We know what we are in for when we hear “Cyber Monday Deals Black Friday”, and we expect a sweet deal. The day after Thanksgiving is always a Saturday. This day is associated with doorbuster sales which kick off the holiday shopping season. Huge sales are an easy way for shoppers to spend money, especially when they are less than a month away from the winter holidays.
Black Friday shoppers spend their money, or rather, use their phones to do so, almost exclusively with smartphones. Salesforce reports that digital and mobile sales increased by 17 percent to $4.1 billion in 2019. It doesn’t take much to find a deal online. You can simply swipe your smartphone to access it. Amazon won the most online shoppers, followed closely by Walmart. The “most talked about brands” in recent years were Apple, Nintendo, and PlayStation. Retail dive reports and discounts ranged from 37 to 47 percent.
Black Friday’s history has more to it than that. Is there more to This history than just consumerism, smart TVs, and Apple AirPods at 20 percent off? There have been many myths about Black Friday’s origins. Find out when Black Friday falls in your region, its history, and why it is called Black Friday.
What’s Black Friday?
Every year, Black Friday falls the day after Thanksgiving. Black Friday falls on Friday, as Thanksgiving is usually observed on the Thursday after Thanksgiving.
Kristin McGrath, editor and shopping expert at BlackFriday.com, tells Parade that Black Friday was founded when retailers realized they could attract large numbers of people by offering discounts. While some retailers sell their products on Thanksgiving morning while others send out special offers to customers days, or even weeks ahead of time, others do it electronically.
Black Friday Deal for Start?
Black Friday technically falls on Friday, but sales actually begin earlier than that. Some stores and their websites promote Black Friday sales as early as midnight Thanksgiving Day or even one week earlier.
Origin of Black Friday
There are many myths surrounding Black Friday’s history. Isn’t it about shopping or is it a cover to hide more sinister motives? The History Channel discredits rumors that Friday use to associate with slavery.
History Channel claims that there has been a myth that Southern plantation owners could purchase slaves at a discount price in recent years. Although some people have suggest that it should be avoided, this version of Black Friday’s past is false.
Black Friday is also associated with the myth that retailers will lose their entire year. This is also known as “in red.” The holiday season brings shoppers looking for great deals and retail businesses would see a boost. This would help them “back to profit.”
The History Channel stated, “Though retail businesses use to report losses and profits when they did their accounting, this version of Friday’s history is the officially sanctioned but inaccurate story behind the tradition.”
What is the True Story Behind Black Friday’s Traditions?
This is true for shoppers, retailers, and possibly even Pennsylvania. It’s true. It began in Philadelphia, PA in 1950. This was before the Army-Navy football match on Saturdays. Out-of-towners would flood Philadelphia, PA and the local police would need to work long shifts to compensate. The History Channel stated that this day would be one in which police cannot leave.
McGrath explains how “Black Friday” was originally coined in Philadelphia. McGrath explains how in the 1960s Philadelphia police complained about congestion. It refers also to the 1869 financial crisis, which was cause by gold-stamping traders who tried but failed to control stock markets.
Also known as the “holiday”, was once well-known. To change this perception, retailers devised a strategy. It was reimagined by retailers who incorporated the narratives “in red” and “back into blue”.
Popularity has led to “spinoff shopping days”, Small Biz Saturday, and Cyber Monday.
This is Black Friday
It was a popular holiday in Philadelphia during the 1950s. Many suburbanites would crowd Philadelphia in the days before the Saturday Army-Navy football game. Because all of the city’s officers were on duty, it was called Black Friday.