Shoppers be watchful

All mobile phone users are now inundated with SMS offering special discounts for shoppers called “Black Friday Sale”. Have you wondered how this phrase came into use. Various versions are given on websites but I chose the one given from our colonial masters, Britain.

In Britain, the term “Black Friday” originated within the Police and NHS to refer to the Friday before Christmas. It is the day when emergency services activate contingency plans to cope with the increase in workload due to many people going out drinking on the last Friday before Christmas.

In the USA, the meaning is quite different. It is vendors not being in the Red, meaning a loss.to cut a long story short I think the phrase Black Friday is more appropriate for shoppers not sellers or vendors.these shop keepers are selling items keeping a 40% profit normally. And in Black Friday Sales they offer us a 10% discount from their 40% to us - the shoppers still making 30% profit. They are not Santas to give away for nothing .This outwardly looks great for shoppers specially the females of the species, who will do a mad purchasing in a frenzy.

End results the seller does not go Red (term used for making a loss, or bankrupt) in their accounting books but go Black with huge sales profits.and poor shoppers go Black in their credit card purchases due to uncontrolled shopping sprees during these coming Christmas season. Black Friday sales are really Red (bankrupt,) for shoppers while Black for vendors who make huge profits from selling year-old shelf display stuff.

Shoppers, please watch out! SUMITH DE SILVA