Quote Originally Posted by Groundbeef
Black friday is the term given to the shopping day AFTER Thanksgiving. Traditionally it is the 1st day that most retailers in the US show a profit for the year. Hence the "black", as in "We are now in the Black!" and out of the Red (Loss).

Most retaliers do a bulk of their business in the short time between Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

I'm sure I'll be corrected if I'm off, but thats always been my interpretation of the day.

BTW if you don't have anything to do that Friday, I suggest you go people watching. Its a hoot, but I wouldn't go into any stores. They'll kill ya!
I second this. It was a blast. But I won't do it again. Here is what that website has to say on the subject.

Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving when major retailers around the country discount products to help kick off the Christmas shopping season. This Black Friday ads are usually kept secret until you receive the circulars in your Thanksgiving Day newspaper. However at Black-Friday.net, we give you the advantage by showing you all of the Black Friday 2007 ads before anyone else. We also offer direct links to each product so you can purchase the items online on Black Friday without having to stand in line at the store!