Black Friday used to be something you only ever heard about when watching American sitcoms on the box.
It was an oddity, two words that didn’t belong together unless you were describing a particularly deadly bushfire.
However, the creeping Americanisation of Australia continues apace, and if it isn’t people acting as though basketball is anything other than a fringe sport outside of the US, it may as well be this festival of shopping.
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The actual day in the US, is at least based around a public holiday to make it more memorable.
Black Friday happens the day after their Thanksgiving holiday, however, for Australians the only way to remember that it is coming up is that it takes place on the last Friday in November, which is next week.
The term Black Friday dates back to 1961 when it was used by police to describe the heavy pedestrian and car traffic that would occur the day after Thanksgiving.
It isn’t just a Friday event now, either. In Australia the sales sometimes last all weekend, before culminating in Cyber Monday sales.
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While Cyber Monday focuses on online sales, most of the sales deals offered as part of the Black Friday festivities can be ordered online, which does seem to defeat the purpose of a separate day.
The Black Friday sales signal the start of the Christmas shopping period and retailers and brands offer enormous deals and bargains, so savvy shoppers can get all their gifts purchased for the cheapest prices possible and avoid the December rush.
A Finder survey revealed that 71 per cent of Australians intended to take advantage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales this year.
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While it is fairly common for retailers to offer their deals across the whole weekend, there has also been an emerging trend of some starting the period early, so it is worth keeping an eye on your inbox for offers that can start from as early as today.
Some of the biggest discounts are available from the biggest online retailers, with Amazon eBay and Catch offering massive deals in previous years that are worth keeping your eye on, especially as you can purchase nearly anything from these online marketplaces.
If you are ordering your items from the US, it pays to be aware of the time difference, which means that you will need to keep an eye on the deals on offer on their Black Friday on our Saturday, and possibly still be looking for bargain on Tuesday if you want to snag something on their Cyber Monday.
Do you despair at the Americanisation of Australia? Do you look forward to the Black Friday sales? Why not share your thoughts in the comments section below?
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