Black Friday Explained Quickly

My guess is that you’d much rather be reading about where to get the best Black Friday deals. Understanding the story behind the day is secondary (if that). So I’ll keep it brief. This is Black Friday explained quickly, Q&A style.

 

What is Black Friday?

It’s the informal term for the Friday just after Thanksgiving in the United States. Stores open early and offer big discounts, unofficially kicking off the holiday shopping season (although it seems to start earlier every year). Black Friday is considered one of the busiest shopping days of the year in the US.

 

When did this concept come into existence?

The idea probably dates back to the late-19th century, well before the Black Friday terminology came into being. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held on the last Thursday in November, and parades became a part of the scene in the ensuing decades. The appearance of Santa Claus at the end of such parades indicated the start of the holiday shopping season (on the next day, which of course was a Friday).

 

Why is it called Black Friday?

1960s Philadelphia is credited with popularizing the phrase, though it actually referred derisively to the heavy traffic on the day after Thanksgiving (which was also the day before the famed Army-Navy football game that brought throngs of visitors to the city). In the 1980s, retailers managed to put a positive spin on the terminology, drawing attention to how holiday sales allowed them to transition from being in the red (in debt) to being in the black (profitable).

 

Can Black Friday mean anything else?

Yes. Black Friday also refers to a stock market crash on September 24, 1869 that owed itself to a speculation-related drop in the price of gold. In the United Kingdom, the term be can used in reference to the Friday before Christmas. And in Australia, the expression has traditionally been used to describe a particularly devastating day in the severe 1938 – 1939 bushfire season.

 

What other days are big for shopping?

Black Friday is part of a string of days devoted to retail. It immediately precedes Small Business Saturday, which highlights local businesses that are overshadowed by big-box retailers. The subsequent Monday is Cyber Monday, featuring smaller e-commerce stores. (With a decent chunk of Black Friday sales moving online, the differentiation here can get a bit murky.) The last Saturday before Christmas—also known as Super Saturday or Panic Saturday—might be the biggest day of them all thanks to a surge of last-minute purchases.

 

Is there a number that can put all this in perspective?

Well, according to the National Retail Federation, around 182 million Americans buy stuff during the five-day stretch from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday.

 

Do other countries participate in the festivities?

Absolutely. The expansion of American chains throughout the world has played a role in this phenomenon, as has the need for retailers abroad to compete with American retailers. Of course, the simple spread of culture via technology hasn’t hurt.

 

Is Black Friday dangerous?

For the most part, no. Unfortunately, humans have the ability to act very unintelligently, leading to undesirable consequences. In 2008, a Walmart employee was tragically trampled to death as shoppers poured in to the store. Furthermore, shootings, stabbings, and old-fashioned brawls have made headlines on a relatively regular basis. Wikipedia has a summary if you’re interested.

 

Is Black Friday losing importance?

Many seem to think so. Sales now start well before and last long after Black Friday, and shoppers increasingly make purchases online at their leisure. The concept of an isolated shopping event may be a bit antiquated.

 

Does everyone approve of Black Friday?

No. In fact, the same day is also called Buy Nothing Day, a protest against consumerism that was originally conceived in Vancouver, Canada.

 

Alright, enough of that. It’s time to feel really good about getting a really good deal, even if it is on something you really don’t need.