Black Friday 2010

01. People wait just before midnight in below freezing temperatures outside a Best Buy store for Black Friday specials in Westminster,

Colorado November 25, 2010. U.S. shoppers searched for deals on high-definition televisions and popular toys early on Friday, as retailers hoped that Black Friday would kick off the best holiday shopping season in three years. REUTERS/Rick Wilking

Black Friday is the day following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, traditionally the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. Especially popular in the United States and Canada, the event is spreading to other nations such as Australia and the United Kingdom. On this day, many retailers open very early, often at 4 a.m., or earlier, and offer promotional sales to kick off the shopping season.
The day’s name originated in Philadelphia, where it originally was used to describe the heavy and disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic which would occur on the day after Thanksgiving. Use of the term began by 1966 and began to see broader use outside Philadelphia around 1975. Later an alternative explanation began to be offered: that Black Friday indicates the period during which retailers are turning a profit, or “in the black.” On the other hand most customers spending their hard not yet earned cash will spend the next month in the red paying off that PS3, 4th LCD flat screen, new iPad or 16th pair of dinner date shoes.

02. People wait in tents on the sidewalk just before midnight in below freezing temperatures outside a Best Buy store for Black Friday specials in Westminster, Colorado November 25, 2010. U.S. shoppers searched for deals on high-definition televisions and popular toys early on Friday, as retailers hoped that Black Friday would kick off the best holiday shopping season in three years. REUTERS/Rick Wilking

03. Black Friday shoppers wait outside of a Target store to open in Lanesborough, Massachusetts November 26, 2010. U.S. shoppers searched for deals on high-definition televisions and popular toys early on Friday, as retailers hoped that Black Friday would kick off the best holiday shopping season in three years. REUTERS/Adam Hunger

04. Black Friday shoppers wait outside of a Target store to open in Lanesborough, Massachusetts November 26, 2010. U.S. shoppers searched for deals on high-definition televisions and popular toys early on Friday, as retailers hoped that Black Friday would kick off the best holiday shopping season in three years. REUTERS/Adam Hunger

05. Black Friday specials wrapped in plastic are seen in a Walmart store in Westminster, Colorado November 25, 2010. U.S. shoppers searched for deals on high-definition televisions and popular toys early on Friday, as retailers hoped that Black Friday would kick off the best holiday shopping season in three years. REUTERS/Rick Wilking

06. Black Friday shoppers wait outside of a Target store to open in Lanesborough, Massachusetts November 26, 2010. U.S. shoppers searched for deals on high-definition televisions and popular toys early on Friday, as retailers hoped that Black Friday would kick off the best holiday shopping season in three years. REUTERS/Adam Hunger

07. Black Friday shoppers wait for a Target store to open in Lanesborough, Massachusetts November 26, 2010. U.S. shoppers searched for deals on high-definition televisions and popular toys early on Friday, as retailers hoped that Black Friday would kick off the best holiday shopping season in three years. REUTERS/Adam Hunger

08. Shoppers run into a Target store as the doors are opened to shop on Black Friday in Lanesborough, Massachusetts November 26, 2010. U.S. shoppers searched for deals on high-definition televisions and popular toys early on Friday, as retailers hoped that Black Friday would kick off the best holiday shopping season in three years. REUTERS/Adam Hunger

09. Shoppers make their way through a packed Target store in Lanesborough, Massachusetts November 26, 2010. U.S. shoppers searched for deals on high-definition televisions and popular toys early on Friday, as retailers hoped that Black Friday would kick off the best holiday shopping season in three years. REUTERS/Adam Hunger

10. A Target store employee directs shoppers on Black Friday in Lanesborough, Massachusetts November 26, 2010. U.S. shoppers searched for deals on high-definition televisions and popular toys early on Friday, as retailers hoped that Black Friday would kick off the best holiday shopping season in three years. REUTERS/Adam Hunger

11. Shoppers line up for Black Friday sales outside the Best Buy electronics store in Westbury, New York November 26, 2010. U.S. shoppers searched for deals on high-definition televisions and popular toys early on Friday, as retailers hoped that Black Friday would kick off the best holiday shopping season in three years. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

