"Black Friday" Americans call the fourth Friday of November, which comes after Thanksgiving Day (an annual holiday that falls on the fourth Thursday in November). It differs from all other Fridays only in that it is the first day of Christmas sales.

Why is Friday called "black"?

For whom this day is truly black, it is for service workers, police officers and janitors. Shops this Friday open much earlier than usual, and everyone who has time to shop on this particular day is guaranteed huge discounts.

The concept of "Black Friday", according to rumors, was born in the 60s of the last century in the Philadelphia state police station, when huge crowds of people, attracted by impressive discounts, stormed stores. That day was not without traffic accidents and violence.

"Black Friday" fights add to the police worries to this day. The facts of the misuse of force have reached such a point that some are already thinking about renaming Black Friday to Shame and Shame Friday.

The most brutal cases of violence are recorded annually in the states of Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana and Nevada. Particularly ruthless are American citizens shopping at the Wal-Mart chain of department stores. In 2010, for example, this day claimed ten human lives. One hundred and eleven people were injured.

New England, the Midwest, and the Pacific Northwest are considered the safest, and therefore the most suitable, areas for Christmas shopping.

During the last decade, the highest number of incidents (more than 57 percent) were registered in the territories where wholesale sales are carried out. In second place - shopping centers(almost 18 percent). 30 percent of all victims were trampled, and 26.7 percent of the victims received gunshot wounds.

sad statistics

During the sale of 2017, five people were injured among the buyers. Due to the ongoing outbreaks of violent acts in the state of Alabama, local leaders have decided to close shopping centers.

In 2016, three people were shot dead in the states of New Jersey, Nevada and Tennessee. The New Jersey man died of his wounds.

In 2012, two people were gunned down near the Wal-Mart mall in Tallahassee, Florida. They fought for a parking space.

In 2011, Wal-Mart, a consumer electronics supermarket, had to evacuate from Los Angeles. One of the shoppers sprayed peppers into the crowd as she tried to get to the counter that was selling the Nintendo Wii at 60 percent off.

In November 2010, the Wal-Mart was closed in Sacramento. Crowds of shoppers attracted by discounts on consumer electronics, gathered at the store long before the opening and nearly smashed it.

In 2009, employees of the California Wal-Mart, located on the territory of Rancho Cucamonga, were forced to call a police squad. The store was attacked by a crowd attracted by discounts offered by the department household appliances.

The worst Black Friday is November 28, 2008. On this day, an employee of the New York Wal-Mart, whose name was Jdimytai Damour (by the way, a rather large man), was trampled to death by a crowd of about 2,000 people. Customers broke into the store, breaking front door which was closed at the time. Eleven other people, including a pregnant woman, were injured.

Black Friday as a source of income

Small traders consider the Friday following Thanksgiving the most positive day of the year. Retail and consumer spending on this day account for almost 70 percent of the US gross domestic product.

Now it is clear why black ink is traditionally used by accountants and economists to indicate profits (red ink is used to indicate losses).

A few more "black" days in US history...

A similar name was given to Thursday, October 24, 1929 (on this day the Great Depression began). But the "black streak" did not end there. About a week later, an event known as "Black Tuesday" occurred - in one day, stocks on the stock market fell by 11%, and investors lost a significant part of their deposits.

On the evening of the first Friday after Thanksgiving, large stores in the US and Europe open the holiday sales season - this is exactly what the famous "Black Friday" is, when hundreds of thousands of people hunt for crazy discounts.

The tradition of Black Friday comes from the United States. There, every year after Thanksgiving, which is celebrated on the last Thursday of November, big sales are held.

In recent years, the tradition of the Black Friday sale has become popular in Europe, where it is also accompanied by a stampede and even serious injuries.

"Black Friday" is not an official holiday, but many employees take a day off on this day, with the exception of employees retail, since on this day the flow of buyers increases significantly. On Black Friday, shops open very early - around 5 am, and some of the largest retail chains - even at midnight. The first buyers are offered serious discounts - this is done in order to attract as many buyers as possible to the stores.

