Do you know why November is dedicated to celebrating Black Friday?

Black Friday is observed on the last Friday of November and is a global holiday, however it is most popular in the USA. Today, November 24, is the 24th of this year. It all started there: a pre-Christmas sale with exclusive offers and unexpected reductions at a range of brick-and-mortar and online retailers. Uncovering the heart of this consumer-friendly event requires investigating its history and customs.

How does Black Friday work?

Black Friday is a symbol of the yearly shopping frenzy that breaks out in the US the day after Thanksgiving.

It’s a retail festival known for its incredible bargains and enormous discounts in both physical stores and online. Due to its propensity to put companies “into the black,” this occurrence causes a customer feeding frenzy. Customers are looking forward to reduced prices.

The origins of Black Friday can be found in Philadelphia during the middle of the 20th century, when police there coined the phrase to characterize the disorderly masses that swarmed the city on Thanksgiving Day. It signaled the start of the Army-Navy football game and the surge of shoppers, which left police officers and drivers stuck in traffic jams. Retailers appropriated the term throughout time and gave it a positive connotation to denote the point at which their yearly sales propelled them into profitability, or “the black.”

Black Friday developed into a national retail spree in the 1980s and 1990s. It evolved into the unofficial kickoff of the doorbuster and eye-popping discount-filled holiday shopping season. Cyber Monday evolved as internet shopping gained popularity, expanding the shopping frenzy outside of physical establishments.

Black Friday’s appeal went beyond

The appeal of Black Friday extended outside of the US, to nations like the UK, Canada, and beyond. Offering steep discounts and irresistible offers swiftly gained international traction. Black Friday is still seen as a cultural touchstone despite arguments concerning its effects on consumerism and the commercialization of holidays. It is a day when consumers anxiously search for deals and retailers eagerly await a spike in revenue to end the year.

Interesting facts about Black Friday

The concept that companies may transition from being “in the red” (i.e., in debt) to “in the black” (i.e., making money) gave rise to the moniker Black Friday. It was once called “Big Friday,” but the moniker didn’t catch on.

The large retailer Walmart broke with tradition in 2011 by opening on Thanksgiving night instead of the customary Black Friday. This action changed the way people were shopping and led to other stores opening early as well.

The impact of Black Friday extended outside of the US. It’s known as “El Buen Fin,” or “good weekend,” in Mexico and takes place following the festivities honoring the Day of Revolution.

Additionally, there is Buy Nothing Day, a protest against excessive consumption. It challenges the shopping frenzy and encourages thoughtful buying on the same day as Black Friday.

In an effort to increase earnings, Colombia has two Black Fridays: one in November and one in May.