Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving. Traditionally, it signals the start of the Christmas shopping period. Expect to get lots of your favourite products at discount prices and to see lots of shops bustling with people!
What once began as a day of shopping in the USA, has now spread to at least twenty different countries – and often lasts more than one-day. In fact, today there’s Cyber Monday, Singles Day and even Black November, where shoppers can start their shopping spree as early as the 1st of the month!
Love it or hate it, Black Friday is here to stay. To help you survive the mayhem, we’ve made a simple guide with all things Black Friday, starting with the history of where it all began, to the best vocabulary you’ll need for shopping in English.
History and myths of Black Friday
The first use of the term Black Friday wasn’t related to shopping. It was actually related to the financial crash in 1869 when the US gold market collapsed.
Many people still believe, however, that the day has origins in commercialism. They suppose it dates back to a time when retailers made a loss all year and were ‘in the red’ until the day after Thanksgiving. On this day, stores would make so much money they’d finally make a profit and go ‘into the black’.
The real connection is actually – rather strangely – a law enforcement term from 1950s Philadelphia. Police used the term to describe the chaos, crowds and traffic that occurred the day after Thanksgiving, all thanks to the huge amount of consumers that rushed into the centre to go shopping. Not so different from the Black Friday we know today!
Sales vocabulary
Black Friday means discounts on a variety of products. To tempt you into buying their goods, shops will do anything they can, and that includes some expert advertising and some very catchy slogans. Here’s some key vocabulary to help you find the best deals when you are shopping in English this Black Friday.
Shopping idioms
When you go shopping on Black Friday, impress your friends with some interesting idioms. If you find something expensive then say – ‘This costs an arm and a leg!’ If you find a bargain – ‘What a steal!’ Here are some of our favourite idioms to drop into conversation while you’re shopping in English.
Expressions to use with the sales assistant
Approximately 52% of people who buy something on Black Friday say that they later regret it. So, there’s a good chance you’ll need some words and phrases for sending things back. You may also need help with vocabulary relating to the price or size of a product, or even language to help you in the changing rooms. So here are some useful expressions you can use.
Sales assistants are often very helpful and might speak to you when you enter the shop or when you’re browsing the aisles. They may ask you questions like:
– Do you need any help?
– Are you looking for anything in particular?
To which you can reply:
– No thanks, I’m just looking.
– Yes, actually I’m looking for____________.
You’re in the changing rooms and you’ve picked up the wrong thing. To save you from going to the other side of the shop, ask the shop assistant for some help:
– Do you have this in a small / medium / large?
– Do you have this in any other colours?
You’ve made your choice and now you’re ready to pay. Here are some of the questions they’ll probably ask you at the desk:
– Did you find everything you were looking for today?
– Would you like it gift-wrapped?
– Would you like to pay in cash or by card?
– Would you like a bag?
– Would you like your receipt in the bag?
So you’ve got home and you’ve changed your mind – you never needed that orange sombrero in the first place! What do you do? Don’t panic, you can take it back of course!
You say:
– Hi, I’d like to return this please.
To which they may reply:
– Is there anything wrong with it?
– Would you like a refund or an exchange?
Or they may say:
– We can’t offer you a cash refund, but we can offer you a gift receipt.
To which you may want to complain and demand your money back! Here are some ways to complain in English.
Extra activities for Black Friday
If you want to keep learning more about the history of Black Friday, or you want to pick up some extra vocabulary related to shopping to get you ready for the big day. Take a look at these other activities:
– Quizlet has some great flashcards for learning Black Friday words.
– The British council has an excellent reading activity and quiz.
– Watch this weird and wonderful video from Mr Duncan and practise your listening.
And while you’re here, why not check out our guide for communicating in a restaurant?
Happy shopping!
Find the following words in the article and then write down any new ones you didn’t know.