Crazy discounts on Christmas souvenirs and gifts, clothes, food and technology - this is the main attribute of the so-called "Black Friday" in the United States. People line up long before the shops open. The most popular on this day are electronic and household appliances, American journalists note and add that "Black Friday" in terms of marketing plan has managed to become a real national holiday in the United States.

Note that Philadelphia law enforcement officers called Black Friday in 1966, when they saw that all the main streets were “littered” with cars and pedestrians.

Story

The history of Black Friday begins earlier than we used to imagine and is definitely not connected with online shopping. In ancient times, when there was no Internet, "iPhones" and courier delivery 2 hours later, the day after Thanksgiving in the US was the start of the holiday sales. Merchants and buyers thus opened the season of preparation for Christmas, which in the Western tradition of Christianity is celebrated on December 25th.

US President Lincoln determined that Thanksgiving should be officially celebrated on the last Thursday of November. In those days, the next Friday sale had no separate name. And “black” Friday was called a completely different one - September 24, 1869, when speculation in the gold market caused an unprecedented jump, and then a collapse in prices.

And now, in order to understand where the tradition of sales came from, let's briefly move to Canada.

In 1905, the Canadian supermarket Eaton's began holding Thanksgiving Day parades with Santa Claus in a van that drove through the streets of Toronto. In 1913, the van was replaced with a real reindeer team. And in 1916, a number of helper characters were added The Canadians inspired Macy's to launch its own New York Thanksgiving Day parade in 1924. The parade kicked off the shopping season—and discounts and deals have been held up by retailers to this day, having previously agreed not to start sales before the holiday parade.

In 1939, at the height of the Great Depression, Thanksgiving fell on the 5th week of the month. Major Suppliers and chain stores wrote a collective letter to US President Roosevelt with a request to move Thanksgiving Day from the last week of the month to the 4th week - otherwise, in anticipation of sales, they will all simply go bankrupt, because they will not be able to pay salaries, debts and taxes on time. There was confusion - some of the buyers left for the "new date", some - for the "old". Only 32 states complied with the Roosevelt order, and many companies had to give their employees 2 extra days off instead of one.

Black Friday final date

In 1941, the US Congress intervened. It was legislated that Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the 4th Thursday of November, no matter what date it falls on.

Since the 1950s, people in the States have begun to take a massive day off at their own expense, complaining about ailments or problems in the family after Thanksgiving, thus receiving a 4-day working week instead of the usual. Most of the shops were open at that time and it was just starting active sales by Christmas - so, in order not to find out who should cut wages for absenteeism, businessmen began to simply stimulate their employees to go on vacation that day.

Myths and realities

Internet mythology is a stubborn thing. Constantly during this period, social networks spread the myth that they say Friday was called “black” because when slave traders organized auctions for the sale of “living black gold” on this day. However, it is not.

The name "Black Friday" did not become popular until 1966. Under this heading, there was a publication about traffic jams in Philadelphia through the start of the holiday season (most cars were then black), as well as an advertisement in The American Philatelist magazine.

Dynamics of sales in modern trade on Black Friday

Historically, almost half of all purchases of gifts and goods for Christmas and New Year occur in North America and Europe on this day. Tracking the volume and dynamics of sales in the United States began officially in 1992. The first drop in sales occurred during economic crisis in 2008 - after that, sales have steadily grown. Already in 2011, sales on this day amounted to the equivalent of $ 12.3 billion.

Sale in the USA

In the United States, on Black Friday, discounts in many stores can sometimes reach 80-90%. Americans can queue ahead of time, and before opening in some large New York stores in 2014, queues of up to 15,000 people gathered.

Overall, the US National Federation of Sellers estimates that about 136 million shoppers visit discount stores this weekend.

On Black Friday itself, almost 100 million Americans are waiting for sellers.

For the entire Christmas sales season, which begins on Friday, Americans could spend between $630 billion and $650 billion.

Black Friday in the UK

Usually on Black Friday, about half of the US population visits stores in search of discounts. In the UK, the tradition is not yet so popular, and prices fall by an average of 40-50%.

In 2014, Black Friday across Britain was marked by stampede and injury as shoppers rushed for cheap goods.

Following this, British stores began efforts to prevent in-store violence.

