Did you know that Americans didn’t invent Thanksgiving. The harvest feast is an England tradition but it is also celebrated in several parts of the world. How about Brazil?
In Brazil the holiday is called “Dia de Ação de Graças” and legend has it that a Brazilian ambassador returning from the U.S. in the 1940s told President Gaspar Dutra about this amazing holiday celebration where Americans eat tons of food. So, the President incorporated the celebration to the last Thursday of November. However, “Dia de Ação de Gracas” is not a holiday in Brazil and just a few people celebrate. They go to the church and express gratitude and appreciation to for the abundant harvest throughout the year.
Although Thanksgiving is not a tradition in Brazil, Black Friday has become big. Retailers adopted the concept a few years ago and Brazilian consumers have embraced it, though it falls on a regular weekday there.
Brazilian retailers advertise their sales with the words “Black Friday” in English. Some companies have offered discounts all week, referring to them as “Black Friday week” specials.
Despite dark political clouds and economic uncertainty, the country’s expectations for Black Friday 2017 are pretty good. According to the report “Thank God It’s Friday” by Google, this edition’s sales might be about to increase by up to 20% compared to the same period last year in Brazil. In 2016, it yielded R$1,9 billion in e-sales to ecommerce; this year, sales are expected to reach R$ 2,2 billions.
The downside is that Black Friday in Brazil has also earned the name of “Black Fraude” (black fraud). Consumer protection authorities usually work extra shifts to guard against manipulative practices they said have been commonplace. The most common complaint is that vendors raise prices just to lower them.
Source: Forbes