Changes

Over the last ten years, as Internet shopping has increased, Black Friday has lost some meaning, as other days and times also offer deals. Over this time, countries in South America, Middle East, and other regions have attempted to create Black Friday and Black Friday deals. Online retailers have attempted more creative business strategies, such as combing efforts or creating group shopping experiences, for their customers. Some countries, such as Latvia, where the holiday has proven popular, new innovations to the promotional period have been developed. There, the entire week has been declared as "Black Week" to extend shopping times and promotions over a longer period. In the UK, Black Friday, even though few have that day off, has become so popular among some retail chains that police and extra security have to be called in to prevent outbreaks of fights or violence between customers. In fact, some stores have seen Black Friday as disruptive, due to increased traffic and noise, leading them to even avoid putting any special discounts or promotions so that trouble would not occur. Online, Black Friday has also offered retailers 24 hour shopping and enabled them to extend sales across multiple days. The effect of Black Friday has been significant not just for offline but also online retailers.<rfref>For more on the rise of the Internet and its effect on Black Friday, see: Carr NG (2010) <i>The Shallows: How the Internet Is Changing the Way We Think, Read and Remember</i>. London: Atlantic.</ref>