What is Black Friday?
Black Friday, the day following Thanksgiving, is one of the most important shopping days in the U.S.A. and increasingly abroad. Many large-name retailers offer discounts right before the winter gifting holidays.
What is Black Friday?
Black Friday 2022 deals fall on the Thursday after American Thanksgiving. This tradition is celebrated in the U.S. every fourth Thursday of November. Brick-and-mortar stores open in the morning, often just after midnight or as early as Thanksgiving night, offering major, unbeatable discounts. These deals are often advertise in retail stores weeks ahead of time through all media, including physical catalogs and email newsletters.
Many popular products with significant discounts will be grab by thrifty shoppers looking to maximize their holiday gift spending. Some deals are only available during certain hours. For example, a new smartphone that is a must-have might discount by 35% for an hour but then be sold at 25% for the rest. Retailers’ Black Friday sales are now available online as well as in-store, even days before the actual event.
What you need to know about Black Friday
Gifting your loved ones something handmade, an experience shared or the benefit from some free labor is a great way to show your affection and love without spending a lot. Black Friday sales are a great way to get a gift you love at a reasonable price.
Black Friday is a crucial period for the retail sector. It’s where many companies make a large portion of their annual profits. Black Friday could be a negative for corporate earnings if discretionary spending and consumer confidence are low.
What is the secret to Black Friday’s name?
According to the Huffington Post, Philadelphia police officers were the first to use the term “Black Friday” as a description of a day of shopping discounts. However, the Huffington Post claims that the phrase was not inspire by thrift.
The term was actually coined in the 1950s/60s out of frustration at suburban Philadelphians who were trying to shop in downtown between Thanksgiving and the popular annual football game. The city’s police officers would force to work in colder weather and deal more with retail crime, making the day a “black day”.
The origins of “Black Friday” were the 1869 crash of the U.S. Gold Market.
Is Black Friday consider a holiday?
Black Friday is not a holiday, in the sense, it’s not a federal holiday. Many companies allow employees to take a day off work the day after Thanksgiving. This makes it a holiday in many ways.
Many states also observe a day off after Thanksgiving, but it is not because of Black Friday. Louisiana holds a Friday state holiday to remember the deportation of Acadians from Canada’s Nova Scotia province, to Louisiana.
What are other popular shopping days?
Different types of businesses and non-profits started organizing Black Friday events.
- Small Business Saturday – Local shops, creators, and artists offer discounts to holiday shoppers.
- Cyber Monday is an online retailer’s opportunity to offer digital deals that are not available in brick-and-mortar shops.
- Giving Tuesday is an informal movement encouraging people to make financial contributions to charities and other causes.
