Every year, Thanksgiving falls on the fourth of November. The official start of the Christmas shopping season in America is Black Friday. In the 1960s, the term Black Friday was first published in newspapers. We all know about Black Friday shopping deals. But we don’t know much about how it began. Here’s a brief story about how it all began.
The Original Story Behind Black Friday
In the 1900s, “black” was use to refer to black ink on accounts that were meant to denote profit. To make it sound better, however, the story was conjur. The original event was tied to the annual Army-Navy Football game. This sporting event was held in Philadelphia every Saturday, follow by Thanksgiving.
The game attracted a large crowd in the 1950s-1970s. Most of them arrived on Friday, which was a day before the match began. The police had to deal with all the chaos and misbehavior. This day was rename Black Friday by the police. Philadelphia retailers saw an increase in sales and so they started to call the day Black Friday. It became a nationwide term in the 1980s and black ink became more popular than the original story. We all know that It is closely tied to the Thanksgiving holidays.
It has been the official start of the holiday shopping season. It is now a positive term for retailers, as it increased sales and led to an increase in economic growth.
Many retailers and brands offer huge discounts which lead to long lines at these retail stores. These stores open at midnight every year due to the huge demand. However, they sell out quickly.
Black Friday has become an international thing
It is not a holiday with any religious or cultural significance, but it is widely observed in the United States. Nearly 20 countries now have their own Black Friday.It’s now a tradition in countries like Canada, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand.
Online retailers also have Cyber Monday Monday, followed by Black Friday to promote their sale items. El Buen Fin, Mexico’s version of “The Good Weekend”, was creat in November 2011, just before the Mexican Revolution Holiday. Similar to India, Great Indian Shopping Festival was creat in 2012, after being inspired by Black Friday sales.
The day of Thanksgiving
1941 saw the passage of a law making Thanksgiving the fourth Friday of November. To extend their holiday and take advantage of the fact that shops will be open, people call in sick the day following Thanksgiving. Many bosses decided to add Friday after Thanksgiving to their paid holidays to avoid HR headaches. This extra day was popular because it allowed people to purchase Christmas gifts earlier.
Friday after Thanksgiving was the day that shopping became synonymous with shopping. It is a result of the Philadelphia police department. The term Black Friday was first used by the Philadelphia police department in the 1950s to describe the chaos caused by suburban shoppers flooding into the city. Shoplifters used the chaos to steal goods from overcrowded shops. To manage the situation, police officers had to work longer hours.
Summary
Black Friday was a landmark and a model for other shopping holidays around the world. Black Friday use to associate with Thanksgiving and the Army-Navy football match. It is now symbolically regard as the start of the Christmas shopping season.
