Walk on Queen Street - Black Friday

Black Friday

Glasson - Queen street

How have you been preparing for your Black Friday?
Well, you may wonder why you have to prepare for Black Friday? For those who don’t know it is the biggest sales event of the year in the US (and now it is popularised globally) when many shops and online stores run promotions on their products to boost profit and kick off the festive season.

Peter Alexander store - Queen street

I usually save the items I want to buy in my wish list and wait for this sale to withdraw my piggy bank, head up to shops and hunt for the best deals. I know more sales are coming up such as Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year... but Black Friday comes first, and to be honest who waits for the next promotion if the first one offers the same discount?

Ladies with Gucci items - Queen street

You may have heard about Black Friday on social media or from your friends because it has been very popular all over the world recently. To have a better understanding, let’s have a quick look at history.

How Black Friday gets its name?

As far as I know, according to my research on the Internet, Black Friday is the term used for the Friday following Thanksgiving in the USA and Canada.

Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. Following Friday is chosen to mark the start of the Christmas shopping season. It seems to be the busiest shopping day of the year.

In front of H&M - lower Queen street

The term "Black Friday" was actually first linked with a financial crisis - stock market crashes in the US, not sales shopping. It is called “Black Friday” not green, blue, or purple because when shops in the US recorded their accounting details by hand, they noted profits in black and losses in red - source
In the 1950s, Black Friday was used among shopkeepers then became popular across the nation (the US) as post-Thanksgiving sales by the late 1980s.

Black Friday in New Zealand

Queens Arcade - lower Queen street

Coach - Queen street

Stores and online shops start their promotion from today and lasts until Monday. So I had a walk on Queen street - the main street in Auckland CBD to catch appealing deals.
An interesting fact is that the development of technology and online shopping trend create Cyber Monday. So set your budget and watch out for your shopping habit!

Cotton On - Queen street

This Black Friday sale is a bit sad in Auckland since it is still in lock down. It has been 99 days so far. All stores and customers need to adhere to several regulations such as keeping a 2m distance, always wearing a face mask, recording covid trace, etc. There is a limit of customers allowed to enter shops but not many people queue outside shops like last year. Or maybe the covid pandemic pushes more online shopping than in-store purchases.

Smith & Caughey - Queen street

Compared to Vietnam, Black Friday is less exciting in New Zealand. Kiwi retailers pick up the idea of the American holiday from social media and popularize it to make the most of the pre-Christmas spending rush, but they don’t offer crazy bargains like in other countries.

Smith & Caughey - Queen street

Before I used to fall into the traps of promotions like buy one get one free, buy one get the second 50% off... I bought stuff because they was discounted, not because they were necessary. After going home and thinking about my shopping behavior, I felt a kind of regret. So this year I am trying to change to buy what I need, not what I like by listing and considering carefully before going out. I can resist everything but temptation 😂

Hallenstein Brothers - Queen street

Be a smart buyer and cautious with your money!
Have fun shopping this Black Friday. Thanks for reading!