Black Friday is quite the shopping phenomenon, rivaled only by Cyber Monday 1. That shopping marathon takes place the day after Thanksgiving. Now, it has mushroomed into a cultural movement nationwide. This day has been the traditional start of the holiday shopping season. Get ready for pre-dawn shoppers, mall gridlock, and jam-packed retail outlets! Though a major holiday connecting the two countries, its origins are less festive than you’d think.
Surprising as it might be, the term “Black Friday” was first used in 1951 in the journal Factory Management and Maintenance. It used to mean workers going “sick” on the day after Thanksgiving. This trend suggested a challenging start to the holiday shopping season. In Philadelphia, it took on a particularly infamous shade meaning. It painted a picture of the bedlam created by huge throngs and snarled traffic as eager last-minute shoppers mobbed stores to kick off the Christmas shopping season.
To regain the nation’s trust, in 1961 a new public relations consultant suggested an even bolder rebranding. To help shift public perception about the event, he proposed renaming the days “Big Friday” and “Big Saturday.” Even with all of these acoustic grenades, brand name “Black Friday” won.
Back in 1981, an article written by a Philadelphia Inquirer reporter inadvertently—and probably still to this day—changed the meaning of Black Friday. It uncovered that sales on this day allowed most retailers to “get out of the red,” the term used to describe when most retailers turned profitable for the year. This explanation contributed to a growing acceptance of the term as it aligned with the commercial spirit of the season.
In years past, Black Friday was considered a one-day affair only. In recent years, this shopping extravaganza has morphed into a weeks-long stretch of sales. Heck, a good number of retailers start their Black Friday deals in October! Usually the Saturday before Christmas nabs that title for the busiest sales day of the year. Black Friday remains an important staple of the retail experience.
Even with deep discounts and other promotions available from other stores year-round, Black Friday still draws more shoppers than those retailers. Over the past decade, online shopping has radically changed how people buy things. Consumers have developed a taste for shopping from home and hunting for good deals on the internet rather than in brick-and-mortar locations.
Nonetheless, not everyone views Black Friday positively. A vision of the holiday as a confusing mess of commercialism, anxiety, and distraction triggers people’s contempt for the event. Retail chain chairman Irwin Greenberg has been deeply skeptical of this branding, recently asking if it’s even the right word.
“That’s the most disgusting thing I’ve ever heard,”
- Irwin Greenberg
He further questioned the negative connotations associated with the term, stating, “Why would anyone call a day, when everyone is happy and has smiles on their faces, Black Friday?”
While Black Friday often finds itself mired in controversy and bad press, it’s still an incredibly important aspect of American consumer culture. It represents the start of the holiday shopping season but represents something deeper—our culture’s attitude about consumerism.