One of the things I hear the most about Thanksgiving or about Black Friday being an expat, is the question – Is it really as big of a deal as they say it is? Do they actually give real discounts? Or is it like it is *insert country here* where they bring up the cost of the item a month in advance and then have a normal price for Black Friday? The answer is yes and no. This lesson is going to be primarily focused on my second year students, as we already covered the basics of Thanksgiving (and collocations for the word “give”) last year.
For example:
Vocabulary
frenzy (n) [C2] – excited, uncontrollable, and sometimes violent behavior or emotion
Example: The Saturday night sale can best be described as a buying frenzy.
brick-and-mortar (adj) stores – existing as a physical building, especially a shop, rather than doing business only on the internet
mom-and-pop (adj) shop – used to describe a small business that is owned and operated by members of the same family
big-box store (n) – a very large shop that sells a large number of products, usually at low prices
one-stop shop (n) – a business or organization that provides a number of different services or sells a number of different products in one place
stampede (n) – an occasion when many large animals or many people suddenly all move quickly and in an uncontrolled way, usually in the same direction at the same time, especially because of fear or excitement
but also…
nab (v) – to catch someone or take something suddenly
brawl (n) – a noisy, rough, uncontrolled fight
row (n, UK) – a noisy argument or fight
merchandise (n) – goods that are offered for sale, especially in a store
retailer (n) [C1] – a shop that sells goods to the public, usually in small amounts, for their own personal use (rather than selling to businesses)
shop till you drop (idiom) – to buy things until you are physically tired and cannot walk around the shops anymore
doorbuster (n) – a special discount price available for a limited period, typically during special early-opening hours
frantic (adj) [C2] – almost out of control because of extreme emotion, such as worry
jaw-dropping (adj) – very surprising or shocking
eager (adj) [B2] – wanting very much to do or have something, especially something interesting or enjoyable
transaction (n) – the buying or selling of something, or an exchange of money
steady stream (coll.) – constant sequence, or many things one after another
queue (n) [B1] – a row of people waiting for something, one behind the other
Cyber Monday – the Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday in the US, when online stores reduce the price of goods in order to attract customers
deal (n) – the price you pay for something, and what you get for your money (typically referring to a good deal)
to be in the black – If your bank account is in the black, it contains some money.
to be in the red – If your bank account is in the red, you have spent more money than there was in it.
ledger (n) – a book in which things are regularly recorded, especially business activities and money received or paid
balance sheet (n) – a statement that shows the value of a company’s assets (= things of positive value) and its debts
profit (n) [B2] – money that is earned in trade or business after paying the costs of producing and selling goods and services
(financial) loss (n) [C1] – a situation in which a business spends more money than it earns
till (n) – the machine that holds the money in a shop and shows how much you have to pay
Additional Resources:
- https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/black-friday-the-shopping-poem/
- https://litextension.com/blog/black-friday-ads-examples/
Attribution: Image by Freepik
English With Dixie 
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