Photo: RNZ Illustration / Nik Dirga / 123rf
Explainer - You can't turn around without seeing a Black Friday advert this week. But where did it first come from?
The shopping sales event - officially taking place this Friday - is an American import that's picked up speed among retailers since first migrating over here more than a decade ago. But why has it gained ground here?
Events labelled "Black Friday" sales have been going on all month long, as what was originally a single day has ramped up into a long-haul sales opportunity.
"Black Friday has become a really critical sales point in the retail calendar for retailers," Retail NZ chief executive Carolyn Young said. "You know, you come out of winter and you've got new stock in store."
Here's some facts about Black Friday you can amuse your friends with as you wait in queues this week.
Where did Black Friday come from anyway?
The phrase "Black Friday" has been around for a long time, used at least as far back as the 1860s to refer to a stock market crash.
But it picked up a shopping link in the early 1960s when, according to many sources, shopping crowds and tourists for a holiday weekend sports match overwhelmed police in
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