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What Is Black Friday?
How Black Friday originated and what it means to the tech world
By Renée Lynn Midrack Renée Lynn Midrack Writer Metropolitan State University of Denver Renée Midrack is a former writer for Lifewire, where she wrote on emerging technology and smart devices. Midrack has been writing about technology for 15+ years. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on November 19, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Around the Web Browsers Cloud Services Error Messages Family Tech Home Networking 5G Antivirus Around the Web Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving and widely considered the beginning of the holiday shopping season. The term "Black Friday" gained popularity in the early 2000s through its use on websites for online sales intended to compete with sales at physical stores. As the term spread across the country through the internet, traditional retailers officially adopted the term as well. See Lifewire's Black Friday Deals now What Does Black Friday Mean
In the U.S., Thanksgiving Day is the fourth Thursday of November. The next day, Black Friday, is the most popular shopping holiday of the year, with many retailers reserving their deepest discounts and best sales of the year for that specific day. Beginning in 2013 and 2014, more and more retailers began moving back the start time of their Black Friday deals from the early morning hours of Friday morning to the evening of Thanksgiving Day as a way to lengthen the most notable shopping day of the year. Some retailers have gone a step further, kicking off Black Friday sales as early as the Monday before Thanksgiving Day. History and Origin
Use of the name Black Friday to refer to the day after Thanksgiving reportedly began in Philadelphia in the 1950s. At the time, police officers in the city used the term internally in reference to the large crowds of pedestrians and vehicles that congested Philadelphia’s shopping district annually on that day. The throngs of people and cars resulted in accidents and often violence that required every officer to be on duty to keep order and manage the chaos. The first published use of the term Black Friday was in a 1966 advertisement by a rare stamp dealer named Earl Apfelbaum located in Philadelphia. However, the term remained mostly regional until the early 2000s, with some increased use in the 1980s in other regions. Initially, retailers resisted the name because black days of the week have historically been used to describe negative events. A few examples include: Black Monday, Oct. 19, 1987: Largest one-day drop in stock market history, when the Dow Jones index dropped 22 percent.Black Thursday, Oct. 24, 1929: Stock market crash that is historically considered the start of the Great Depression.Black Friday, Sept. 24, 1869: The original Black Friday was the crash of the U.S. gold market. At the time, gold was one of the primary trade markets, with investors from all income levels — most of whom were bankrupted as a result. In an effort to shift away from the negative association with black days of the week, retailers decided to create a new story for Black Friday. In accounting, business losses have traditionally been recorded in red ink and profits or gains in black ink. Many retailers would find themselves "in the red” by fall but would be boosted back “into the black” by the holiday shopping season. To create a more positive association with Black Friday, retailers used this example as the meaning behind why Black Friday is called "Black Friday." Eventually, this meaning stuck and is more well-known among shoppers than the 1950s origin of the term. Online Shopping and Black Friday Deals
The most popular Black Friday deals often center around consumer electronics, such as TVs, computers, tablets, and game systems. While some shoppers are willing to wait in line for hours for a chance at a great deal, many more shoppers are opting to avoid the crowds and shop online instead. The 9 Best Tablets in 2022, Tested by Lifewire In response, retailers now offer online shoppers many of their Black Friday deals that kick off at the same time as the in-store sales. In addition, stores that offer limited-quantity door-buster deals may also offer a different door-buster deal exclusively for online shoppers. Desire to avoid long lines and stampeding crowds also paved the way for Cyber Monday. Cyber Monday is the Monday directly following Black Friday and is dedicated to online shoppers, with special deals available as often as every hour on some shopping sites. Many Cyber Monday deals start even earlier than Black Friday deals so it's a good idea to shop around and check your favorites sites frequently for new deals. The Best Cyber Monday Deals You Can Still Find The most recent addition to the holiday shopping season set of special deal days is Green Monday. Green Monday is the second Monday in December and aims to capture shoppers both in stores and online who still have gifts on their list to buy. FAQ What stores are open for Black Friday? Which stores participate in Black Friday changes each year, but typically you can expect many major retailers to open. The Black Friday website keeps a list of store hours on Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Check it in the days leading up to the big event to see who's opening and when. How many days are there until Black Friday? Type "How many days until Black Friday?" into Google and it displays a countdown at the top of the search results. What to buy on Black Friday? Electronics are typically the biggest draws on Black Friday, including TVs, game consoles, phones, and appliances. You can also find plenty of deals on kids' toys. If you're into footwear, Black Friday is filled with good sales on major footwear brands. What stores are having Black Friday sales? Stores typically announce their Black Friday sales in the weeks leading up to the big shopping day. Check retailer websites to see if they're participating, or visit a site like BlackFriday.com for a list of store hours, ad scans, and more. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire What Is Cyber Monday? The 5 Best Coupon Websites of 2022 What is Green Monday? 17 Pros and Cons of Shopping Online The Best Black Friday Deals You Can Still Get Free Shipping Day 2022: What You Need to Know The Best Cyber Monday Deals You Can Still Find The Best Tech Back-to-School Deals of 2022 What Is Amazon Prime? HBO vs. HBO Max: What's The Difference? How to Get Xbox Live Gold at a Discount How to Live Stream Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (2022) How to Watch the Superman Movies in Order How to Watch the NBA Livestream (2022-2023 Season) The 12 Best British Shows on Netflix Right Now The 6 Best Online Retailers for a TV Purchase in 2022 Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies