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You’ve probably heard all about the hype surrounding Black Friday – the bargain-hunting shopping frenzy. Although an institution in the US, the Black Friday phenomenon has only recently taken hold in South Africa.
Before diving into everything you need to know about Black Friday; a friendly reminder that you can’t buy happiness, but you can buy blooms – and that’s basically the same thing. Flowers stimulate the ‘happy chemicals’ in our brains. Ever seen someone receiving blooms? Pure, unadulterated happiness.
Now that we’ve got that covered here’s everything you need to know about the American trend hitting South African shops:
A brief history
Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, a national holiday celebrated in the US that falls on the 4th Thursday of November. Although the term “Black Friday” was only coined and popularised in the 1960’s, the history of savvy shoppers taking to the streets the day after Thanksgiving started much earlier. Some believe as early as the late 19th century.
These days, hundreds of thousands of shoppers head out in pursuit of the best deals leading to a shopping frenzy. For many, Black Friday marks the start of the festive shopping period.
Why is it named “Black Friday”?
There are a few stories about how the name “Black Friday” came to be, some a little more believable than others.
One of the more popular explanations is that sales are so high on Black Friday that it moves retailers out of the red (losing money) and into the black (making a profit).
Another theory is that police officers started calling the day Black Friday because of the sheer number of shoppers causing heavy and disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic. This meant they had to work long 12-hour shifts to try to control the madness.
The name “Black Friday” caught on despite a PR firm being hired by shops in the 1960’s to try to change the name to “Big Friday.”
Black Friday in South Africa
It’s only in the last few years that South African shoppers have been part of the Black Friday action. We’ve inherited the bargain shopping event thanks to a few large tech and ecommerce retailers. This year, Black Friday falls on the 23rd of November.
Black Friday at Bloomable
If you’re thinking about buying spectacular bouquets and gift boxes in our Black Friday promotion, here are a few reasons why it is the perfect time to do so:
- Unmissable savings for a limited time.
- Have a gift delivered directly to your loved ones nationwide.
- Tell us when you want to deliver (you can reserve a delivery up to 2 months in advance).
- Deliver happiness and make someone’s day, guaranteed.