So in 2014, Tesco stores had the worst order situation among all Black Friday stores. The chain's stores were repeatedly called in by the police because of the riots, and a TV set even fell on one woman.

Also, each store received an additional amount of security and technical means for queuing.

Another supermarket in which there was a crush and injuries was Asda. The retailer helped bring the Black Friday tradition to Britain in 2013.

In general, in the UK, Black Friday was first introduced by the Amazon online store, and in retail by Asda.

According to Visa, UK shoppers spend between £1.2bn and £2bn on Black Friday.

And what about Black Friday?

Our discounts are not too generous - most online and offline stores offer discounts from 20% to 50%. For comparison: in the United States, the bulk of goods are sold with discounts of 70-90% in order to free warehouses from stocks.

In the case of our market, one can also observe a price increase to 30–40% in early November, in order to then allegedly “reduce” it by the same amount and sell the product at the new-old price, presenting it as a discount. For example, the most attentive buyers can trace this on the example of Apple gadgets and accessories.

By and large, Black Friday is more of a ploy to lure a customer into a store without giving them a real discount. In social networks, there are a lot of reviews on this subject about almost any outlet or online store, and most of these reviews have a negative connotation.

Therefore, it is still worth looking at the assortment of foreign online stores these days. Today, anyone can participate via the Internet in Black Friday and get a really real discount up to 90%. Similar promotions can be used both on Amazon and on Chinese venues such as AliExpress. But if it’s a little problematic to get a package from the USA, then from China it’s much easier. But do not forget that there are many services that offer their services in the US for shopping, up to the provision of an American address, the minimum duty on the parcel and the cost of the parcel. Therefore, if you take advantage of American discounts, then one way or another, taking into account the cost of the parcel, the price for a similar product will indeed be several times lower!

Who makes money on Black Friday?

Of course, such a step is not a manifestation of charity. Prices and discounts are shared between suppliers and representatives of the retail sales network.

The retailer puts the highest markup, so for him sales even at a discount are profitable, because they allow you to get rid of excess inventory, while still increasing revenue.

Facts about Black Friday

The term "Black Friday" is 50 years old

The holiday has no specific date.

Black Friday is the first Friday after the traditional turkey dinner (Thanksgiving Day in the USA). It usually takes place between November 23rd and 30th. In 2016, it took place on November 25 and in some stores it lasted until Monday - Cyber ​​Monday (sale of equipment and electronics).

Marketing ploy

Before the advent of Black Friday, people began to prepare for Christmas two weeks in advance. Because of this, there were huge queues, traffic jams and loads on shopping centers.

To increase the period of sales and the number of pre-holiday purchases, they came up with Black Friday, which begins a month before Christmas. Thus, buyers make more purchases, because the preparation period has increased by 2 times.

Unofficial day off

The sales holiday is not official, but a significant part of Americans take the day off from work so as not to miss the discounts. It is worth noting that trade workers, on the contrary, do not have the right to take a day off during the sales period.

If you want a discount - spend the night under the store

Many stores offer discounts up to 90% in limited quantities for first-time buyers. Therefore, people spend the night under the shops right in the queues, and also sell their more profitable places.

Some countries around the world have even introduced a ban on sleeping under shops during this period, as this hinders traffic and the operation of the store as a whole.

Half of the US population participates in Black Friday

The largest queue in the United States gathered more than 3 thousand people and stretched for several kilometers. Overall, there are about 150 million Black Friday shoppers each year, spending about $300 each.

Dangerous for health and life

Since 2006, there have been 98 injured people and even 7 deaths in the pursuit of big discounts. The Americans even created a counter website that counts the number of victims during Black Friday. Workers suffer the most during this period. trading floors. Shootings, the use of gas canisters and hundreds of fights were recorded.

Black Friday in the US is starting to lose ground

In 2015, the number of sales decreased by 12% compared to 2014. The main reason is its transition to online. It is much easier and safer for consumers to shop online than to participate in riots.

*Affiliate material

It is on this day, the fourth Friday of November, that mind-blowing sales start in many stores and the most incredible discounts are given, sometimes reaching up to 90%. Black Friday 2018 falls on November 23rd.

