1 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works. Hey, brain Stuff, 2 00:00:07,280 --> 00:00:10,320 Speaker 1: I'm Lauren Vogelbaum. And for scores of Americans, as soon 3 00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:13,319 Speaker 1: as they digest their Thanksgiving turkey, it's time to think 4 00:00:13,320 --> 00:00:17,480 Speaker 1: about holiday shopping. Local newspapers where such still exists are 5 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:21,840 Speaker 1: bursting with circulars and advertisements heralding Black Friday sales, and 6 00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:25,000 Speaker 1: every retailer that's ever gotten hold of your email address 7 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:30,400 Speaker 1: has been sending desperately friendly missives. Coined in the nineteen sixties, 8 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:33,840 Speaker 1: Black Friday refers to the day after Thanksgiving that marks 9 00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:37,560 Speaker 1: the traditional kickoff of the holiday shopping season. The black 10 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:41,319 Speaker 1: in black Friday symbolizes stores turning a profit, being in 11 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:44,360 Speaker 1: the black versus in the red, with the term stemming 12 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:47,880 Speaker 1: from an age when handwritten financial ledgers recorded profits and 13 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:51,840 Speaker 1: black ink and deficits in red ink. These days, many 14 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 1: stores don't even wait for Friday morning. They open at 15 00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:57,880 Speaker 1: midnight or even earlier on Thanksgiving evening to give deal 16 00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:01,160 Speaker 1: hungry shoppers an early start for the shell. But is 17 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:03,680 Speaker 1: Black Friday really the biggest shopping day of the year 18 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:07,240 Speaker 1: in America? Not Everyone is eager to whip out their wallets. 19 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:09,520 Speaker 1: While the scent of pumpkin pie still lingers in the air. 20 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:14,000 Speaker 1: You can divide holiday shoppers into two distinct camps, the 21 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:18,520 Speaker 1: Black Friday go getters and the procrastinators. Braving a retail 22 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:21,760 Speaker 1: mall the day after Thanksgiving can involve heavy crowds and 23 00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:25,600 Speaker 1: seemingly endless masses of cars waiting to find parking, people 24 00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:28,760 Speaker 1: elbowing their way through aisles and queues once you're finally 25 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:32,000 Speaker 1: ready to check out, All the while, the NonStop tune 26 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:34,840 Speaker 1: of jingle bells, the most frequently played holiday song in 27 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:38,080 Speaker 1: shopping malls, goes jingling all the way into every crevice 28 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:41,760 Speaker 1: of your brain. Black Friday enthusiasts say it's worth the hassle, though, 29 00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:45,040 Speaker 1: since many stores will strip down prices to move merchandise. 30 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:48,000 Speaker 1: As far as the number of humans who walk in 31 00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:50,800 Speaker 1: and out of stores, Black Friday hauls them in a 32 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:55,240 Speaker 1: hundred and one million braved. The crowds in that heavy 33 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:59,000 Speaker 1: Black Friday foot traffic translates to high dollar profits, accounting 34 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:02,200 Speaker 1: for four point five to five of all holiday sales 35 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:05,720 Speaker 1: in two thousand fourteen. The average shoppers spent about three 36 00:02:05,760 --> 00:02:08,920 Speaker 1: hundred and eighty one dollars over Thanksgiving weekend of the 37 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:12,320 Speaker 1: total retail spending was about fifty one billion dollars, and 38 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:15,840 Speaker 1: although more recent numbers are difficult to track down, trendwatchers 39 00:02:15,919 --> 00:02:19,360 Speaker 1: say they have been going up, But these undeniably large 40 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:22,720 Speaker 1: numbers aren't the largest of the season. In fact, Black 41 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:25,080 Speaker 1: Friday isn't the busiest shopping day of the year normally, 42 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:29,840 Speaker 1: despite what popular opinion holds. Instead, the holiday shopping procrastinators 43 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:32,720 Speaker 1: win out. The highest sales day of the year usually 44 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:36,200 Speaker 1: strikes the Saturday before Christmas. How is that possible? If 45 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:38,440 Speaker 1: shoppers line up in front of stores at the crack 46 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:41,720 Speaker 1: of dawn on Black Friday, a customer volume goes through 47 00:02:41,720 --> 00:02:45,360 Speaker 1: the roof, but sales don't follow. Suit surveys have shown 48 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:48,040 Speaker 1: that despite these steady streams of people flowing into stores 49 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:50,440 Speaker 1: on Black Friday, not all of them drive home with 50 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:54,280 Speaker 1: trunks full of holiday presents. For instance, one study conducted 51 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:58,000 Speaker 1: by researchers at Indiana University found a consistently low rate 52 00:02:58,040 --> 00:03:01,919 Speaker 1: of purchase among Black Friday shoppers. Higher percentage of those 53 00:03:01,919 --> 00:03:05,880 Speaker 1: shoppers bought items the following day. Internet shopping and early 54 00:03:05,919 --> 00:03:09,160 Speaker 1: previews of Black Friday sales leaked online may also trim 55 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:12,000 Speaker 1: the amount of transactions that day, as people have more 56 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:14,840 Speaker 1: options for tracking down the best bang for their holiday buck. 57 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:19,040 Speaker 1: In two thousand five, online retailers designated the Monday after 58 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:22,440 Speaker 1: Thanksgiving to be Cyber Monday. The web merchants figured that 59 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:25,160 Speaker 1: this day would see a substantial sales bump because a 60 00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:28,480 Speaker 1: majority of online shoppers make their purchases at work. With 61 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:31,560 Speaker 1: the general boom in online sales, the distinctions are breaking 62 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:34,840 Speaker 1: down as people shop online every day of the Thanksgiving weekend, 63 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:37,960 Speaker 1: including Turkey Day itself, with two thirds of all orders 64 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:42,880 Speaker 1: coming in from smartphones and tablets as and Black Friday 65 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:45,320 Speaker 1: is a phenomenon that's spread beyond the States, as of 66 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:49,680 Speaker 1: countries like Spain, South Africa, and the UK which do 67 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:53,440 Speaker 1: not celebrate Thanksgiving nonetheless saw increases of up to forty 68 00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:57,320 Speaker 1: six percent over that weekend versus their average daily sales online. 69 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:00,400 Speaker 1: Oh and in case you were wondering a out another 70 00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:05,160 Speaker 1: shopping holiday over Thanksgiving weekend, Small Business Saturday was created 71 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:08,800 Speaker 1: by the goliath credit card company American Express as a 72 00:04:08,800 --> 00:04:17,440 Speaker 1: way to encourage spending at small, local shops. Today's episode 73 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:19,960 Speaker 1: was written by Kristen Conger and produced by Tyler Clang. 74 00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:23,120 Speaker 1: If you're doing some shopping this weekend, consider our online 75 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:26,320 Speaker 1: store t public dot com slash brain stuff. Every purchase 76 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:29,039 Speaker 1: supports is directly and of course, for more on this 77 00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:31,800 Speaker 1: and lots of other worthwhile topics, visit our home planet, 78 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:44,360 Speaker 1: how stuff Works dot com