Black Friday and language

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Le Baron
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Re: Black Friday and language

Postby Le Baron » Fri Nov 25, 2022 6:13 pm

Well my vacuum cleaner packed up today so I was in the Blokker looking for a replacement (I got one, bagless) and despite a huge banner declaring 'Black Friday!' there were only four other people in the shop and two of them were staff.

I don't think people are that fired up about it here. It's fireworks that excite people here. You get anyone to do anything if you promise them a firework.
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Re: Black Friday and language

Postby badger » Fri Nov 25, 2022 6:37 pm

Sae wrote:Amazon is responsible for bringing Black Friday here, it used to just be the "January Sales" here. I'm about to have to pay out on my motorcycle and that's going to deter me from any Black Friday deals, unless I can convince the mechanic to do a crazy Black Friday deal, but he'll prolly tell me to eff off and and as it's Saturday tomorrow, which is when I'm picking it up, he might get me on that technicality anyway.

I had a new cambelt put on my car today - could have done with a discount on that. :shock:
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Re: Black Friday and language

Postby CarlyD » Fri Nov 25, 2022 7:16 pm

I love Black Friday. Historically, it was the day where you were at the big stores by 4 a.m. so you could fight and run over other people to get the best deals. I never actually did that, and when someone got trampled and died they started making changes.

Now it's all about online Black Friday deals. I woke up today to 48 emails from all different places. All the regular big stores, and new this year--two food stores offering sales.

For languages, both Benny Lewis and Kirsten Cable sent out emails outlining deals from a variety of different web sites. I did renew my GermanPod101 that was expiring in early December for 51% off, and picked up Ollie Richards German Uncovered Intermediate for $97 (normally $297). I'm near to finishing his German Uncovered Beginner so that works well. Schoenhof's is offering 45% off on books, so I'll look through there this weekend.

I'm seeing more and more countries talking about Black Friday. I wonder if they know that here, it's now part of a boxed set. Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, (day of rest), Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday.
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Re: Black Friday and language

Postby kanewai » Fri Nov 25, 2022 7:33 pm

In the US it felt - at least to me - that the term came out of the blue. I had never heard the phrase, and then one year suddenly everyone was using it & acting like they had been using it for years.

I found this interesting tidbit on history.com:

The real history behind Black Friday, however, is not as sunny as retailers might have you believe. Back in the 1950s, police in the city of Philadelphia used the term to describe the chaos that ensued on the day after Thanksgiving, when hordes of suburban shoppers and tourists flooded into the city in advance of the big Army-Navy football game held on that Saturday every year. Not only were Philly cops not able to take the day off, but they had to work extra-long shifts dealing with the additional crowds and traffic. Shoplifters also took advantage of the bedlam in stores and made off with merchandise, adding to the law enforcement headache.
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Re: Black Friday and language

Postby Sae » Fri Nov 25, 2022 7:47 pm

Looks like Routledge is doing a black Friday deal on a book I had my eye on, greater than what deal Amazon put on it...so might do it.

https://www.routledge.com/Colloquial-Mo ... 1138950139

CarlyD wrote:I love Black Friday. Historically, it was the day where you were at the big stores by 4 a.m. so you could fight and run over other people to get the best deals. I never actually did that, and when someone got trampled and died they started making changes.

Now it's all about online Black Friday deals. I woke up today to 48 emails from all different places. All the regular big stores, and new this year--two food stores offering sales.

For languages, both Benny Lewis and Kirsten Cable sent out emails outlining deals from a variety of different web sites. I did renew my GermanPod101 that was expiring in early December for 51% off, and picked up Ollie Richards German Uncovered Intermediate for $97 (normally $297). I'm near to finishing his German Uncovered Beginner so that works well. Schoenhof's is offering 45% off on books, so I'll look through there this weekend.

I'm seeing more and more countries talking about Black Friday. I wonder if they know that here, it's now part of a boxed set. Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, (day of rest), Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday.


If you're doing the intermediate stuff, I take it that his Storylearning is pretty decent? Though I'd hope so for what he charges.

badger wrote:
Sae wrote:Amazon is responsible for bringing Black Friday here, it used to just be the "January Sales" here. I'm about to have to pay out on my motorcycle and that's going to deter me from any Black Friday deals, unless I can convince the mechanic to do a crazy Black Friday deal, but he'll prolly tell me to eff off and and as it's Saturday tomorrow, which is when I'm picking it up, he might get me on that technicality anyway.

I had a new cambelt put on my car today - could have done with a discount on that. :shock:


Oof, guess I'm not the only one with bad timing here. I don't drive a car myself to know what a cambelt would cost, though this time of year, I question my decision to make a motorcycle my only source of transportation.

Given I thought it might have needed more doing, it wasn't too bad for me, but ended up needing new brake pads, sprockets, chain and had a service done.
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Re: Black Friday and language

Postby Kullman » Fri Nov 25, 2022 9:00 pm

Sae wrote:I don't drive a car myself to know what a cambelt would cost, though this time of year.


The cambelt is fairly cheap... labor is usually the expensive part...
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Re: Black Friday and language

Postby CaroleR » Fri Nov 25, 2022 11:39 pm

tungemål wrote:
CaroleR wrote:It's "Vendredi fou" in French-speaking parts of Canada


Does that mean "crazy friday"? That's a good name.

One suggestion for a Norwegian term was "Blakk fredag", which would translate to "broke friday".


Yes! It means "crazy friday." It IS a good name. "Blakk fredag" is a good name too. I'll have to remember that for next year. :lol:
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Re: Black Friday and language

Postby Lawyer&Mom » Sat Nov 26, 2022 3:07 am

I bought a lifetime subscription to LingoDeer at a very reduced price, so I am a happy Black Friday language shopper. Also bought a year of the new “basic” Glossika at half off. (One language at half the price of “premium” all-the-languages Glossika.) Verdict is still out on that one, but it was the only way to try Glossika at a remotely reasonable price. We shall see if I renew next year.
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Re: Black Friday and language

Postby grayson » Sat Nov 26, 2022 4:41 pm

I received the best-ever Black Friday offer this year. I wish more places would do this kind of thing.

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Re: Black Friday and language

Postby jeff_lindqvist » Sun Nov 27, 2022 12:35 pm

Again, I've lost count of how many newsletters include some kind of Black Friday deal. Last year (or if it was two years ago), I unsubscribed to every one - except for those sent by polyglot friends. This year, one of them actually had an option specifically for BF deals (no more of those, thank you very much). Before this day is over, I will probably have unsubscribed to all the others as well.
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