Marti’s Blog

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THE STORY OF BLACK FRIDAY

As an independent retailer who has always shied away from being too commercial, I used to frown upon Black Friday, seeing it as too mainstream to fit Masquerade’s business profile.  Recently, however, some close friends informed me that they use this day to do much of their pre-Christmas shopping because there are so many amazing deals to be found.  After a bit of research, I too have converted to the idea, mostly because of the interesting history of the event and especially the origin of the term.

Black Friday dates back to 1952.  In the 60s, it was used to describe the heavy, disruptive pedestrian and vehicular traffic typically encountered on Fridays in large cities. In the 80s, however, the term became popular in reference to the point in the year at which retailers typically begin to turn a profit   ̶   their bank accounts going from being “in the red” to “in the black”.  Today, Black Friday is a world-wide phenomenon marked by record sales.

The day is celebrated annually on the first Friday after Thanksgiving, which, although not an official American holiday, most Americans take off to enjoy a long weekend.  The majority of retailers open their doors very early (some even at midnight the previous night), offering their usual products at a steal. It is by far the busiest shopping day of the year in the United States,  marking the first day of the Christmas shopping season.

So here we are, not succumbing to commercialism, but rather to the excitement of offering great deals and to the festive spirit of giving. A selection of our products will, on Friday 23 November until Sunday 25 November, only, be sold at absolute bargain prices. We have included products that can serve as the ideal Christmas gift or simply an indulgent gift to yourself to see you through the last (often stressful) stretch of the year.

Happy shopping to our online customers!

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