The word “black” can have several connotations for the upcoming after-Thanksgiving sales put on by retailers around the nation.  Is it black because they need Friday’s sales in order to get out of the red from the rest of the years lagging sales in the face of the economic slowdown?  Or is it really a symbolic dark black of the storm gathering on the economic horizon after shoppers stay home Friday fearing a deep recession?Historically, the day after Thanksgiving has been one of the biggest revenue days for retailers.  After getting along with meager profits or just breaking even, Black Friday is the moneymaker that delivers the cash that stockholders love to see out of their investments.It’s the beginning of the Christmas season, the beginning of the boycotts by Christian groups over companies who use the term “Happy Holidays” rather than “Merry Christmas” and it’s the ultimate showing of American consumerism that drives our economy. Black Friday is a good thing.It props up one of the largest sectors of our economy and it’s a one day economic stimulus package as people spend money they’ve saved (or will be paying back on credit cards) all year long on gifts for the Christmas season. Unfortunately though, this year’s stimulus package probably won’t be as big as needed. If there’s any year when we need people to unload on cash to the retailers, it’s this year as our economy fluctuates between growth and recession. Fear has an uncanny way of driving a recession. When news outlets start publishing doomsday scenario stories in their efforts to sell more and more newspapers, people sit on their money. When money stops flowing from the consumers to the retailers – indicators on consumer confidence and retail sales plummet, trumpeting another horn that a recession is imminent.The trickle-down effect will be in full effect if consumers stay home Friday. Retailers won’t have the cash to buy more inventory, manufacturers won’t receive the orders to produce the inventory, and suppliers won’t receive the raw materials orders from the manufacturers. Already this year we’ve seen the bankruptcy of two major retailers, and if shoppers stay home on Friday and over the course of the Christmas season then we could see a new round of reorganizations and store closings after the dust settles over the New Year. Black Friday is fundamentally good for the economy because it drives the retail section of the economy and in turn drives the manufacturing section as well.Don’t let the media hype keep you home, but don’t spend beyond your means. There’s a happy median between the two that America has had trouble finding recently, but it’s a healthy place for the economy to be. Regardless of what you do, remember to be thankful over break for the opportunity to even be able to unload unsightly sums of money on Friday.Send in your thoughts on Black Friday to [email protected].