Bustling (adj): a very busy place with lots of energy
Mayhem (n): chaos and confusion
Stores (n): shops (US)
Catchy (adj): memorable or attention-grabbing
To drop into (pv): casually incorporate into something else
To send (smth.) back (pv): to return something
To browse (v): to look or search for something
Key
adj = adjective
n = noun
pv = phrasal verb
smth = something
02/09/2024
14/08/2024
24/07/2024
16/07/2024
12/06/2024
07/05/2024
24/04/2024
10/04/2024
28/02/2024
16/02/2024
24/01/2024
10/01/2024
19/12/2023
13/12/2023
21/11/2023
13/11/2023
30/10/2023
18/10/2023
04/10/2023
23/08/2023
09/08/2023
02/08/2023
21/06/2023
31/05/2023
17/05/2023
03/05/2023
19/04/2023
05/04/2023
22/03/2023
08/03/2023
22/02/2023
08/02/2023
17/01/2023
04/01/2023
21/12/2022
07/12/2022
16/11/2022
02/11/2022
19/10/2022
12/10/2022
28/09/2022
14/09/2022
24/08/2022
10/08/2022
27/07/2022
06/07/2022
15/06/2022
01/06/2022
18/05/2022
04/05/2022
20/04/2022
06/04/2022
16/03/2022
02/03/2022
15/02/2022
02/02/2022
19/01/2022
05/01/2022
15/12/2021
01/12/2021
24/11/2021
10/11/2021
20/10/2021
06/10/2021
22/09/2021
15/09/2021
25/08/2021
11/08/2021
21/07/2021
07/07/2021
23/06/2021
16/06/2021
01/06/2021
19/05/2021
05/05/2021
21/04/2021
07/04/2021
29/03/2021
24/03/2021
10/03/2021
17/02/2021
03/02/2021
20/01/2021
07/01/2021
16/12/2020
02/12/2020
24/11/2020
11/11/2020
03/11/2020
19/10/2020
05/10/2020
24/09/2020
09/09/2020
20/08/2020
06/08/2020
20/07/2020
02/07/2020
25/06/2020
09/06/2020
27/05/2020
13/05/2020
29/04/2020
22/04/2020
21/04/2020
15/04/2020
03/04/2020
25/03/2020
18/03/2020
13/03/2020
11/03/2020
04/03/2020
26/02/2020
19/02/2020
12/02/2020
05/02/2020
29/01/2020
21/01/2020
15/01/2020
09/01/2020
07/01/2020
23/12/2019
19/12/2019
11/12/2019
25/11/2019
13/11/2019
07/11/2019
31/10/2019
23/10/2019
17/10/2019
18/09/2019
04/09/2019
28/08/2019
22/08/2019
15/08/2019
07/08/2019
31/07/2019
24/07/2019
17/07/2019
03/07/2019
26/06/2019
19/06/2019
05/06/2019
29/05/2019
23/05/2019
15/05/2019
23/04/2019
10/04/2019
03/04/2019
27/03/2019
20/03/2019
13/03/2019
06/03/2019
20/02/2019
13/02/2019
07/02/2019
30/01/2019
23/01/2019
04/01/2019
12/12/2018
21/11/2018
14/11/2018
07/11/2018
31/10/2018
24/10/2018
04/10/2018
25/09/2018
19/09/2018
13/09/2018
06/09/2018
29/08/2018
22/08/2018
16/08/2018
02/08/2018
18/07/2018
03/07/2018
27/06/2018
20/06/2018
14/06/2018
06/06/2018
31/05/2018
22/05/2018
09/05/2018
02/05/2018
26/04/2018
18/04/2018
13/04/2018
04/04/2018
29/03/2018
21/03/2018
14/03/2018
07/03/2018
28/02/2018
22/02/2018
15/02/2018
07/02/2018
31/01/2018
24/01/2018
17/01/2018
10/01/2018
27/12/2017
20/12/2017
13/12/2017
07/12/2017
29/11/2017
22/11/2017
08/11/2017
01/11/2017
25/10/2017
18/09/2017
11/11/2015
22/09/2015
Oxford House Language School
C/Diputación 279, Bajos
(entre Pau Claris y Paseo de Gracia).
08007 - Barcelona (Eixample)
Tel: 93 174 00 62 | Fax: 93 488 14 05
info@oxfordhousebcn.com
Oxford TEFL Barcelona
Oxford House Prague
Oxford TEFL Jobs
Legal Notice – Cookie Policy
Ethical channel