The spooky season has finished with great Halloween celebrations and it can only mean one thing. No, no, not Christmas yet. We are talking about Black Friday which is arriving very soon. And of course, since we like games a lot, we have prepared something for you to play and win something at the end. But before we jump right into it, let’s see what exactly Black Friday is about. 

What is Black Friday?

“Black Friday” is a term used in the United States since the 1960s. Thanksgiving is celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday in November and Black Friday falls on the following day. Interestingly, Europe took over the “tradition” from the Americans much later, in a more modest manner.

„The day after Thanksgiving is meant to be the beginning of the Christmas shopping season since 1952 in the United States. The practice may be linked with the idea of Santa Claus parades. Parades celebrating Thanksgiving often include an appearance by Santa at the end of the parade, with the idea that "Santa has arrived" or "Santa is just around the corner" because Christmas is always the next major holiday following Thanksgiving.” (Wiki)

It’s not officially a holiday in the U.S., but due to the Thanksgiving that preceded it and the discount craze that has developed over the years, it’s taking more and more Americans to this day to spend their time shopping on this special occasion.

There are two interpretations of the meaning of the term “Black Friday”. One trade approach suggests that on this day, the balance of annual profits begins to turn from red to black, i.e., profitable. The other interpretation can be traced back to the 1960s,  after Thanksgiving, huge traffic jams and disruptions began to form due to home travelers and transit customers. Police officers and other public service providers who were overwhelmed during this period began using the term Black Friday for this day.

At one time in the U.S., attempts were made to change the negative-sounding term “Black Friday” to “Big Friday” in the public consciousness, but efforts to do so were unsuccessful.

Black Friday in the UK

In the UK, the term Black Friday is also used by the NHS and police and health authorities for the pre-Christmas Friday. This is when a lot of British people go to bars, so mobile hospitals are often set up near popular pubs and party venues.

„Traditionally, Boxing Day had been considered the biggest shopping day of the year in the UK. In the 2010s, several American-owned retailers such as Amazon and Asda, began to hold U.S.-style Black Friday promotions; in 2014, more British retailers began to adopt the concept, including Argos, John Lewis, and Very. That year, police forces were called to shops across Britain to deal with crowd control issues, assaults, threatening customers, and traffic issues.” (Wiki)

Where can you find the best deals?

There are several sites that collect the best deals very early on, even before black Friday. Because it is the biggest and best shopping event of the year - so earlier this month - people are already getting ready to figure out what have to buy during the Black Friday. Let's see which sites collect the best deals?

Amazon

It's no surprise that Amazon leads the pack, as it is not only responsible for bringing Black Friday to the UK, but offers the widest range of deals in the widest range of categories – for example, smartphones, laptops, tv-s, consoles, more smart devices, etc. They have already launched some of the offers and started the sale very early.

Currys

Currys, like Amazon, collected the best Black Friday offers early on. everything from TVs to laptops and electric devices. Its prices are as competitive as its competitors, so here you can find all the great offers in one place.

Very

It is worth keeping in mind the page called very, as it is already waiting for those interested with dozens of offers. If you have an idea for Christmas gifts, you are sure to find everything here at a discounted price.

Argos

Argos, like the other sites, offers the best Christmas gifts at special prices. For example, games, consoles, smartphones, and other electrical devices.

AO.com

AO is also based on black Friday promotions and we can find everything from dryers to laptops.

High traffic challenges for retailers

Many companies spend huge sums on advertising to generate more sales. But in vain is there good advertising if their site is not upgraded to the right level and they can’t stand the increased load. 2017 was a special year in this respect because the turnover during the Black Friday was extremely high. While companies are striving to have even more customers during Black Friday because of the extra revenue, unfortunately, they forget to deal with exactly the things that help. If the congestion of the pages reaches such a level, it can also result in a serious loss of revenue for the retailers.

Black Friday at Code to Exit

Now that the term is clear for everyone let’s see how can you win your discount for an escape room experience. All you have to do is find the missing numbers of the equation.

The first five people who can figure out the missing code are rewarded with a 20% discount for any game booked until the 26th of November. Of course, you can book any game up to three months in advance and still benefit from the discount. Be aware, there could be only 5 winners, so the faster you solve the equation the better chances you have to get the discount. We cannot wait to welcome you to our Manchester escape room!

As the famous line says, “May the odds be ever in your favor!”