Where Did 'Black Friday' Get Its Name?
This post was originally published in 2015.
On the fourth Friday of November millions of Americans participate in a familiar ritual: After gorging themselves on Thanksgiving turkey, they wake up in the wee hours of the morning to queue up at the mall, and sprint into their favorite stores to get the "best" holiday deals.
While the consumerist hellscape is relatively recent, the phrase "Black Friday" has been around for a while. And apparently it doesn't have to do with how terrible the day is for retail workers. So where did it come from?
IT's Always Been About A Good Deal
Its First Use Came From A Gold Market Crash In 1869
"Black Friday," as it became known, was the result of an attempt by financiers Jay Gould and James Fisk to corner the gold market. Action by the Grant administration foiled their scheme and prevented further economic devastation.
The Other Black Plague
The First Thanksgiving-Specific Use Was To Describe Workers Calling In Sick
"'Friday-after-Thanksgiving-itis' is a disease second only to the bubonic plague in its effects. At least that's the feeling of those who have to get production out, when the 'Black Friday' comes along. The shop may be half empty, but every absentee was sick โ and can prove it."
[Snopes]
Fuzzy Memories
But The Philadelphia Police Department Takes Credit For Popularizing That Usage
The cops used it to describe the worst traffic jams which annually occurred in Center City on the Friday after Thanksgiving […] Every "Black Friday," no traffic policeman was permitted to take the day off. The division was placed on 12 tours of duty, and even the police band was ordered to Center City. It was not unusual to see a trombone player directing traffic.
WHAT SAYS CAPITALISM LIKE A PARADE?
Retailers Have Recognized The Day Since The 1800s, With Parades Marking Their First Holiday Ads
As early as the 19th century, shoppers have viewed Thanksgiving as the traditional start to the holiday shopping season, an occasion marked by celebrations and sales. Department stores in particular locked onto this marketing notion, hosting parades to launch the start of the first wave of Christmas advertisements, chief among them, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, running in New York City since 1924.
[Time]
The Retail Industry Even Got FDR To Move Thanksgiving For It
In 1939 during the Great Depression, then President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving Day a week earlier to give Americans an extra week to do their Christmas shopping.
The Black Arts
Retailers Claim That The Big Shopping Day Keep Them 'In The Black'
"Some merchants label the day after Thanksgiving Black Friday because business today can mean the difference between red ink and black on the ledgers."
If it happens in a mall, it can't be that great
But It Didn't Live Up To That Hype Until 2003
From 1993 to 2002… Black Friday was never higher than fourth on the list of the year's busiest shopping days by sales volume. In 2003 and 2005 Black Friday did climb to the top of the pile for sales revenue days, but it still gets stiff competition from the week leading up to Christmas, particularly the Saturday right before the big day.
And Now Retailers Are Racing Back In Time To Be The First To Open
…2012 was the year that the biggest retailers started launching deals on Thanksgiving Day itself, at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Each year since has seen a slightly earlier opening time โ as of 2015, the norm is openings at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. on the holiday, even while many of the same deals are available online.
[BuzzFeed]
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