The History and Origins of Black Friday

Black Friday is generally known as the day after Thanksgiving when most people begin their holiday shopping. It’s a day when stores make enough money so that they are “in the black” when it comes to their finances instead of being “in the red”. Stores will offer tremendous discounts on anything ranging from towels to toys. There are a few facts about the day that might make it a little more clear as to why people go crazy for the event.

Once A Negative Term
The term Black Friday was once used in the 1800s to let people know that the stock market was seeing lower levels. The color black has often been used as a negative color, signifying calamities that occurred in the financial world. There were two men who tried to make money from selling gold, but once the government tried to control the selling of the metal, sales took a nose dive.

Popularity In The 1990s
Although there has always been a special day when stores lower prices for the holiday season, Black Friday didn’t come into effect until the 1990s. It was a term used by those who live in Philadelphia until people in other parts of the country started using the term.

The Biggest Shopping Day
Black Friday is one of the biggest shopping days of the year. This became evident in 2001 and afterwards as more people seem to enjoy getting in the large crowds to find the perfect gift at a low price. There are stores that have opened earlier in the day and have even opened on Thanksgiving evening, giving shoppers more time to get all of the amazing deals. As stores begin to see what shoppers want, then the holiday is only expected to get more attention. Before Black Friday, the Saturday before Christmas was known as the biggest shopping day of the season for many parts of the country.