美国的假日销售季节正式拉开了序幕。购物者在一年一度被戏称为“黑色星期五”的这一天挤满了商店，进行感恩节后的购物。消费者抢购促销商品的活动星期四晚间出现一些粗暴行为。一名妇女在洛杉矶一家沃尔玛商店为抢先而对其他消费者喷洒胡椒水。
在“黑色星期五”这天，很多商店都会提供大幅度的降价优惠，特别是价格昂贵的电子产品和最新上市的玩具。“黑色星期五”这个名字还表达了零售商对赢利所寄予的厚望，因为商家以往在帐目中以黑色墨水来记录赢利，亏损则以红色数字记帐。另外，一些商店还比平常要早几个小时开门迎客。这些都让希望买到便宜物品的消费者兴奋。“黑色星期五”对大型零售连锁企业来说是最重要的日子，因为这一天预示他们在未来一个月的假日销售情况，而假日期间通常是一年中最赢利的时候。但是，不是所有的人都喜欢这样的现象。“占领华尔街运动”的反资本主义抗议者鼓励大家参加“零购买日”，来抗议全世界范围的消费主义。
The U.S. holiday shopping season has officially begun, with shoppers crowding stores for post-Thanksgiving sales in a yearly event nicknamed "Black Friday."The competition for the best deals took an aggressive turn Thursday night, when a woman at a Walmart in Los Angeles used pepper spray on other customers to gain an advantage.
Black Friday is the day many stores sharply discount high-priced items such as electronics and the latest new toys. Its name signifies retailers' expectations of high sales, as profits were once recorded in account books in black ink, while losses were recorded in red. Stores also open their doors hours earlier than usual, which helps foster excitement among bargain hunters.Black Friday is one of the most important days for retail chains because it indicates what they can expect during the next month of holiday shopping -- their most lucrative time of year.But not everyone is in favor of the phenomenon. Protesters with the anti-capitalist Occupy Wall Street movement were encouraging people to take part in "Buy Nothing Day," a day of protest against consumerism observed worldwide.