Why is Friday black? Where did such a gloomy name and in general the idea of ​​​​such sales come from? It is not known for sure. There are several plausible versions. But all traces lead to the United States, to the distant 19th century.

For the first time, Black Friday marked the beginning of the financial crisis.

Two savvy Wall Street financiers, Jim Fisk (one of the founders of Broadway) and Jay Gould (former owner of Western Union), decided to buy all the gold on the exchanges in order to subsequently receive exorbitant profits when selling it. But their plan was discovered, and when the price of gold peaked, President Ulysses Grant ordered a large share of the government's gold to be put up for auction. The market collapsed, many traders went bankrupt, including Fisk. Gould was lucky: he managed to sell his gold.

It happened on September 24, 1869, and this day was called "Black Friday". The US economy was able to overcome the consequences of this crisis only a few months later.

The salesman-loser came up with discounts and earned millions

Around the same time, the first sellers appeared who began to give big discounts for goods before the Christmas holidays. Americans spent a lot of money on gifts, so the trade before Christmas was always especially profitable.

Frank Woolworth is considered the father of Christmas sales. In 1873, he was 21 years old and worked as a sales assistant in a store in Pennsylvania. He did not work very successfully, since he had already been threatened several times with expulsion. Then Woolworth laid out all the stale goods on the counter and put a sign next to it "Everything for 5 cents." The product was instantly sold out, and the store's revenue increased 6 times that day.

Woolworth knew what to do. He opened own shop, which after 5 years grew into one of the largest retail chains, named after the owner - Woolworth's. All goods in these stores were sold at 5 or 10 cents, and sales were regularly held.

In 1913, Woolworth opened the company's headquarters in New York, the 57-story Woolworth Building, which cost him $14 million and was the tallest building in the world until the 1930s.

Black Friday is inextricably linked to Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day in the United States is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. It is a public holiday and official holiday. Since no one wanted to go to work on the Friday after the holiday, many workers took the day off or suddenly "sick". Therefore, Black Friday began to be called the day on which no one wanted to work. For employers, it was truly a rainy day.

On the same day, Christmas sales started, and many Americans, of course, preferred to spend this day shopping.

In 1966, the US police called such a black day because crowds of people and cars fill the streets, and control has to be tightened.

According to another version, the color of this Friday is associated with the accounting tradition of marking profits in black and losses in red.

If not for Roosevelt, then Black Friday in 2018 would not be November 23rd, but November 30th

Since 1864, Thanksgiving in the United States has been celebrated on the last Thursday of November - it could be the 4th or 5th in a row. In 1939 Turkey Day fell on the fifth Thursday. The Great Depression continued, the economy had not yet fully recovered. And then there's also the season of Christmas sales was reduced (you remember that they started right after the holiday).

Then the retailers' association turned to President Franklin Roosevelt with a request to fix the fourth Thursday of the month for the holiday. The President went forward and issued a corresponding decree. So Thanksgiving got its second name - Franksgiving Day.

Black Friday has become a national holiday with more than half of Americans participating

In the 1980s, retailers decided to give expression more positive meaning. This is how Black Friday appeared in the form that we are all used to. Attempts have been made to call this day "Big Friday" to get rid of the negative connotation, but to no avail.

Over time, Black Friday after Thanksgiving has become a big national holiday that has spread around the world. Shops on this day open earlier and earlier, some at 4 or 5 in the morning, some at midnight, and some right on Thursday.

Therefore, the most desperate shopaholics rush to the shops either immediately after the festive meal, or instead of it.
Several factors contributed to the success of Black Friday. Firstly, the end of November is the time to start thinking about Christmas gifts and at the same time there is still time to order something online and get it delivered on time. Secondly, Friday between the holiday and the day off is the best time to spend it on shopping. More than half of Americans are participating in this discount madness.

Black Friday often lives up to its name: a lot of people have suffered in the war for discounts

Discounts are a great way for stores to attract customers and set an annual record in profits. Contrary to popular belief, not only unpopular goods are sold at discounted prices, but also quite popular ones, and even new ones.

Typically, goods are swept off the shelves in a matter of minutes. To stir up interest and create excitement, stores put up a limited batch at an attractive price, so, as they say, whoever had time, he ate it. There are many funny cases that buyers talk about.

