Why call it Black Friday——With all the shopping activity that takes place the Friday after Thanksgiving, the day became one of the most profitable days of the year for retailers and businesses.

Because accountants use black to signify profit when recording each day’s book entries (and red to indicate a loss), the day became known as Black Friday—or the day when retailers see positive earnings and profits “in the black.”

In 2020,Black Friday isn’t cancelled,but the shopping experience is way different now than ever before. If you still plan on shopping in-store this year, you’re going to want to call ahead and confirm that they’re going to be open on the big day. As a general rule, you can assume most stores will have COVID-19 safety protocols in place and limits on how many people will be allowed in the building at once, so endless lines and door-buster stampedes are going to be a thing of the past. (As always, make sure that you’re shopping safely and wearing a mask!)

That said, in the past few weeks we’ve seen that most stores are pushing their online Black Friday sales more than ever — and they’re literally happening right now.