Black Friday: Why Is It Called That?
B1. Complete the text about Black Friday and where its name comes from with the words from the word bank.
Word Bank
Tap a word, then tap a gap. On a computer you can also drag it.
queue
red
crowds
profit
spend
complain
online
deals
theories
bargains
traffic
discounts
Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving in the United States. For many Americans, it is the start of the Christmas shopping season. Shops offer big , and some open very early in the morning. People often outside for hours to get the best , such as cheap TVs and phones.
But why is it called "Black Friday"? Nobody knows for sure, but there are two popular .
The first theory comes from Philadelphia in the 1950s and 1960s. On the day after Thanksgiving, huge of shoppers and tourists came into the city centre. There was terrible , and police officers had to work very long hours. The police started calling it "Black Friday" because it was such a difficult and stressful day.
The second theory is about money. In the past, shopkeepers wrote their accounts by hand. They used red ink when they were losing money and black ink when they were making a . Many shops were "in the " for most of the year, but on the day after Thanksgiving they finally went "into the black". This is a nice story, but most historians think it was invented later to give the name a more positive meaning.
Today, Black Friday is popular in many countries, from the UK to Brazil and India, and many people now shop instead of going to the shops. On the following Monday, called Cyber Monday, online shops offer even more special .
Not everyone likes Black Friday, though. Some people say it encourages us to money on things we don't need. Others about the crowds and the stress. Some people even celebrate "Buy Nothing Day" instead and don't go shopping at all.
But why is it called "Black Friday"? Nobody knows for sure, but there are two popular .
The first theory comes from Philadelphia in the 1950s and 1960s. On the day after Thanksgiving, huge of shoppers and tourists came into the city centre. There was terrible , and police officers had to work very long hours. The police started calling it "Black Friday" because it was such a difficult and stressful day.
The second theory is about money. In the past, shopkeepers wrote their accounts by hand. They used red ink when they were losing money and black ink when they were making a . Many shops were "in the " for most of the year, but on the day after Thanksgiving they finally went "into the black". This is a nice story, but most historians think it was invented later to give the name a more positive meaning.
Today, Black Friday is popular in many countries, from the UK to Brazil and India, and many people now shop instead of going to the shops. On the following Monday, called Cyber Monday, online shops offer even more special .
Not everyone likes Black Friday, though. Some people say it encourages us to money on things we don't need. Others about the crowds and the stress. Some people even celebrate "Buy Nothing Day" instead and don't go shopping at all.