Super Saturday facts for kids

Super Saturday is also known as Panic Saturday. It is the last Saturday before Christmas. This day is very important for stores in America. It marks the end of the busy shopping time that starts with Black Friday. Super Saturday is for people who like to shop at the last minute.

On this day, stores often have big sales. They want to make more money than on any other day during the Christmas and holiday season. Super Saturday usually happens on December 22, 19, or 17 more often than other dates.

Why Super Saturday is a Big Deal

Super Saturday usually brings in about $15 billion in sales for stores. To get more customers, stores offer big discounts. They also stay open longer. This helps them attract shoppers and encourage them to buy things they might not have planned to. This is called impulse buying.

This one day makes up a large part of the holiday sales for many stores. For example, in 2006, sales between December 21 and 24 made up 13.6% of all holiday sales. Some businesses even make 60% of their sales on Super Saturday alone.

Stores often stay open for many extra hours. Some even stay open all day and night until Christmas Eve. They hope customers will use this extra time to shop. It also helps spread out the work for the people who work at the cashier desks. Stores expect many more customers on Super Saturday. So, they often hire more staff to help everyone.

Who Shops on Super Saturday?

This day brings a lot of money to stores because many shoppers need to buy gifts. In 2009, more than half of all shoppers in the United States still had gifts to buy by mid-December. Some experts thought that about 40% of shoppers had not even started their holiday shopping by Super Saturday that year. Some people said their full-time jobs made it hard to shop earlier. Cathy Bergh, from The Christmas House, said it's important because it's the "last chance [for shoppers] to get out and do their shopping."

Some shoppers actually wait for Super Saturday on purpose. They want to get the best discounts. Other reasons for waiting include making sure they stay within their budget. But some people prefer to shop early. They want to avoid the long lines and big crowds that come with this busy shopping day.

Unlike Black Friday, online shopping usually doesn't take away customers from physical stores on Super Saturday. This is because Super Saturday is so close to Christmas. Shoppers worry that gifts bought online might not arrive in time for the holiday. However, this can change. If people cannot get to stores, like during the North American blizzard of 2009, they might have to shop online.

Other Uses of "Super Saturday"

The name "Super Saturday" is also used for other important Saturdays. These are days when many related events happen.

For example, in the Eurovision Song Contest, many countries choose their song for the contest on a certain Saturday. This day is often called Super Saturday.

The last Saturday of the US Open tennis tournament is also called "Super Saturday." If the tournament is on schedule, both the men's semi-finals and the women's final are played on this day. The men play in the afternoon, and the women play their final at night.

The British media also used this phrase for a special Saturday during the 2012 Summer Olympics. On August 4, 2012, many Team GB athletes won gold medals. These included Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah, Greg Rutherford, Danielle King, Laura Trott, Joanna Rowsell, Tom James, Pete Reed, Andrew Triggs Hodge, Alex Gregory, Katherine Copeland and Sophie Hosking.

The phrase was also used by British news to talk about Saturday, October 19, 2019. On that day, a plan by Boris Johnson for leaving the European Union was voted against in the Parliament.

See also

• Black Friday (shopping)
• Buy Nothing Day
• Small Business Saturday
• Cyber Monday
• Green Monday
• Giving Tuesday
• Moral panic