(November 21, 2006) — S occer moms are running rampant through the department stores, knocking over displays and fellow mothers. It’s chaos! What is this Black Friday? Where is it from? What happens on this day where Americans trample their fellow citizens just for extra low prices? The Friday after Thanksgiving is the official start of the frenzied holiday shopping season. Dreaded by some and fancied by others, Black Friday is thought to be a money making machine for businesses across America. However, according to Joseph Busler of the Courier Post Online, Black Friday is not the day with the highest sales value, for procrastinating Americans leave their holiday shopping till the last possible day, Christmas Eve. Though there are many theories of how Black Friday might have started, the origin of this hectic day remains a mystery. A more widely accepted theory is that businesses usually suffered financial loss from January through November and it was around Thanksgiving that all holiday shopping began. During this time, businesses started to make the most profi t and when they recorded this profit, they did so in black ink, hence the name “Black Friday.” Black Friday today has become more about advertising and less about shopping. Mailboxes and commonly used websites overflow with advertisements months in advance. Also, many organizations use the opportunity to get their word out. One such organization is the Church of Stop Shopping. According to their site, www.revbilly.com , Reverend Billy of this organization takes advantage of the mobs at malls to lecture against shopping at businesses that use overseas sweatshops to manufacture products. Exhausted from the hunt for the best deals, shoppers retreat back to their cars, having experienced one of the most frantic days of the year. As for next year, the future of this holiday shopping tradition is left up to the consumer to determine.