“黑色星期五”是怎么來的

今天的這段對話，在討論黑色星期五，

在“黑色星期五”購物很實惠，那這個節(jié)日是怎么來的

來聽今天的講解:

A: OK, so hey Todd, so I have a question. I've noticed recently in the U.K. that this holiday called Black Friday has appeared, and this is a new thing for us. I don't really know why it has appeared. I think it is American. Shops just give super discounts in November and people are going crazy for like TVs and stuff. Do you have experience with this?

嘿，托德，我有個問題。我注意到最近英國出現(xiàn)了“黑色星期五”這個節(jié)日，這對我們來說是件新鮮事。我不太清楚為什么會出現(xiàn)這個節(jié)日。我想那是美國節(jié)日。商店在11月大減價，人們瘋狂地去搶購電視等產(chǎn)品。你經(jīng)歷過嗎？

B: Yeah, unfortunately, I think it is one of our worst exports. Like I am not a fan of Black Friday. We've had it now probably for like ten or twenty years. I can't remember but it started where the department stores would have these massive sales on Friday which is the day after Thanksgiving, which is always on a Thursday in November.

不幸的是，我認為這是我們美國最糟糕的出口輸出品。我并不喜歡“黑色星期五”。這個節(jié)日在我們國家的歷史大概有10或20年。我不記得是什么時候開始的了，百貨商店會在感恩節(jié)之后的周五大減價，感恩節(jié)是11月的第四個星期四。

A: Ah, that's the connection. OK, after Thanksgiving.

啊，那就是關聯(lián)點。在感恩節(jié)之后。

B: Right, and I think it was called Black Friday because that was the day that the stores could show that they had a profit for the year, or something like that.

對，我認為那天被稱為“黑色星期五”的原因是，商店在那天會得到當年的利潤，或是類似的情況。

A: OK, so it's blatantly all about money?

好，所以一切都和錢有關嗎？

B: Oh, totally and originally, what they would do is they would entice people with really good bargains, but then they kept ratcheting up the bargain, so now they have these really, really low teaser products, like they only offer ten TVs or something like that for like twenty bucks.

哦，完全如此，最初他們會通知人們有廉價商品出售，不過后來他們開始不斷增加減價品，所以現(xiàn)在他們會提前公開低價產(chǎn)品，比如只有10臺電視機或其他商品賣20美元。

A: Oh, so it's like a limited, a really limited supply of really good deals?

哦，所以是有限制的，低價產(chǎn)品的數(shù)量是有限制的。

B: Yeah, and so then what you do is you get these huge crowds that converge on these stores, and then they open the doors and people rush in and literally it's a free-for-all. You have fights and it's so crazy.

對，所以有大量人群聚集在商店，商店一開門，人們就會沖進去，可以說那完全是一場混戰(zhàn)。人們甚至會打起來，非常瘋狂。

A: I've seen that. I've seen videos and clips, and it started happening in the U.K. now.

我看到過那種情況。我看過視頻片段，現(xiàn)在英國也有這種情況出現(xiàn)了。

B: Oh, no!

哦不！

A: And I can't believe it that people can be so greedy.

我簡直無法相信人們能如此貪婪。

B: And especially what's bothersome is that you're with your family on a holiday. You're having a good time, and then you go to war practically. You know what I mean?

尤為煩人的是，你在和家人一起度假。你在享受美好時光，而后來你卷入了戰(zhàn)爭中。你知道我的意思嗎？

A: Yeah, with strangers.

知道，和陌生人的戰(zhàn)爭。

B: Yeah.

對。

A: Or your neighbor even. It doesn't matter who it is, just fighting over a cheap TV.

或者甚至是和鄰居。無論是和誰，只是為了一臺便宜的電視機而打架。

B: I mean, I'm proud to say I've never been to a Black Friday.

我可以自豪地說，我從來沒在黑色星期五促銷時買過東西。

A: Me neither. Me neither.

