Why Is It Called Black Friday in the United States?

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The holiday shopping season is about to be in full swing upon the arrival of Black Friday today, with big sales ahead of Christmas marking the busiest shopping time of the year.  The day's nickname has stuck, marking a shift from one holiday to the next.

Hoping to entice equivocating consumers, retailers already have spent weeks bombarding customers with ads and early offers. Still, whether visiting stores or clicking on countless emails promising huge savings, tens of millions of U.S. shoppers are expected to spend money on Black Friday itself this year.

Industry forecasts estimate that 183.4 million people will shop in U.S. stores and online between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, according to the National Retail Federation and consumer research firm Prosper Insights & Analytics. Of that number, 131.7 million are expected to shop on Black Friday.

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