The Busiest Shopping Day of the Year – Black Friday

When you sit down tomorrow to turkey dinner, make sure to enjoy the relative peace and quiet because you know what comes after that, don’t you? The Friday after Thanksgiving, otherwise known as Black Friday.Known for sometime now as the “busiest shopping day of the year”, this day after Thanksgiving is seen by many as the official start of the holiday shopping season. A popular day off for employees, the Friday after Thanksgiving has more than the usual amount of people out hunting for bargains and looking for gifts but how did this day get the name of Black Friday?It all started in the greater Philadelphia area in the 1960’s, when the term “Black Friday” was first used by the Philadelphia police force. They coined the term due to the heavy traffic they had to manage on this day and from the blackish fumes that were emitted from the increased amount of vehicles on the road. The term gained popularity along the East Coast where Black Friday eventually came to mean that this was the day when retailers would start to post profits, or “be in the black” (as opposed to “in the red” and operating at a loss). The term “Black Friday” continued to catch on and by the year 2000, it was a commonly used term that was recognized by most everyone.It was even earlier, though, that the day after Thanksgiving became THE popular day for holiday shopping and the unofficial start of the Christmas season. This shopping tradition began after the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in 1924. Maybe it was the word “Macy’s” splashed everywhere that made people think they should start shopping, or maybe it came about because this day has always been a popular choice of a day off for employees in order to create a four day weekend. Regardless, marking Black Friday as a day for shopping has, over time, only seen an increase in the numbers of shoppers.Retailers have taken advantage of this by offering “doorbusters” and special promotional prices that are good only for Black Friday. Stores opening early have also increased over the years with some now opening so early it’s arguably just “really late at night” on Thanksgiving! Whether it’s the great deals, the day off, or enjoying the shopping, Black Friday has become its own unique holiday. Enjoy!