ORIGINAL: ChuckW
It is a term regarding the day after the Thanksgiving Holiday (which was today). Retailers try to get you to start shopping for the Christmas Holiday by offering up a few really good deals. The ''black'' comes from old accounting terms I believe... black ink for profit and red ink for losses.
It used to be that a lot of people, especially women, would do some shopping on the day after Thanksgiving simply because most have the day off from work. Now it has become some sort of over-hyped, over-marketed ritual. It kind of distracts from the whole point of Thanksgiving and family if you ask me. I'm not getting up early to stand in line waiting in the elements for some store to open for anything. Not that I don't like good deals and getting cool stuff of course.
Instead the wife and I will likely have breakfast and maybe take a drive up into the mountains if the weather looks good. I'd love to be flying too but I figure she deserves a day with me now and then.
While you are up there go take a look at my house and buy it!! Just make me an offer!!!
In the US the stores have gone completely nuts, Xmas trees and Xmas items already out on display two weeks before Halloween. By the time Xmas rolls around your sick seeing it all and watching all the adds on TV. Just a marketing ploy, hope it isn't world wide! Used to be kids didn't see anything Santa until black Friday. The magic is gone.