12. Shoppers line up for Black Friday sales outside the Best Buy electronics store in Westbury, New York November 26, 2010. U.S. shoppers searched for deals on high-definition televisions and popular toys early on Friday, as retailers hoped that Black Friday would kick off the best holiday shopping season in three years. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

13. Shoppers take the escalator shortly after the doors open on Black Friday at Macy's in New York November 26, 2010. U.S. shoppers searched for deals on high-definition televisions and popular toys early on Friday, as retailers hoped that Black Friday would kick off the best holiday shopping season in three years. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi

14. Shoppers file into Macy's on Black Friday in New York November 26, 2010. U.S. shoppers searched for deals on high-definition televisions and popular toys early on Friday, as retailers hoped that Black Friday would kick off the best holiday shopping season in three years. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi

15. Shoppers carry their Black Friday purchases as they leave Macy's in New York November 26, 2010. U.S. shoppers searched for deals on high-definition televisions and popular toys early on Friday, as retailers hoped that Black Friday would kick off the best holiday shopping season in three years. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi

16. Shoppers look at ties on Black Friday at Macy's in New York November 26, 2010. U.S. shoppers searched for deals on high-definition televisions and popular toys early on Friday, as retailers hoped that Black Friday would kick off the best holiday shopping season in three years. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi

17. People reach for shopping carts during Black Friday sales at the Best Buy electronics store in Westbury,New York November 26, 2010. U.S. shoppers searched for deals on high-definition televisions and popular toys early on Friday, as retailers hoped that Black Friday would kick off the best holiday shopping season in three years.

18. A man carries an electronics purchase during Black Friday sales at the Best Buy electronics store in Westbury,New York November 26, 2010. U.S. shoppers searched for deals on high-definition televisions and popular toys early on Friday, as retailers hoped that Black Friday would kick off the best holiday shopping season in three years.

19. People wait in the check out line during Black Friday sales at the Best Buy electronics store in Westbury,New York November 26, 2010. U.S. shoppers searched for deals on high-definition televisions and popular toys early on Friday, as retailers hoped that Black Friday would kick off the best holiday shopping season in three years. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

20. People shop during Black Friday sales at the Toys R Us store in Carle Place, New York November 26, 2010. U.S. shoppers searched for deals on high-definition televisions and popular toys early on Friday, as retailers hoped that Black Friday would kick off the best holiday shopping season in three years. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

21. People shop during Black Friday sales at the Best Buy electronics store in Westbury, New York November 26, 2010. U.S. shoppers searched for deals on high-definition televisions and popular toys early on Friday, as retailers hoped that Black Friday would kick off the best holiday shopping season in three years. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

22. Anna and Richard Muller sit inside a shopping cart during Black Friday sales at the Toys R Us store in Carle Place, New York November 26, 2010. U.S. shoppers searched for deals on high-definition televisions and popular toys early on Friday, as retailers hoped that Black Friday would kick off the best holiday shopping season in three years. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

23. A woman walks by a store's discount advertisement inside the Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, New York November 26, 2010. U.S. shoppers searched for deals on high-definition televisions and popular toys early on Friday, as retailers hoped that Black Friday would kick off the best holiday shopping season in three years. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

24. A customer opens his wallet at a Macy's cash register on Black Friday in New York November 26, 2010. Early-bird bargain-hunters scooped up Black Friday deals on everything from TVs to toys across the United States, but many said discounts were not as deep as those offered last year. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi

25. A woman shops at Toys R Us on Black Friday in New York November 26, 2010. Early-bird bargain-hunters scooped up Black Friday deals on everything from TVs to toys across the United States, but many said discounts were not as deep as those offered last year. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi

26. A woman browses a flier as her daughter sleeps in her stroller at Toys R Us on Black Friday in New York November 26, 2010. Early-bird bargain-hunters scooped up Black Friday deals on everything from TVs to toys across the United States, but many said discounts were not as deep as those offered last year. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi

27. A woman reads her nephew's Christmas wish list as she shops at Toys R Us on Black Friday in New York November 26, 2010. Early-bird bargain-hunters scooped up Black Friday deals on everything from TVs to toys across the United States, but many said discounts were not as deep as those offered last year. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi