What Is The History Of Black Friday?

Have you ever wondered where the term Black Friday comes from? Well, wonder no more. Reviewsbird is going to explain it all. Answering questions like, what is Black Friday? When is Black Friday? It is all right here.

Soon you will be able to inform your friends and family about the intricacies of Black Friday and its history.

Where Did It All Start?

When you hear someone say Black Friday, you automatically think of massive discounts by brands like Samsung, Apple, Charlotte Tilbury, and others. Yet this is not the original use of the term ‘Black Friday.’ Instead, the term’s original use is linked with a much darker event.

Originally ‘Black Friday’ was used to describe a Friday in 1869 when there was a crash in the US stock market. This crash was related to when individuals tried to corner the gold stock market. These events led to widespread financial panic. Years later, in 1929, the term was used to describe ‘Black Tuesday’. Black Tuesday was another stock market crash announcing the onset of the Great Depression. 

With the history of being used to describe times of great financial distress, it does seem strange that today we equate the term with positive financial savings and celebration. However, this change only occurred many years later.

Black Friday As We Know It

Black Friday occurs on the Friday after Thanksgiving. This term has stuck over the year and has become a global phenomenon. Each year Black Friday falls the day after Thanksgiving, and recently the sales have extended over the weekend and into the Monday after. This Monday is now referred to as Cyber Monday. Black Friday falls on the 25th of November this year.

How the term became linked with this specific day has yet to be completely discovered, although there are many suppositions. One of them was in the 1950s, shop owners referred to the day as Black Friday because many of their workers would call in sick after Thanksgiving, and this would negatively affect their sales for the day.

Another possibility came from Philadelphia, where the police officers had long shifts on Thanksgiving and were offered discounts by many shops on the Friday after to thank them for their work.

It was in the 1980s that the idea of the profit line and ‘being in the black’ and ‘being in the red’ was linked to Black Friday. At this time, retailers began formalizing the discounts they offered on the day, and shoppers grew fond of the day.

Since then, the Black Friday phenomenon has been built upon, and sales are carried through into the weekend and the following Monday. Some retailers see most of November as a good opportunity to discount their products. It is valuable to keep your eyes open for these deals all through November.

In The End

Though the origins may be dark and describe events riddled with despair, we now look upon the term Black Friday with excitement and hope. The savings offered allows many people to afford items previously out of reach.

It is safe to say that whichever event you refer to, ‘Black Friday’ is synonymous with life-changing events.

Tommy Vercetti