我也是，我也是。

B: So I guess that's hypocritical for me to say that because you know, since I've never been to a Black Friday. I've only seen it, but I just don't like going to shopping malls and to, like, department stores very much - big box stores. I'm just not a shopper.

我想我這么說可能有些虛偽，不過我從沒在黑色星期五促銷時買過東西。我只是看到過那種情況，我只是不太喜歡去購物中心和百貨商店那種大型商場。我不是購物狂。

A: So you prefer online shopping?

你更喜歡網(wǎng)上購物嗎？

B: I just prefer not shopping at all. Like I don't care like what I dress or how I dress. So, like, I buy my clothes at a supermarket. You know. I know, I'm not the most fashionable person, but as for Black Friday, you know, I think a lot of times, parents want to get stuff for their kids, you know, they want to get that special gift. Maybe I think that's what attracts a lot of the crowds.

我一點兒也不喜歡購物。我不在意我穿的什么或是怎么穿。我會在超市買衣服。我不是最時尚的人，至于黑色星期五，我想很多時候家長想給孩子們買東西，給孩子們買特別的禮物。我認為那可能是吸引大量人群的原因。

A: Yeah, it is, you know, once Thanksgiving is over then it's the buildup to Christmas, so of course there's the stress of preparing everything in time for that. It's hard to resist really good bargains, I guess if you're trying to be careful with your money. You're trying to be sensible or there's those gifts that, you know your child really wants, so I can understand people feel a lot of pressure to do that.

對，沒錯。感恩節(jié)一結束，就要為圣誕節(jié)做準備了，人們面臨著按時準備好一切的壓力。而且如果人們要謹慎花錢的話，那很難抵抗住便宜商品的誘惑。你試圖保持理智，可是你的孩子們有想要的玩具，所以我可以理解，人們有很大壓力。

B: I mean, some of the stores, look like they've been through a hurricane after the crowds go through it. It's crazy.

在購物人群離開以后，有些商店看上去像經(jīng)歷了一場颶風。非常瘋狂。

A: It does sound awful. Doesn't sound like my idea of a good time.

聽起來的確很糟糕。那可不是我對快樂時光的理解。

B: No. Now there is one option though if you don't want to face the crowds and all the hysteria, you can do what's called Cyber Monday.

不是。不過如果你不想面對人群和那種瘋狂的狀態(tài)，還有一種選擇，你可以選擇“網(wǎng)購星期一”。

A: OK.

好。

B: Do you have Cyber Monday?

你們國家有“網(wǎng)購星期一”嗎？

A: No, I'm not familiar with it.

沒有，我不太熟悉這個。

B: So Cyber Monday - I think it's the Monday after Black Friday - and you just get all the deals online over a 24 hour period.

“網(wǎng)購星期一”是“黑色星期五”之后的那個周一，24小時內(nèi)你可以在網(wǎng)上買到打折品。

A: OK, is like this remainder, leftover stock? Or is this like a new ...?

好，這使我想到了庫存尾貨。還是這是新的……

B: No, this is just the online stuff, so I think it's just, you know, the Amazons and all the online stores, that they want to have their deals that people can buy.

不是，就是在線購物，亞馬遜網(wǎng)站和其他在線商店想吸引人們購物。

A: They wanted a piece of the action, basically.

可以說他們也想分一杯羹。

B: Yeah, yeah. Exactly so they can make it super, super

... 對，對。完全正確，這樣他們就可以制造超級……

A: It's too much!

那太過了！

B: Yeah.

對。

A: It is all too much.

太過了。

B: I know, we should have like a, you know, I don't know, a cut back on spending. But if you cut back on spending, then you're hurting the economy, right, so ...

我知道，我們應該削減開支。但是如果削減開支，那就會損害經(jīng)濟，所以……

A: I know. It's true.

我知道。你說得沒錯。

B: Yeah!

對！