One man spent three nights at the entrance to Wal-Mart, with a tent, a thermos and sandwiches, hoping to buy a plasma TV. When the doors opened, he ran into the store one of the first. However, by the time he got to the TV section, all 15 pieces had already been snapped up by more enterprising rivals: they entered the doors that were located closer to the department and opened 10 seconds earlier.

In pursuit of profit, buyers do not shun anything. Fight over the last copy of the goods? Easily! Spray pepper spray in the face of rivals? Please! To snatch the box from the hands of the one who was more fortunate? With no doubt! They remember the case when two old women quarreled over a regular $10 calculator that was sold at a 50% discount.

There have been more serious accidents, resulting in injuries or even death to customers or store employees.

What do we have?

The tradition of Black Friday was picked up around the world, in the early 2010s it came to Russia.

Fortunately, in our country, Black Friday does not have such devastating consequences as in the United States. Russia took only the most pleasant: only discounts, only sales. Yes, and it takes place mainly on the Internet: there is no need to set up camp at the store and fight for the last product. The most pleasant discounts can also be obtained when buying on the Internet - for example, if you apply citylink coupon .

According to the results of studies of retail chains, it is most profitable to buy electronics and household appliances on this day. And save even more promo code Eldorado. No one will stop us from enjoying discounts and pleasant shopping without leaving home.

By the way, Rospotrebnadzor warned that misleading customers is unacceptable. The seller is obliged to clearly and clearly formulate the conditions for the purchase of goods for the promotion.

It often happens that, succumbing to the hype, you buy something, and the next day you realize that you don’t need it at all. In this case, even if you purchased a product at a significant discount, you have the right to return the product you did not like, did not fit or defective within 14 days, not counting the day of purchase.

« Black Friday 2018” will last for three days, including weekends, and in some stores all week. However, it’s still worth hurrying: the most attractive offers end first. No one will guarantee that the desired product will not be taken from under your nose. More than half of Russians are already counting the hours before the start of sales.

https://www.site/2018-11-21/belye_pyatna_chernoy_pyatnicy_chto_vazhno_znat_na_starte_bolshih_rasprodazh

Hoping for a discount...

White spots " black friday»: what is important to know at the start of big sales

Robin Nelson / ZUMAPRESS.com / Global Look Press

Russia, like the whole world, is on the threshold of Black Friday - the time of grandiose sales. Can you trust crazy discounts? What dangers can lie in wait for a buyer blinded by an attractive price? What else is important to know and remember so that the shopping holiday is not overshadowed by disappointments and losses? And what to do if buying a stock instead of joy brought a headache? We have collected recommendations from those who know more about this than the average buyer.

Who Invented Black Friday?

Americans, of course. "Black" they called the Friday following Thanksgiving, which is traditionally celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday of November. Black Friday thus usually falls between November 23rd and 29th and opens the same traditional pre-Christmas sales season. Apparently, the day of big discounts could also get its somewhat frightening, at first glance, name only in America. The term appeared in the mid-60s on the East Coast and meant the same grandiose traffic jams that cities got into when thousands and tens of thousands of residents rushed to malls and outlets.

Later, the name was associated with the common business idiom "in the black", which means a positive balance, as opposed to "in the red", when the balance is negative. Obviously, this implies a large benefit that both the organizers and participants of large sales receive. Actually, statistics also speak in favor of this: about a fifth of the total retail trade turnover in the United States falls precisely on the pre-Christmas period, opened by Black Friday. Moreover, on this day, the total number of buyers in recent years exceeds 200 million people, each of which spends about $400 on average.

Bob Owen / ZUMAPRESS.com / Global Look Press

And what about in Russia?

Russia, whether someone likes it or not, is becoming part of the global world and, together with the whole old Europe, is adopting the best practices that are born overseas, especially when it comes to making money. Thanksgiving Day is not celebrated in our country, but the season Christmas sales we also have. And if so, why not give it a spectacular start? Moreover, there is no need to invent anything new.

Against the backdrop of rising prices for goods, Russians are more likely to use services with coupons and promotions

Our scale of the day of big discounts, of course, is still far from American and even European. But with the naked eye you can see how this tradition is gradually taking root in Russia. This is confirmed by the statistics of companies that arrange a discount marathon. For example, the Svyaznoy-Euroset company, which calls itself the world's largest chain of stores in the high-tech segment, this year holds a Black Friday promotion from November 13 to 25. And she predicts an increase in the number of orders in her online stores by at least two times compared to last year, Yulia Zaripova, marketing director of the company, told the site.

Interestingly, the action called "Black Friday" these days is announced not only by well-known chains and shopping centers. Travel companies and hotel booking services try not to miss the chance to lure additional buyers with significant discounts. medical centers, commercial and residential real estate agencies and even architectural and landscape firms, which now, with the onset of winter, are taking advantage of the good opportunity to form a package of orders for next season.

Can discounts be trusted?

A good question, to which you are unlikely to be given an unambiguous answer even in the homeland of Black Friday, although they could figure it out there in half a century. Alexey Batylin, CEO BTL and trade marketing agency Activity Group, which specializes in non-traditional sales promotion, is set for Black Friday with an obvious dose of skepticism. In his opinion, the whole point of Black Friday was originally an artificially created surge in consumer activity, attracting crowds of buyers to chain stores and shopping centers. And this meaning has not gone away.

“They are happy to open their doors at extra hours, luring us with 'unreal' discounts. The excitement supported by the general state plunges people into a shopping frenzy. You should not delude yourself. The pragmatism of trade organizers will not allow them to incur losses.

This means that there can be no talk of any discounts of 30-90% on commodity items that are already selling well.

According to him, in preparation for the sale, the network may first raise prices by 40%, and then lower by 60%. “Of course, on the days of seasonal sales, the chains, in order to lure buyers, “merge” individual positions at a bargain price. But this does not apply to most of the assortment with the declared discounts,” Aleksey Batylin is convinced.

Wiginton, Keri / ZUMAPRESS.com / Global Look Press

Yuri Mosha, head of the Second Passport and Russian America companies, which provide consulting services to potential emigrants, believes that not everything is so simple. In the US, Black Friday is truly a day of unprecedented discounts. Many stores put up for sale items with discounts up to 90%, and some also offer free shipping or gifts when buying several things. But in Russia, according to Moshi, sellers have not yet reached such a level of generosity: some stores actually raise prices in advance in order to make a so-called discount on the cherished day. As a result, people buy goods at their real cost. “In America, only some online platforms can sin with such an unfair attitude, on which everyone who is not lazy trades,” the site’s interlocutor notes.

Skeptical about discount promotions and Dmitry Ermyshev, advertising director of the development company "Sozvezdie" (St. Petersburg), who recalls that developers also use the expectations of buyers associated with Black Friday and promise a grandiose price reduction. But, according to him, the economy of projects will not allow developers to offer a radical reduction.

Therefore, the real discount is unlikely to exceed 20%, and this will affect only individual objects, the sale of which is difficult: for example, apartments with an unsuccessful layout or a bad view from the window.

“They are already sold at a discount, so Black Friday is a tool that helps draw attention to such objects and sell illiquid assets in the wake of waiting for maximum discounts,” the expert shares his secrets. Moreover, he is convinced that for successful market players, participation in discount promotions like Black Friday can result in reputational losses. In Russia, such moves can still be perceived as a signal of the financial insolvency of a company that is forced to reduce the price of its product in order to save its position, or even intends to leave the market altogether. At the same time, Dmitry Ermyshev believes, there is still reason to pay attention to such Special offers, for example, if you take housing only for temporary residence or for renting out.

How to get the most out of Black Friday?

As you know, profitable shopping is akin to art, for which there must be talent. Nevertheless, there are some general rules, the first of which is that you should prepare in advance for Black Friday. The main trouble with all sales is making impulse purchases, as a result of which not quite necessary or completely unnecessary things appear in the house, which then have to be given to someone or tried to be sold via the Internet. To get what you really need, you should prudently make a list, ideally accompanying it with price monitoring, advises Maxim Sundalov, director of the online school of English language"EnglishDom", well acquainted with the secrets of pre-Christmas sales in the homeland of "Black Friday".

