The day after Thanksgiving is the official start of the holiday shopping season - popularly known as Black Friday - when retailers move from being unprofitable, or "in the red," to being profitable, or "in the black".
Contrary to popular belief, Black Friday is not the busiest shopping day of the year in terms of money spent. That title is usually awarded to the days leading up to Christmas and specifically, depending on the year, to December 22nd or 23rd.
Generally done in by Thanksgiving entertaining, many shoppers are more apt to appear at the mall on Black Friday to plan strategy rather than to actually make solid purchases.
Yet there are Americans, and in great numbers, who will choose Black Friday to begin shopping in earnest. By tradition, the day also invariably includes a TV report about how pleased (or outraged) shoppers are with this year's sales - and what that means for the entire shopping season.
On the Web, check out more consumer reports, facts, information and the history of Black Friday, and where to find the hottest sales taking place coast to coast on November 24, 2006 ...
How to Survive "Black Friday" - Good tips on shopping strategy, including scoping out merchandise, sticking to your budget and more, from All You magazine.
Black Friday @ Gotta Deal - Join the fray with news, rumors and information on where and what's on sale, scans of holiday sale circulars, a store locator, a history of Black Friday and a very busy forum.
Black Friday - The OFFICIAL Site for the Hottest Day of the Year - Keep up to date on the latest news and rumors, sign up for the mailing list, view scans of upcoming holiday ads from top retailers, and find out more in the active discussion boards.
The Official Black Friday Site - Visitor-submitted information with lists of hot sales items from major retailers including Staples, Sears, Walmart, Kmart, Best Buy, Walgreens and more.
Official Black Friday Ads - From DealTaker.com, offering free registration for entry into forum posts on the latest news about Black Friday sales.
From Chiff.com