Black Friday is a world-wide shopping event?

My guess is that it's aimed specifically at US residents knowing what a big deal it is here.

Must be aimed at Americans. You can't have a post Thanksgiving sale unless you have a Thanksgiving. And Canadian Thanksgiving isn't on the same day.

It would be like a post Mayday or post Boxing Day in the U.S.

Oh - Canada is getting in on the Black Friday sales - we seem to be adopting it even more in the last few years or so. It's still not as crazy as the US ones - mostly because everyone is working normal work days and yesterday wasn't a holiday for us. No store openings at midnight or crazy lineups. That's what Boxing Day (Dec 26) is for up here - but then again - thankfully - in my province of Nova Scotia at least - Boxing Day is a holiday as well, so our retail workers get two days off in a row - a lot of the other provinces open on Dec 26 tho - and I fear pressure will make that happen here as well.

I think even the UK is starting to do the BF thing as well - my sister in Portsmouth, UK posted on facebook she was black Friday shopping...

In most of Europe they still don't know about Black Friday. But they did not know about Halloween and Valentine, either and now they know.

The merchants in Canada are definitely getting on the Black Friday bandwagon. There have been a lot of advert's in newspapers, radio and TV promoting the occasion. In my case that's a good reason to avoid stores, as I don't like putting up with the crowds. However this afternoon, I forgot what day it was and ventured into one of the main retailers but left immediately without buying anything.

Oh well, at least the situation here wasn't as bad as it was in some places with fisticuffs and chaos.....

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/kentucky-mall-brawl-kicks-black-friday-violence-article-1.2448085

Well I don't know about the rest of Europe but here in England I have been beseiged by continious advertising for not only Black Friday, but most vendors are widening it so they have buried me in advertising since last week for Black Friday Week - all bloody week - and now my phone is full of extensions until next Monday.

I hate it. I can't turn on my phone without a notification screen pages long with promotions of rubbish, and I haven't looked at my twitter feed all week because I know it is going nuts.

Thanks Americans.

One interesting fact is that the supermarket ASDA is owned by Walmart. Last year they were the big player in Black Friday, now they aren't playing at all because people were injured fighting over tv sets and other stuff last year.

Everybody else has jumped on the bandwagon and they jumped off.

Now everybody is on about Cyber Monday next week.. when oh when will it stop?

Nigel asks "When, oh when will it stop?"

I'm wondering if REI's campaign to #OptOutside today will have an impact? This Seattle-based outdoor/adventure retailer was closed today and gave their employees a paid day off to go outside. My closest REI is 90 miles away but I shopped their website last weekend for a couple of people.

And yes, I did go outside for a nice hike and some birding!

We (Canadians) are starting the Black Friday thing.. but it doesn't seem to be much like the American one.. I wandered into the mall downtown today.. totally forgot it was "Black Friday".. no lines or massive crowds.. but places were busy.. but just like pre Christmas shopping busy.. As noted.. because its not a holiday here many folks are at work anyways.

Even Italy, where online shopping is still a mystery to most people (they don't trust it if you can't see it first), has Black Friday sales. There were signs in stores all over town starting on Thursday. Many people don't have a clue as to why it is called Black Friday, but they are on board for sales that usually are not held until January.

We have also noticed that Christmas decorations are up much earlier this year, Traditionally we did not see much until December 8th, the Immaculate Conception, but they started appearing 2 weeks ago.

Pat, it's not a holiday here, either. Not everyone had the day off, or took the day off. It's just a marketing ploy - and you will never catch me shopping then.

Fortunately this is one Americanism that has largely escaped us in Australia. Sadly, in recent years, there has been a small but growing following of Halloween.

This year a lot of Danish retailers have jumped on the black friday band wagon and bombarded us with promotions and commercials. For the last ten years the retail industry has adopted american holidays like halloween (to sell kids' costumes) and valentines day (to sell flowers and chocolate). At least those two have some substance, but black friday is just picking the worst tradition from an American holiday, that no one here celebrates. It's blatant consumerism at it's worst.

I read an article earlier this week that claimed that Thanksgiving was now celebrated by one in six people in the UK. Maybe it is but I don't know of anyone that does outside of ex-pat Americans, and they are certainly not 1-in-6 of the population. Another of life's mysteries.

In most of Europe they still don't know about Black Friday. But they did not know about Halloween and Valentine, either and now >> they know.

Well Halloween is in fact an Irish holiday known as Samhain and Valentine's Day has it's origins in 18 century England, so both European holidays, commercialised in the USA so to speak.

Halloween was carried to North America mainly by the Scots and Irish. At that time much of England had moved the traditional festivities of that time of the year to Guy Fawkes Day, which was an official holiday until 1859.

I opted to take my dog for a nice long walk at the park instead of going near any stores. It certainly helped that we had an unseasonably warm and sunny day here yesterday! And I had a sick hubby at home in bed, so I def wanted to get out of the house...lol.

