Black Friday, as we know it today, originates in the US, where the day after Thanksgiving has been branded to rope in turkey-stuffed consumers looking for the cheapest deal. Picture: Powhusku/Flickr
Black Friday drove people close to the edge of madness almost everywhere else but in Finland.
Don’t get me wrong. For example, the sales of the Finnish electronic retailer Gigantti surged to 21.3 million euros, while people carried home TVs, laptops, phones and washing machines. According to the e-commerce company Klarna, the sales on Black Friday have tripled since 2014.
The day when prices of electronics and towels drop about 25 percent obviously gives a healthy boost to the Finnish economy. But when patrons in the US push and rush — ready to slap the shopper standing next in line, if there’s any, in Finland the customers walk in single file.
Just watch the example from Raisio in south-western Finland, which was filmed during the early Friday morning at the front of a store selling household appliances. The fun starts at 1:23, but we recommend watching from the beginning for comparison. 🙂
“Those Finns were too close to each other,” said one commentator after watching the video.
