Retail Black Friday
When is Black Friday? This mega-shopping day is the day after Thanksgiving
This special day is always held on the Day after Thanksgiving. Black Friday is a day when retailers offer huge discount pricing on many, if not all, items in their store. These Black Friday deals and doorbusters sales drive huge numbers of Christmas shoppers out to cash in on the great, lowest-of-the-year prices. Retail Black Friday deals begin as early as the stroke of midnight. Nowadays, many stores start even earlier, opening up late in the afternoon of Thanksgiving before the dinner dishes are washed and dried.
Traditionally, Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving. It is one of the two busiest shopping days of the year. In case you didn’t know, the other busiest shopping day is the day after Christmas. The day after Christmas, throngs of shoppers on holiday vacation, mob the stores to use gift certificates they received, and to exchange merchandise.
How to Participate in Black Friday
To participate, just go shopping at brick-and-mortar stores. Many families and friends make Black Friday a major, fun-filled social event.
On Thanksgiving night they gather together to pour over the huge stack of Black Friday newspaper ads. Then, based on the sales and timing of Doorbuster sales, a plan is made of what stores to shop at, and when. Then they sleep at one of the group’s houses. It’s a quite limited sleep, as they must arise before the doors open at the malls and other retail stores. A donut, a bagel, or a piece of breakfast Kuchen provides just enough energy for the adventure ahead. Well before the doors open, they go as a group to stand in line to be the first to enter the stores. This outing is often followed by breakfast at a restaurant.
Tired to the point of exhaustion, they part ways all smiles, to their own homes. Their arms are laden with bags of Christmas gifts, as they head for their own homes and a warm bed.
Black Friday Trends
My how times change. Everything changes over time. So, it comes as no surprise, that Black Friday deals and shopping trends have been changing and evolving over the past few years.
Several things have significantly impacted Black Friday. First, the stellar growth of internet shopping has seriously affected the impact of Black Friday shopping. Cyber Monday, a relatively new holiday, further promotes online sales with promotions only available online. The arrival of COVID-19 in 2020, has had a continuing and significant negative impact on Black Friday shopping traffic. To avoid crowds, many people are shopping at less busy times. COVID-19 also drove an even larger spike in online sales. Third, most retail businesses now promote deals in advance of the actual date, promoting super sales all month long. Some stores have even announced Black Friday deals in late October. The result of these actions is much lower sales on this day. Yet despite all these issues, Black Friday remains a fun social event not to be missed.
Where all these trends will go in the next few years remains to be seen. It’s a certainty that Black Friday will continue to be the biggest sales day of the year. It will continue to represent the point in the year that retailers turn a profit. But because of the changes discussed above, the day of Black Friday will have less of a percentage impact on total holiday sales.
We hope you enjoy Black Friday almost as much as the retailers do!
Wild as it may seem, there is another interesting special day, celebrated on the day after Thanksgiving. It is Buy Nothing Day.
Why is Black Friday Called "Black"?
In the financial accounting world, red signifies a loss, and black signifies a profit. For many retailers, the Christmas holiday sales season represents an amazing one-half to three-quarters of their annual sales. Often, retailers are losing money all year long, until the holiday sales season begins. Historically, holiday sales formally begin on the day after Thanksgiving. Sales on this day have traditionally been huge. So, Retail Black Friday represents that turning point, from a loss to big profits!
Today's Quote
“Money won’t create success, the freedom to make it will.” – – NelsonMandela
History and Origin of Black Friday
The day after Thanksgiving has always been the biggest holiday shopping day of the year. It just didn’t have a name. The term Black Friday originated in the 1960s in Philadelphia, PA. On one Friday after Thanksgiving, the city streets and sidewalks were filled with Christmas shoppers and people heading to a football game. Local Philadelphia policemen, complaining about the congestion, called it “Black Friday”. Department stores in Philadelphia did not like the negative connotation of the term. For a short period, they attempted unsuccessfully to call it “Big Friday”.
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