|
The U.S. holiday shopping season has officially begun, with shoppers
crowding stores for post-Thanksgiving sales in a yearly event nicknamed "Black
Friday."The competition for the best deals took an aggressive turn Thursday
night, when a woman at a Walmart in Los Angeles used pepper spray on other
customers to gain an advantage.
Black Friday is the day many stores sharply discount high-priced items such
as electronics and the latest new toys. Its name signifies retailers'
expectations of high sales, as profits were once recorded in account books in
black ink, while losses were recorded in red. Stores also open their doors hours
earlier than usual, which helps foster excitement among bargain hunters.Black
Friday is one of the most important days for retail chains because it indicates
what they can expect during the next month of holiday shopping -- their most
lucrative time of year.But not everyone is in favor of the phenomenon.
Protesters with the anti-capitalist Occupy Wall Street movement were encouraging
people to take part in "Buy Nothing Day," a day of protest against consumerism
observed worldwide. |
|