The True Origins of Black Friday | NowThis

Black Friday didn’t always reference shopping. In fact, it got its name from traffic in Philadelphia.

Black Friday used to be a term to describe pedestrian and car traffic In the 1950s, police in Philadelphia always saw a ton of chaos the day after Thanksgiving Hordes of people would head into the city that Friday ahead of the huge Army-Navy football game held annually on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Philly police called that chaos Black Friday. They could never take that day off and worked extra shifts because of how congested it was.

By 1961, the term Black Friday caught on despite numerous attempts by shopkeepers to change it to Big Friday By the 80s, the term started spreading nationwide and retailers changed it into something that would benefit them

Stores used to record their profits in black and losses in red The idea was to go black after a year of going red In other words, retailers wanted to gain a profit after a year of losses. The first recorded use of the term Black Friday was in response to an 1869 financial crisis.

But the retail day’s history starts with Philly police. Now Black Friday is a weekend long retail holiday. In 2017, 174 million Americans shopped in store and online from Thanksgiving through to Cyber Monday. The average spending per person was $335.47.

#BlackFriday #History #Shopping #Thanksgiving

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[_Woo]

I find it hilarious that retailers raise the prices on goods the previous month, so they can slash them to normal prices in sales.

[zoomdweebie]

If your business is in the red until the last month of the year, you probably shouldn’t be in business.

[casbot]

In Australia, Black Friday is the name of a really bad bushfire on the 13th January 1939, that killed 71 people.

[loslingos]

What?
Wasn't Black Friday about selling slaves?

[joannebattersby]

How interesting. I have wondered about that. Canadian retailers have tried it out but we arent that crazy and we are so very polite- no Canadian would stamp a little old lady into the ground to get that tv - but south of the 49th parallel- whooooeee!

[MrChappey]

From what I was told...Black, Friday started in the 1800s when slaved were sold at a discount to plantation owners.

[spence]

I honestly thought the origin was something more sinister

[Headonwriter]

Guess just about everyone have their version of where the name originated from. I've heard several different versions. This was just one more to add to the list.

[keblakev]

@nowthis. With all due respect, I think the point of this video is misleading. Black Friday origin dates from way back. It used to be the day where black slaves were sold as auction in broad daylight.

[xXFearTheReaper]

Fun Fact. Black Friday is also a term used at the Marine Corps. Recruit Depots to mark the day that new recruits meet the Drill Instructors they will have for their entire stay. Guess what happens. 😂

[saracenseven]

I Have seen images of the black slave auction poster stating "Black Friday sale"
I have no doubt to the origins of this term.

[shaistashakeel]

And we muslims call it the blessed Friday or the golden Friday plus the White Friday. Cool isn't it 😁

[rogueshadows]

I used to think it was cuz the stores were open super late/ early for deals and that it was cuz it was night. Hence “Black Friday” cuz stores would be open when it would be pitch black at night or something

[radwulfeboraci]

Black Friday ... Trump has heard of this, wants to issue an executive order to retailers demanding they change it to White Christmas Sale.

[tinadesmond]

That's not the true origin of Black Friday

[cynthiapeterson]

That's not the real origin of "black" Friday. I find all of this revisionist history really funny. It now makes sense to me that in Texas they want to ban books about Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks AND Susan B. Anthony. Not just racist but misogynistic as well. 😂

[johnx]

It was also; sed to describe the discount sale of slaves

[shesemerald]

Thats weird. My business class in high school explicitly taught the term was from the '30s and it was about stores going from red to black before the end of the year. Crazy world. Learn something new everyday.

[gxulien]

Fun fact: helping ignite the Iranian revolution, the US-backed shaw massacred 3, 000 Iranian protesters, in what became known as Black Friday, but it was in September (1978).

[BUNNYBUNNY-frwc]

The truth about Black Friday deals:
1-The same sales the stores have during the course of the year, is the same exact sales they do on Black Friday.
2-Door exclusive items are just the same products the stores have on clearance during the course of the year.
3-Stores have online Black Friday deals that are not offered in the store and where you can avoid in-store lines.