By Kody Ross
As Black Friday approaches, the TLC team thought you might want a little refresher on how the craziness started and some trivia tidbits.
People have been waiting in lines for Black Friday sales since the 1950s. The name “Black Friday” came about because people would fill the streets, causing traffic jams and creating chaos. In fact, it became a “thing” that the police could not take off work due to such high demand, hence the name Black Friday.
History
It was not until the 50’s that Black Friday Shopping earned its official title, but there have been other uses of the Black Friday term dating back as far as 1869. The first black Friday was due to the crash of the gold market. That Friday is known as the day the stock market crashed and hit rock bottom.
Name Change
Because the name “Black Friday” had such a negative connotation to it, people wanted to change the name to “Big Friday.” Clearly, the new moniker did not take off, but in the ’80s, retailers found a way to turn it into something that was much more exciting, without the negative connotation. They were able to turn it into something that benefitted the customers, as well as the retail stores themselves. This is the Black Friday we know and shop today.
Black Friday Today
Black Friday today has become a massive success, resulting in Americans spending $7.4 billion alone last year. E-Commerce has played a significant role in sales due to the retail stores being able to offer sales online as well. This reaches the customers who don’t want to deal with the chaotic lines. Every year it seems that the doors for Black Friday are beginning to open earlier and earlier, but if you can’t make it that day, don’t worry – shoppers typically have three more days to catch the sales.
Retail Holidays
It doesn’t stop at Black Friday. Since Black Friday was such a big hit, they decided to make it into a four-day retail event. This resulted in what we know today as Small Business Saturday/Sunday and Cyber Monday.
Happy Shopping and Happy Holidays, Everyone!