fracas

I thought I’d be helpful and offer up some Black Friday links for those who plan to spend tomorrow shopping, and some Cyber Monday links for those of you whose shopping on Friday is going to be of the window nature, saving your shopping for Cyber Monday.

Canadians to flow to U.S. border in search of Black Friday bargains

TORONTO - The lure of Black Friday, America’s epic once-a-year buffet of deep discounts and doorcrasher sales, is expected to attract a swarm of Canadian bargain hunters to border crossings this weekend, hungry to spend their pumped-up loonies.

They’ll rush to the pivotal U.S. Thanksgiving weekend holiday sales despite countless warnings that the journey could be more of a hassle than an adventure… (read more)

So what is Black Friday?

The day after Thanksgiving in the United States, commonly considered the first real shopping day of the Christmas season, is known as Black Friday. The day is heavily promoted by retailers.

Where did the term originate?

The origin of Black Friday comes from the shift to profitability during the holiday season. Black Friday was when retailers went from being unprofitable, or “in the red,” to being profitable, or “in the black”, at a time when accounting records were kept by hand and red indicated loss and black profit. [1]

Black Friday Links from About.com

Top 10 Tips to Getting the Best Bargains on “Black Friday
Black Friday Stress Relief: Surviving Black Friday
The Best Black Friday Sites

More Black Friday Links

Black Friday Google Results Page

http://www.blackfriday.info/
Black Friday (Wikipedia)
http://bfads.net/
http://www.black-friday.net/
http://blackfriday.gottadeal.com/

So What is Cyber Monday?

The Monday following Black Friday as become known as the official start to the online Christmas shopping season, with many online retailers promoting it heavily. It has become commonly known as Cyber Monday.

Previously, big name retailers had ignored Cyber Monday and the idea that online shopping could take business away from traditional-style shopping.  In recent years however, popular retailers like WalMart have begun promoting specific sales and events on the day to combat the threat of loss of sales to online shopping. 

Wher did the term originate? 

The term “Cyber Monday” is a neologism invented by Shop.org, and was never in common use within the ecommerce community before the 2005 holiday season. According to Scott Silverman, the Executive Director of the organization, the term was coined based on research revealing that 77% of online retailers reported a significant increase in sales the Monday after Thanksgiving in 2004. [2]

Cyber Monday Links

Cyber Monday Google Results Page

Cyber Monday (Wikipedia)
http://www.cybermonday.com/
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/shopping/black-friday-morphs-into-cyber-monday-138567.php
http://money.cnn.com/2005/11/21/news/economy/cyber_monday/index.htm
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1134823,00.html
http://www.internetnews.com/ec-news/article.php/3646196

For everyone who ends up spending more than they’d planned, don’t worry. Fracas will continue to provide you with somewhere to entertain yourself each day… free (with a paid internet connection of course, don’t be silly and spend yourself right out of being able to pay your internet service provider’s bill… that would be tragic.)

[1] From About.com: Retail Industry: Black Friday
[2] From Wikipedia: Cyber Monday