So first, you have a better chance of catching for real good discount. And secondly, you will be able to plan your Black Friday budget. It is only important not to do it “back to back”: in addition to what you planned to spend, provide some amount for random purchases, Maxim Sundalov recommends.

It will be a shame if you suddenly notice good price, you will know for sure that the proposed thing will not go to the mezzanine, but you simply will not have money to buy it.

If you prefer to make purchases in the stores themselves, plan your route in advance: which outlets you make the main bet, and which ones you can keep in mind as a fallback. Experienced sales participants advise to think over the logistics of Black Friday to the level of specific departments, recommending that shopping be a family one. So you can send one family member, for example, to the household appliances department, and another, say, to the electronics department. This will save you time and not miss the desired product.

Fans of online shopping will have to be even quicker - online transactions are concluded instantly, so the preliminary work becomes an order of magnitude more important. Your goal at this stage is to find out which online stores have the goods of interest and which are expected to have the biggest discounts and under what conditions, recommends Yuriy Mosha. Spend the rest of the evening on this, determine for yourself the sites with the most advantageous offers. Many online stores themselves announce expected discounts on the eve of Black Friday, making sure that you pick up products in advance and do not miss the start of the sale. If necessary, take the time to visit the store itself or use the service feedback for details of your interest. Finally, consult with friends who have at least one Black Friday experience behind them.

Felix Adamo / ZUMAPRESS.com / Global Look Press

Is there a risk of becoming victims of fraud and what else should be feared?

There is a risk, even if you do not share the conventional wisdom that this whole Black Friday is one big manipulation to spin us on new serious expenses. Alexey Gribovsky, general manager federal network Positronics electronics stores, called the site the main rule of all sales - to approach them with a cool head. “Chasing a low price, you can run into low-quality goods or outright fraud, so carefully check the information about the company where you plan to make a purchase,” says Gribovsky.

It is important to pay attention to the reputation of the company and its behavior during similar promotions in the past. The Internet remembers everything, including the attempts of a particular company to cheat buyers by inflating prices before Black Friday, and then returning them to their previous level. Do not write off trust banners with minus and double-digit percentages.

Any price generator will help you: it will tell you average price on the market, and if some position turns out to be, say, 80% cheaper than the market average, this is a clear reason to be wary.

A separate story - with the payment of the ordered goods via the Internet. Never transfer money to a private person's card. Serious stores either have online payment or use reliable payment systems like Yandex. Checkout, or even send couriers with goods and a cashless payment terminal. Use online aggregators where Black Friday participating stores are tested by this site itself. But keep in mind that online scammers do not stop improving their skills and are preparing for the next Black Friday no less than you. So the domains are well-known retail chains can be used to deceive you. Be sure to pay attention to the location of the letters in the URL line and the date the site was created: for a serious network that you know for 10 or even 20 years, the site may not appear just a couple of weeks before the big sales season.

Ural tour operators spoke about the unique situation with last-minute tours this year

“Real” stores have their own safety rules, and the first rule is the same - do not lose your head and be on the alert. In sales places, as in any crowded places, there are a lot of pickpockets, for whom such events are also seasonal, Aleksey Batylin from Activity Group draws attention. Another juicy topic - during sales, theft of components from boxes flourishes, as a rule, senseless and merciless. Pay attention to this, at least when paying at the checkout, because after purchasing the product, it will be almost impossible to prove that you did not purchase it as a set.

Another reason to be on your guard is the offer on Black Friday not only of discounts, but also of installment payments for goods. “If you see somewhere an announcement “Installment - XX days without%”, I recommend that you carefully study all the details: what awaits you during and after these days. Against the backdrop of the growing popularity of interest-free installment cards, there are cases of disguised regular loan offers,” notes Inessa Zaichko, affiliate marketing manager for the Conscience installment card.

On the whole, according to Zaichko, interest-free installment cards can serve as a good help to buyers during sales days. The business model of this banking instrument is based on receiving commission income from each transaction in partner stores. Therefore, the price for the buyer remains the same as if he paid by credit card or cash. At the same time, all discounts declared by the store remain.

