Black Friday is a consumer holiday that started in the United States, but it has since spread to other parts of the world. It’s characterized by long lines of shoppers (and sometimes even dangerous stampedes) trying to get the best deals on clothing, electronics and other items.
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It wasn’t until the 1950’s that the term “Black Friday” got associated with the day after Thanksgiving. People realized if they called in sick on Friday, they could get a four day weekend. And with the stores open, this turned into a shopping extravaganza. Now, most company’s give the day after as a bonus off day or employees use as a vacation day.
The phrase “Black Friday” to signify a positive boost in retail sales didn’t grow nationwide until the late 1980s, when merchants started to spread the red-to-black profit narrative. Black Friday was described as the day stores began to turn a profit for the year and as the biggest shopping day in the United States. In truth, most stores saw their largest sales on the Saturday before Christmas.
In more recent years, Black Friday has been followed by other shopping holidays, including Small Business Saturday, which encourages shoppers to visit local retailers, and Cyber Monday, which promotes shopping online. Giving Tuesday has also emerged to spur charitable donations
Why aren’t people shopping on Black Friday?
One employee suggested the dearth of customers was due to the plethora of online sales merchandisers have been pushing for weeks now. “We’ve been having Black Friday sales for three weeks now,” the worker said. “We had doorbuster sales two weeks ago. Maybe that’s why more people are not shopping today.”
What are your shopping plans for Black Friday, or are you more of a Cyber Monday on-line shopper?
Why Is It Called Black Friday? | Britannica
