Whenever Thanksgiving starts to approach, Black Friday is something that also comes to people’s minds. Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving day, or on Thanksgiving night. Many stores come out with amazing sales. People stand for hours and hours just to get some of these deals. It has become a trend for many teens as well. Many may wonder, why is it called “Black Friday?” There are two popular theories as to why the day after Thanksgiving Day is called Black Friday. One theory is that the wheels of vehicles in heavy traffic on the day after Thanksgiving Day left many black markings on the road’s surface, leading to the term.

The other theory is that the term Black Friday comes from an older way of recording business accounts. Basically, losses were recorded in red ink and profits in black ink. Many businesses, particularly small businesses, started making profits before Christmas. Many hoped to start showing a profit that was marked in black ink, on the day after Thanksgiving Day.

Black Friday can be frustrating. Here are some tips that might help make the experience less stressful. Check store maps, call your local store to find out when they open, decide what you want in advance, and give preference to the big-ticket items as you will save more. For example, you likely save more on an expensive electronic device than on a pair of jeans costing $30. Also, if possible, have a group of people, buy in advance and get the price adjusted on Black Friday day, buy only what you need, park in the parking lot near another place where there is no sale, and shop online.

If one didn’t get the chance to go Black Friday shopping, the following Monday is called “Cyber Monday” where many online retailers have huge sales for people to enjoy. People usually prefer doing that since it comes with a click of a button rather than dealing with the crowds.

This year, there were many great deals. Most retail stores had the best ones. For example, Best Buy, Walmart, Macy’s, Amazon, Kohl’s, SAM’s Club, JCPenney, Samsung, and other stores had decent sales. Additionally, places in the Orange County area like South Coast Plaza, Brea Mall, and Irvine Spectrum were very popular centers where customers could find many good sales.

After asking friends about their Black Friday experiences, many were so excited to share the great deals they got. For example, Alex Hindeleh (12) “stayed up all night at  Brea Mall and got amazing deals at [his] favorite stores including Urban Outfitters and Macy’s.” To conclude, Black Friday is an exciting tradition for many to do a majority of their holiday shopping needs.