Jörg Carstensen / dpa / Global Look Press

And if there is something wrong with the product, can I exchange it or return the money?

Yes, you can. There is no “Black Friday” or similar actions for the Russian law on the protection of consumer rights, says Nikita Tomilov, a human rights activist and civil expert of the Interregional Center for Human Rights, who already has sufficient experience in litigation in the interests of deceived buyers. According to him, the law clearly states that the product sold must meet all the declared consumer characteristics, and even if it is sold to you at a discount, you must still receive a purchase of proper quality.

If something still went wrong, then the first thing to do is send a written claim to the seller, describing what exactly did not suit you as a consumer. And ask for a replacement or refund. You can also attach a claim for non-pecuniary damage to your claim.

Within 10 calendar days the opposing party must give an answer that will either satisfy your requirements or refuse you. With refusal, you can safely go to court. Moreover, in court, you can not only force the defendant to return your money for low-quality goods, but also fine him 50% of the purchase price for refusing to resolve the dispute out of court.

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During the grand sale called Black Friday, the coolest sales are traditionally held. In the United States and other countries, this year's Shopaholic Day falls on November 23rd. Such sizes of discounts and at the same time in almost all stores do not happen more than a year.

Black Friday or "Black Friday" has become a popular world-class event thanks to American marketers who increased discounts after Thanksgiving, marking the beginning of the Christmas sales season, and carried out active marketing work.

At first, the concept of "Black Friday" was associated with the collapse of the gold market in 1869, as well as with the crises on the Wall Street stock exchanges. In addition, Friday, which fell on the 13th, was also called "Black".

This is a phrase known to many and the Americans decided to use it to refer to the hectic day of big discounts after Thanksgiving, which most often fell on Friday. Christmas sales started in stores, and shoppers hunted for maximum profit.

Ancestor of the first sales

The founder of the first sales, many years before the advent of Black Friday, is Frank Woolworth (1852-1919), who was the first to come up with sales at the end of the 19th century.

In Lancaster, Pennsylvania, an introverted guy from the outback worked as a sales assistant in a small shop, where he experienced constant discomfort due to uncertain prices. At that time, there were no price tags in stores, and sellers had to resort to all sorts of tricks to find out the solvency of customers, after which they set the price of the goods. Once, taking advantage of the absence of the main seller, Woolworth decided to take a risky step. He put up a 5-cent-item sign next to the seasonal item, setting up the first sale.

The operation was a commercial success, in the wake of which Frank Woolworth organized the largest retail chain of the early twentieth century. His stores can be considered the progenitors of the current discounters and supermarkets.
Sellers quickly realized that by appointing constant prices on goods and "sales", they can make a big profit during the Christmas period, when everyone is bought with gifts. Where did the tradition of organizing the most grandiose sales right after Thanksgiving come from.

In 1951, Factory Management and Maintenance noticed an interesting trend that after Thanksgiving, many employees went on sick leave, although in fact they simply arranged a 4-day vacation in this way, which they spent in stores in search of discounts.
At the same time, the phrase "Black Friday" became common among Philadelphia police officers, who were shocked by the terrible traffic jams that occur annually on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
According to another available version, this day is called Black Friday, since in American accounting, losses are displayed in red, and profits in black. And Friday after Thanksgiving is considered the most profitable time of the year for sellers.

Since 1966, the expression "Black Friday" has finally taken hold on the East Coast of the United States among sellers and meant the period of the biggest discounts on goods.

Black Friday Traditions

Perhaps the most interesting tradition of Black Friday is that it is bad form to return goods to the seller (for any reason) bought on that day. Prices should be reduced as much as possible, the goods should be available in sufficient quantity, and before the start of the sale on the eve of Black Friday, it is forbidden to increase prices for the assortment.

According to statistics, the average American family can save from a couple of hundred to several thousand dollars on Black Friday. Every year, shoppers spend about $60 billion during this period. The most popular products include toys, clothing, and electronics.

Note that in our country Black Friday has been organized since 2013. For example, about 5 million people participated in the domestic Black Friday four years ago, and its bestsellers were electronic equipment, which 50% of buyers preferred, and clothes with accessories - 28% of purchases.