Lovely weather here in western Oregon yesterday also. Daughter and I opted to visit the coast for a few hours and then do some wine tasting. It's an annual thing here in the Willamette Valley for wineries that aren't always open to the public to open up for tastings Thanksgiving weekend, some with live music, hors d'oeuvres, etc. We also had fun doing a little shopping in old downtown McMinnville (you wouldn't catch me in a mall or big store like Target or Walmart - yuk) and tasting some flavored oils and vinegars too, love that. I also like the more recent tradition of 'small business Saturday' to follow and counteract the 'black Friday' rush to malls and big box stores. I love to do early Christmas shopping in the small stores in my own small town and nearby towns also.

Real sorry to see that some other countries are now importing the idea of black Friday. The only reason it became such a big deal here is because so many people have the day off from work after Thanksgiving and the retailers saw an opportunity.

I had a hair appointment at a salon in the mall - what a mistake to make it for Black Friday. The mall was a zoo and I was lucky to find a parking spot. Black Friday mania is well and truly entrenched in Ontario.

I find I'm doing more and more online shopping. I also find the more online shopping I do, the less patience I have for shopping in the stores.

I'm not a shopper. So I enjoy Black Friday by doing things and going places shoppers don't.

But I did shop a bit this year. I booked my RS tour for next summer! :-)

I can't see the good people of Barnsley desperately awaiting Ocado to deliver their candied yams.

Yes, but are the good people of Barnsley - yes Barnsley - actually awaiting Ocado to deliver anything?

I love you, Nigel. "Rubbish" indeed. My e-mail and my snail-mail are both loaded with exhortations to buy, buy, buy. The sight of people trampling each other and getting into fights over tv sets, with serious injuries occurring, fills me with disgust. How low can Americans go, and why would any other countries want to emulate us? As a non-Christian, every year I ask, " is this how you celebrate the birth of your savior and the "prince of peace?"

Rosalyn, those people who fight over a TV set aren't celebrating anything except greed.

Europe is falling victim to the US export of greed and material commercialism. .

The DW News broadcast from Berlin even had a story about Black Lives Matter and Black Friday.

http://www.dw.com/en/blacklivesmatter-takes-aim-at-black-friday/a-18880189

Interesting article. Unfortunately for them those protesters don't realize that by disruption of Christmas lighting in Downtown Seattle (and elsewhere) and by blocking entrances to shops they antagonize even potential supporters.

I love this perception that greed is somehow only an American thing and those poor Europeans are being subjected to an "American holiday" that "promotes greed". What an amazing concept… but last I checked, Versailles was built sometime in the 1600s which was well before the U.S. even existed, so greed is sort of a universal thing and has even reared its head in Europe. And since when is Black Friday a "holiday"? It was created by retailers to drum up sales. Not everyone has off from work the day after Thanksgiving. And for those that do have off work, if you find the concept offensive, stay out of the stores on that day. For the record, I had the day off and was able to come up with a whole slew of activities that had absolutely nothing to do with entering a shopping mall that day. In fact, for me, Black Friday marks the start of my annual "stay out of the mall completely" season. I avoid going anywhere near a mall from now right up through the middle of January (because the mall is just as crowded immediately following the holiday season with gift returns and even more sales). I can take care of any gift shopping by either going online, or by visiting a small business - the kind that doesn't have the type of huge "doorbuster" sales that make people act like idiots and the kind that genuinely needs consumers to buy from them in order to continue to stay in business.

HA.. just went on the Nadlers website. .its a hotel in London.. it has a Black Friday special.. rooms were on sale till tonight at midnight.. good deal too.. So.. London has entered the fray.

...and welcome to an inbox full of Cyber Monday emails! At least half of which are from Amazon...lol...I even had cyber Monday emails from AutoEurope and 'Walks of...' company (Italy, turkey and NYC)...if you are planning on booking a tour with Walks of Italy, they are offering I think it is 15% off for ANY travel date if you book today...I already trashed the email, but there is a code to use - may be cybermonday15, but I'm sure anyone interested could find out what it was...(oh - checked facebook - that is the code).

I will not violate the Community Guidelines by naming names, something some of the other posters would do well to review; but I stand by what I said. "Black Friday" is touted as the start of the "holiday" shopping season. (Actually it's been pushed up to just after Halloween.) So, what holiday do you think that might be? Stores have Christmas decorations up and carols incessantly warbling through their sound systems. A few token gestures may be made toward Channukah and Kwanzaa, but everyone knows what it's all really about.

"Black Friday" is touted as the start of the "holiday" shopping season"

FWIW, that's what I figured you meant, Rosalyn.

I agree with James E. It´s just a whole lot of commercial nonsense driven by greed pushed through our throats! The ugly side of the US! When is going to stop this!?