It is that time of year again when the orange carpet of foliage that covers our streets turn into a crisp white blanket of snow. Christmas is indeed drawing near, but not before Thanksgiving and the notorious Black Friday fills the tummies and empties the wallets of millions. And perhaps, while scrolling through the world’s interesting facts about the fall and winter holidays, you’ve come to wonder how Black Friday came to be. Well, here’s a brief history of the once financial crisis turned Christmas shopping avenue.
Black Friday wasn’t always a term used for shopping. And it wasn’t always in November. The term “Black Friday” was first used to describe the crash in the stock market as two men tried to buy out the gold in the market in order to sell it at steep prices. This event then led to the plummeting of commodity prices to about a half.
Black Friday began to be the shopping craze we all know at around the 50s. At this time, a lot of people wouldn’t show up to work after Thanksgiving, claiming they are sick. Of course, most of them really weren’t feeling under the weather and found themselves going to the stores to get a headstart on holiday shopping. The day after Thanksgiving, after all, was seen as the official start of the holiday season since Thanksgiving was the last major holiday before Christmas. With the excitement of the holidays buzzing in their hearts, people flocked to the stores. And eventually, businesses caught on to this and decided to make it an official paid holiday.
The day after Thanksgiving had officially garnered the name Black Friday when Philadelphia police officers used it to describe the chaos and traffic in the city caused by the crowd of people flocking the stores. After that, the name just stuck and it has since been associated with incredible sales rather than traffic jams.
With the emergence of e-commerce sites and online stores, the Black Friday craze in physical stores has become less crazy than prior years. People have become discouraged to dive into the frantic mess that is Black Friday. However, it’s hard to deny a good deal when it’s right there in front of you, especially with holiday shopping in mind. That’s why a lot of online retailers have brought Black Friday to the internet. This way people can still purchase items on sale but now from the comforts of home. But of course, there are still tons of people who go camp outside stores for the sake of tradition and for the thrill.
As crazy as Black Friday is, it is still a very interesting part of American culture. And who would have thought that a term used to describe a financial crisis would be used to name the post-Thanksgiving and start of the holiday shopping phenomenon? Whether you prefer to be on the frontlines of the craze or quietly adding to your cart at home, you’ve got to admit that Black Friday is just the crazy start the holiday season needs.
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