The History of Black Friday

Thanksgiving is a national holiday in the United States, and its history is closely related to that of Black Friday. Although its precise origins are unknown, the phrase "Black Friday" has been used to refer to the Thursday after Thanksgiving since the middle of the 20th century. The phrase started to have a more favorable meaning over time, particularly for retailers. Following Thanksgiving, many stores witness a sharp increase in sales as the official start of the holiday shopping season is marked. This day signals the start of the time when stores go from running at a loss (i.e., "in the red") to making a profit (i.e., "in the black"). After working in retail for many years, Black friday becomes very hectic very quickly. I remember as a child rushing to the store after Thanksgiving dinner to be one of the first few people in line at Walmart, Target, Toys R'Us, to get good deals on the gifts we wanted for Christmas.

By the 1980s, Black Friday had become a nationally renowned shopping holiday and had transcended beyond Philadelphia. Retailers adopted the phrase and began enticing customers with exclusive deals and promotions. Black Friday gained popularity in the 2000s and 2010s as a day for early store openings and "doorbuster" sales; several retailers opened as early as midnight or even Thanksgiving night. This technique caused shoppers to rush to take advantage of limited-time discounts, which resulted in huge lineups and, in some cases, chaotic scenes. Recently, many online stores have opted to extend their Black Friday deals for the whole month of November to allow their customers to get all the deals they can before the Christmas season arrives.