# The US inflicts Black Friday on Britain **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 28, 2014, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-inflicts-black-friday-on-britain/705829 "2014-11-28T16:16:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2014, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-inflicts-black-friday-on-britain/705829/41 "2014-11-29T07:42:05Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Here, from the _Telegraph_: “Supermarket chain desperately wishes for Britons to celebrate holiday based on purchasing large quantities of food” was probably too honest. ---
**Author:** ![Sodalite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@Sodalite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sodalite)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2014, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-inflicts-black-friday-on-britain/705829/42 "2014-11-29T08:34:59Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Nah, it’s phase 2. Phase 1 was last year’s sales, with idiots saying “ohmygodtheresablackfridaysalemustgo!” and normal people answering “so what the fuck is black friday, how is this sale supposed to be any good when most of the christmas stuff isn’t in stores yet, and why the heck are you talking without breathing?” The only “black day” people could come up with was the '29 crash, but that wasn’t a friday. > > Apparently the dudes from Marketing expected phase 3 to work without the other two and without, really, most of the christmas stuff being in stores yet. Wait, what!? You people don’t have Christmas stuff crammed into every available space in your stores from mid-October? Where do you live? Is the weather nice there and do you have a spare bedroom? Just asking for…no reason. ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2014, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-inflicts-black-friday-on-britain/705829/43 "2014-11-29T09:33:43Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > For me, Black Friday is always 24th September, 1869. My historical knowledge is so-so, at best: my reaction when reading the above – based on pretty well the only thing I knew about 1869 – was “what has Claverhouse got against the opening of the first transcontinental railway in North America?”. A quick Google application revealed that the reference is to something greatly different (and four months later). ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2014, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-inflicts-black-friday-on-britain/705829/44 "2014-11-29T09:40:39Z")
One of my earlier signatures on the internet was from Stewart H. Holbrook’s _The Age of the Moguls_. \*\*\*Jay Gould had himself elected president of Erie. Fisk was made vice-president and comptroller. Continued tragedy for the Erie was assured. \*\*\* ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2014, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-inflicts-black-friday-on-britain/705829/45 "2014-11-29T12:50:39Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Nah, it’s phase 2. Phase 1 was last year’s sales, with idiots saying “ohmygodtheresablackfridaysalemustgo!” and normal people answering “so what the fuck is black friday, how is this sale supposed to be any good when most of the christmas stuff isn’t in stores yet, and why the heck are you talking without breathing?” The only “black day” people could come up with was the '29 crash, but that wasn’t a friday. > > Apparently the dudes from Marketing expected phase 3 to work without the other two and without, really, most of the christmas stuff being in stores yet. > [@Sodalite](#): > > Wait, what!? You people don’t have Christmas stuff crammed into every available space in your stores from mid-October? Where do you live? Is the weather nice there and do you have a spare bedroom? Just asking for…no reason. I think **Nava** might be from Spain. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2014, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-inflicts-black-friday-on-britain/705829/46 "2014-11-29T13:28:43Z")
think you Americans should worry too much about inflicting ‘Black Friday’ on us Brits. In 1972 I was a student and worked for a week as a temporary sales assistant in Harrods. This was just after Xmas and was publicised as the ‘Harrod’s Sale’. I was astonished by how big the crowds were on the pavement (US ‘sidewalk’ 😉 ) outside the store minutes before opening. When the doors were opened, a human wave poured in - I can only describe it as a vast mob with manners. :eek: My department was Glass and China and I was told that we averaged £500 worth of accidental breakages a day. Allowing for inflation, that’s about $9,700 daily! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2014, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-inflicts-black-friday-on-britain/705829/47 "2014-11-29T14:31:28Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > For the first time this year I saw ads for “Black Friday” sales in Panama. Panama doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving either. I saw ads in Islamabad and we don’t have Thanksgiving either. Americanists I tell you.:eek: ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2014, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-inflicts-black-friday-on-britain/705829/48 "2014-11-29T16:09:22Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > One of my earlier signatures on the internet was from Stewart H. Holbrook’s _The Age of the Moguls_. > > \*\*\*Jay Gould had himself elected president of Erie. Fisk was made vice-president and comptroller. Continued tragedy for the Erie was assured. \*\*\* They could be naughty lads, those railroad tycoons… ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2014, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-inflicts-black-friday-on-britain/705829/49 "2014-11-29T19:23:24Z")
I was in Romania a couple of weeks ago and the stores were preparing for Black Friday sales. They’ve never heard of Thanksgiving, but they’ve sure heard of Black Friday. Anything to make a buck! ---
**Author:** ![palacheck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a88e57/32.png) [@palacheck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/palacheck)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2014, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-inflicts-black-friday-on-britain/705829/50 "2014-11-29T19:34:54Z")
The U.S. is always to blame for these sorts of things. Let me put it plainly: it’s the filthy greed and consumerism and stupidity of your own countrymen that’s to blame here. That goes for all you in mainland Europe as well. Especially YOU there. Yes you! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2014, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-inflicts-black-friday-on-britain/705829/51 "2014-11-29T21:19:29Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’m guessing that the British harvest festival **Mangetout** refers to is Guy Fawkes Day. Which isn’t about harvest in its origins, but it’s kind of accumulated all sorts of baggage. That, or Sanheim, though that’s not really mainstream for the past several centuries. > > Personally, I find it a bit refreshing that one of our top holidays is a harvest festival, pure and simple. There’s something universal about harvest festivals: They span all cultures and all history. Probably, the first annual festival of any sort was a harvest festival. What **njtt** said. Harvest Festival is called harvest festival - mainly a church (and primary school) thing. People donate food (used to be fresh produce, but nowadays, more usually non-perishable foodstuffs) that is distributed to those in need, There’s singing, sometimes feasting and drinking, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-inflicts-black-friday-on-britain/705829/52 "2014-12-01T17:56:18Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Well, I guess we have to allow them to nuke LA to even the scales. > > (_Fail-Safe_, anyone?) I suspect a large fraction of Americans would be perfectly OK with this compromise 😉 Seriously, Black Friday is conspicuous consumption at its ugliest. People lining up all night, usually in cold weather, just to get a good price on a new TV or something. Why, because it’s _on sale !!!_ ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-inflicts-black-friday-on-britain/705829/53 "2014-12-01T18:29:58Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > I suspect a large fraction of Americans would be perfectly OK with this compromise 😉 > > Seriously, Black Friday is conspicuous consumption at its ugliest. People lining up all night, usually in cold weather, just to get a good price on a new TV or something. Why, because it’s _on sale !!!_ While it is consumerism, do note that most merchants world and retailers world over have the concept of special sales. Falling as it does, last week of November, just before the start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and before the end of the year, it is a good time as any to have a sale. Many people have been at work more or less continuously since September and are planning to go on holiday in late December. Its a good time for a sale. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-inflicts-black-friday-on-britain/705829.md?page=2)