Black Friday falls on the day after Thanksgiving as always. It’s one of the biggest shopping days of the year in the United States, marking the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season.
History of Black Friday
The name “Black Friday” is believed to have originated in Philadelphia in the 1950s and 60s, where police used the term to describe the heavy traffic and crowded sidewalks caused by shoppers and tourists flooding the city the day after Thanksgiving, ahead of the Army-Navy football game held that weekend. Retailers initially disliked the negative connotation and tried to rebrand it as “Big Friday” without much success.
By the 1980s, a more retailer-friendly explanation took hold: the idea that Black Friday marked the day stores’ financial records went from being “in the red” (operating at a loss) to “in the black” (turning a profit) for the year, thanks to holiday shopping. While this explanation is popular, most historians point to the Philadelphia traffic origin as the more accurate account.
Black Friday grew from a single busy shopping day into a full retail phenomenon over the following decades, with major doorbuster deals, early store openings, and eventually a sprawl into pre-Thanksgiving sales and online shopping events that now stretch the “Black Friday” shopping period across an entire week or more.
How People Shop on Black Friday
- Lining up early, sometimes overnight, for doorbuster deals at physical stores
- Shopping online as more retailers shift major deals to their websites
- Comparing deals across multiple retailers before making purchases
- Making a list of specific items and target prices ahead of time to avoid impulse buying
- Taking advantage of extended sales that now often start before Thanksgiving and run through Cyber Monday
Fun Facts About Black Friday
- The name “Black Friday” is believed to have originated with Philadelphia police describing heavy holiday traffic in the 1950s and 60s.
- Black Friday is not an official federal holiday, though many employees do get the day off as part of the Thanksgiving weekend.
- Online shopping on Black Friday has grown so significantly that it now rivals or exceeds in-store sales for many major retailers.
- Black Friday has expanded well beyond a single day, with many retailers now running “Black Friday” deals for a full week or longer.
- Cyber Monday, the online-focused shopping day following Black Friday weekend, was created in the mid-2000s specifically to encourage online shopping as internet retail was growing.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Black Friday?
Black Friday always falls on the day after Thanksgiving, which is November 27th this year.
Why is it called Black Friday?
The name is most commonly traced back to Philadelphia police in the 1950s and 60s, who used it to describe the heavy traffic and crowds the day after Thanksgiving.
Is Black Friday only for in-store shopping?
No, online shopping has become a major part of Black Friday, with many retailers offering the same or better deals online as they do in physical stores.
What’s the difference between Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
Black Friday traditionally emphasizes in-store shopping and doorbuster deals, while Cyber Monday focuses specifically on online shopping deals, though both have increasingly overlapped in recent years.