we find many others, the most famous originating in Philadelphia, in 1961, used by the police to refer to the avalanche of cars and the traffic caused by the latest purchases. Christmas (remember that Thursday is Thanksgiving, one of the most important holidays in the US). The term was acquired by the merchants of the stores referring to the state of their accounts: the numbers of these went from red to black thanks to the frenzy. In fact, for a long time its use was limited to this area. Curiously, until 1939 the holiday was on Thursday and not on Friday as it is today. This change occurred because said year November 30 and Thursday coincided , which caused an alarm among merchants: the Christmas sales period would be shortening. These, immersed in their distress for the losses they suffered, wrote to President Franklin Roosevelt asking him to delay the start of the festivities for a week. After this resolution was passed, they even called it Franksgiving (Thanksgiving is English is Thanksgiving) for a while. Another theory about his nickname is that it was due to the high absenteeism rate due to the day after Thanksgiving.

A DEATH COUNTER FOR BLACK FRIDAY?

As you hear it, since 2006 the United States created a counter with the incidents that occurred on Black Friday. This was called “Black Friday Death Count” and here we leave you the link in case you want to browse to what extent shopping can be considered a risky sport.

BEST SELLERS

Despite the fact that the greatest interest in this holiday is found in the technology and textile sectors, the former is not the most sold, since it has as "competition" Cybermonday (which we'll talk about in this article too, don't worry). In reference to textiles, do not think that what is bought is great designs, but rather pajamas (at least in the US), since the next day is Thanksgiving and it is the date of greatest work absenteeism of the year, In addition to also being the day that more people go to the Disney World theme park. However, we know that it is practically impossible to know the best-selling item in the entire history of Black Friday, but the giant Amazon, one of the stores that produces the most sales on these dates, reported that in 2020 its sales exceeded 4.000 million euros, an increase of 60% compared to the previous year (and we have already said that online sales skyrocketed). This same one rescues which have been its best sellers, last year they were the “Echo Dot” smart speaker and the “Fire TV Stick 4K” device, something inconspicuous by no means, but what about the DNA test? This is also in the top six, then we leave you the list provided by the platform:

• Echo Dot
• A Promised Land by Barack Obama
• The Revlon “On Step” hair dryer brush
• The classic board game Lite Brite
• “Amazon Smart Plug”
• 23andMe Personal DNA Test

A BROWN FRIDAY AND NOT A BLACK FRIDAY

For some trades, Black Friday is not as desired as for others, specifically for American plumbers, who use the term Brown Friday to refer to this day. The reason? It is the day after Thanksgiving and, just as for some it is a day of rest, they receive a large increase in calls to unclog drains and pipes as a result of the excesses of the previous day. That day they don't get off!

HOW AND WHEN DID BLACK FRIDAY ARRIVE IN SPAIN?

Our beloved Black Friday did not arrive in Spain until 2012, and it was not in all stores, but had a progressive introduction. First it was online and especially in international stores. Later it was extended to its physical stores, and today it is difficult to find a brand that does not offer a discount. Without a doubt, the pandemic has wreaked havoc on our way of shopping, in such a way that in 2020 the turnover of this day grew by 52.8% compared to 2019, greatly exceeding the expectations of the vast majority of stores, which saw this day as a great opportunity to overcome their losses from the first quarter of the year.

As a matter of fact, prior to 2012 it was stipulated by law that stores could not make discounts outside the sales period, but that year the law was changed, giving free rein to shopping sprees.

BLACK FRIDAY AND CYBER MONDAY

Cyber ​​Monday, a New American tradition since 2005, is the first Monday after Thanksgiving and, although many businesses extend their Black Friday to the entire weekend and overlap with it, it generally focuses on sale items technological. This was created to promote electronic commerce, since years ago people were much more reluctant to buy online, today it is also present in physical stores. It is also a last chance for the most indecisive who have not dared to buy what they wanted during the Black Friday discounts.

DISCOUNTS THAT LEAVE YOU COOL!

It's almost December and the cold and snow (fortunately) have come to stay for a few months. Also, knowing that the average person spending in 2020 on Black Friday is €250-300 leaves you frozen! But at Uller we are prepared to equip you for this season with our selection of Black Friday sales. So we will keep you tuned with all the news so you don't miss anything.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

• WHEN IS BLACK FRIDAY?

The original date is the last Friday of November, but today the stores anticipate it a few days, so it is convenient to be aware of each brand.

• WHERE DID BLACK FRIDAY COME FROM?

Black Friday was created in the US to encourage Christmas shopping, since it is the day after Thanksgiving. This "celebration" began to reach Spain through some international brands in 2012.

• HOW LONG IS BLACK FRIDAY?

The duration depends on the store, generally it lasts that weekend and in many cases starts earlier

• IS CYBER MONDAY THE SAME AS BLACK FRIDAY?

Not before, Cyber ​​Monday was created exclusively for discounts in online commerce. Today, in practice it is the same but not all brands do it, unlike Black Friday.

• WHAT IS THE BEST SELLING PRODUCT ON BLACK FRIDAY?

We don't know an exact one, but Amazon in 2020 shared this ranking: Echo DoT, a Barack Obama's Promised Land , Revlon's “On Step” hair dryer brush, the classic board game Lite Brite, “Amazon Smart Plug” and the 23andMe personal DNA test.