Every year, the day after Thanksgiving in the United States transforms into a frenzy of doorbuster deals, long checkout lines, and record-breaking retail sales. Known worldwide as Black Friday, this unofficial shopping holiday often marks the beginning of the holiday buying season. But despite its modern association with sales and savings, Black Friday’s history is far more complex—and surprisingly not rooted in consumer joy.
1. The First Use of the Term “Black Friday” Had Nothing to Do With Shopping
The phrase Black Friday originally appeared long before malls and online shopping existed. In the 19th century, it was used to describe financial crises, most notably the market crash of September 24, 1869, when two financiers’ attempt to corner the gold market caused widespread economic panic.
This early meaning marked the phrase as something negative—an omen of difficulty rather than discounts.
2. Black Friday’s Modern Origins: Philadelphia and Chaotic Crowds (1950s–1960s)
The connection between the term and post-Thanksgiving shopping began in Philadelphia in the 1950s. City police used “Black Friday” to describe the overwhelming crowds that flooded downtown the day after Thanksgiving as people shopped and tourists arrived for the annual Army–Navy football game.
To the officers, the day brought:
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traffic jams
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packed sidewalks
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shoplifting spikes
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longer-than-normal work shifts
Local retailers disliked the negative tone and even tried to promote a friendlier name—“Big Friday”—but the new term never caught on. “Black Friday” stuck and eventually spread to other cities.
3. The “In the Black” Accounting Myth—And Why It Helped Popularise the Day
As the term spread nationally in the 1980s, retailers began promoting a more positive origin story. They claimed that Black Friday was the day when stores finally went “into the black” (turned a profit) after operating “in the red” (at a loss) for most of the year.
While this explanation was more marketing spin than historical fact, it helped rebrand the day as a celebration of retail success rather than a post-holiday headache. Consumers embraced the idea—and stores quickly realised the promotional potential.
4. The Rise of the Modern Black Friday Sale
By the late 20th century, Black Friday became the biggest brick-and-mortar shopping day of the year. Retailers used:
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doorbuster deals to attract early crowds
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limited-quantity items to create urgency
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early-morning openings, sometimes as early as 5 a.m.
In the 2000s, the competition grew fierce. Midnight openings became common, and eventually some major chains experimented with Thanksgiving evening sales.
5. Online Shopping Transforms Black Friday
The 2010s brought another shift: e-commerce. Black Friday moved online, becoming a full weekend event that now includes:
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Black Friday online sales
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Small Business Saturday
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Cyber Monday
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Cyber Week promotions
This evolution made the shopping holiday more global. Countries like Canada, the U.K., Germany, India, and many others have adopted their own versions—often without any connection to Thanksgiving at all.
6. Today’s Black Friday: A Cultural and Commercial Event
Black Friday has grown far beyond a single day. It now represents:
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a major economic driver
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one of the biggest global retail events
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a cultural marker signalling the start of the holiday season
Despite its sometimes chaotic reputation, the tradition persists because shoppers love the spectacle—and retailers rely on the surge in sales.
In Summary
Black Friday sales originate from a layered history:
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19th-century financial crises first gave the term its name.
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1950s Philadelphia police applied it to the stressful post-Thanksgiving crowds.
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1980s retailers rebranded it as a positive shopping event tied to financial success.
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Modern retail and e-commerce transformed it into a global discount season.
What began as a headache for city police has become one of the world’s most powerful retail traditions.
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