Speaking of Black

Black Friday received much fanfare two days ago. For the uninitiated, Black Friday is the day after the American Thanksgiving, and better known as the first day of the Christmas shopping season. Stores across the country often have huge sales, and millions of Americans flock to the stores in a mob, in order to score the best deals possible. They call it "Black Friday", simply because so many businesses end up moving from red ink to black ink in their ledgers.

Does this mean that the majority of retail businesses in North America operate at a deficit for eleven months of the year? How can one month's of spending outweigh all the expenses for the rest of the year?

On Friday, I heard reports of Stampedes at Wal-Marts across the States. A number of shoppers were trampled in select locations. Are we such fanatical consumers that we become crazed when bombarded with deals we can't refuse? There is even further irony, that in order to save money, we must spend it first.

In Canada, we have a Black Friday of sorts. It's called Boxing Day, and it falls the day after Christmas. I guess it's a sign that we were unhappy with the gifts addressed to us under the tree, and we buy what we really want.

So this is your friendly reminder to get out there and spend, spend, spend. Buy stuff you don't need, and stuff you don't like, simply because you are told to. 'Tis the season.