Back in the mid-to-late-1990's, I worked in various retail establishments. Working retail, you were taught to fear and/or be excited about "Black Friday", a term that was pretty much solely used by those same retail workers and their overbearing "I'm better than you because I have a name tag" managers. Those who didn't work in retail referred to Black Friday rightfully as "the day after Thanksgiving".

Over the last 10 years, the term has crept into the public lexicon. It was cute at first, but now, 10 years later, It's beginning to damage my calm.

A few years back, stores started to call it "Black Friday Week".

In November, 2011, stores went so far as to declare it "Black November". They wouldn't shut up about it and I was inundated with advertisements beginning in October about the event.


"But why, Tengu" you ask? "Why are you writing about this today, three months after Thanksgiving?"

While it is indeed true that this is Black History Month, I'm not quite sure that Black Friday is the kind of "Black" history they're talking about.

It's simple. because at least once per week I get an e-mail in my inbox, or I see an advertisement for "Black Friday deals!" ALL YEAR ROUND.

TigerDirect is one such offender. They've gone so far as to declare the last Friday of EVERY MONTH "Black Friday".





This is why we can't have nice things.