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.

What's your plan?

Oh Those Black Friday Deals

©iStock/Vladyslava Yakovenko

The USA Today folks have rounded up the best of the best Black Friday 2021 deals here.  Check back often—they'll be adding new deals and updating their list with the latest sales and savings through Cyber Monday. Happy shopping!  And of course anything you buy they might very well receive a commission :-).

Today in Global Small Business: Solo Businesses Are Brought Into the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

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What's affecting me, my clients, my colleagues and other global small business owners:

• The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2018/2019 have put a stake in the ground with their entrepreneurship studies by incorporating solo businesses into their research on entrepreneurial ecosystems.
• Who cares what Trump wants from global trade.
• Quote of the week: “Gratitude is not the greatest of virtues, it is the parent of all others.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero
• China's manufacturing is back in expansion mode.
• Shoppers ring up record Thanksgiving sales online; Black Friday’s (11/29/19) tally to exceed $7 billion, Adobe says.
• Why Small Business Saturday is more important than Black Friday (to UK folks).