Fifty shades of Black Friday

Its Black Friday time.

What started out as Black Friday morphed into Cyber Monday. Why stop there when we are on to a good thing! Let's start Black Friday, half way through November, with early Black Friday offers and then extend Black Friday for another week.

The philosophy around Black Friday seems to be every one gets a bargin. I would like to ask you that question, but as this is a one way converstation, I get the floor. After I have given my uninformed opinion, I will ask AI.

My answer.

Something happened many Fridays ago, the economy dumped and all the makers and suppliers of stuff give their stuff away, on Black Friday, because ...? I am not sure why, but anyway it's better than their usual prices, so Im buying a bargin when I can get one.

That's my final answer, when I am wearing my man in the street hat. When I am someone selling stuff we have made, my answer is a different one.

Something happened many Fridays ago, the economy dumped and a lot of the makers and suppliers of stuff started selling stuff for less than they usually do; because they want to sell more and Black Friday is a good reason why they are selling their stuff for less, so they can sell more. Also, Black Friday happens to be the day after Thankgiving Thursday, which only happens in the USA. That must be the main reason - like January sales in the UK.

I just asked AI and it turns out I had no clue as to the real reason, except for the fact that it was connected to Thanksgiving.

AI answer.

It is believed by many that the term Black Friday derives from the concept that businesses operate at a financial loss, or are “in the red,” until the day after Thanksgiving, when massive sales finally allow them to turn a profit, or put them “in the black.” However, this is untrue.

It turns out that everyone else was also uninformed and they are also wrong.

A more accurate explanation of the term dates back to the early 1960s, when police officers in Philadelphia began using the phrase “Black Friday” to describe the chaos that resulted when large numbers of suburban tourists came into the city to begin their holiday shopping and, in some years, attend Saturday’s annual Army-Navy football game. The huge crowds created a headache for the police, who worked longer shifts than usual as they dealt with traffic jams, accidents, shoplifting, and other issues.

I know a little more about AI than I did about Black Friday and only because a human told me how, what we currently call AI, works. He said that AI is not actually thinking, not at this stage anyway. Models like ChatGPT and DeepSeek are language based .. (Im going to use the word " algorithms" here) ... they are language based algorithms, which means whichever AI you are using goes out onto the w.w.w. and gathers all the words that have been " said " on the subject and comes back with the general consensus, which it then delivers to you as -The Answer.

This may, or may not, be accurate but what I do find interesting is most of us have been asking Google for The Answer for years. The downside of this is that formerly people could have a lively debate about what The Answer to anything was and often it was the most animated and convincing answer that won the day, Now there is no debate, if anyone goes for their phone, AI delivers the true answer and the discussion is over. One can see where this kind of thinking can go, if what my friend said to me about language based algorithms is true. Especially, if you live in the Peoples Republic of China. By the way, I used that word algorithms because it is a word that seems to work in tricky situations, where you are trying to explain computer based solutions - which is another useful word. No one argues with algorithms, never mind knowing how to spell it.

Getting back to Black Friday and still wearing my retailer's hat, I find my self in a difficult position. I have never subscribed to the Black Friday gimmick. In the past that's what I would have called it. I suppose I should have added, in my answer, what I have noted about Black Friday is that an awful lot of people get very excited about it and they spend a lot more money than they would otherwise have spent.

Its a SALE !

Typing that word reminds me of a funny story. Years ago, in Harare, I was hosting a group of Italian adventurers - they were, in fact, kyackers who wanted to kyack the Zambezi rapids, below the Victoria Falls. We were taking them there, with their kyacks, in my overland truck, an old Bedford. While we were driving through the town one of the Italians, who didnt speak English, asked his friends why every second shop was selling SALT. Could salt be that much in demand in Zimbabwe ? The word for salt in Italian is SALE.

So Black Friday is just a SALE, let's not beat around the bush any longer. If everyone is doing it, then the consensus is it's worth it's salt and I better get in on the act!

It's Black Friday!

As most of us don't live in America and don't celebrate Thanksgiving, and are not members of the Philadelphia Police Force, we may as well get started!

Here is a discount code for 10 % discount on whatever you love 50SHADESOFBLACK