All About Black Friday
Thanks to the competitive discounts and alluring sales across stores in the U.S.A. on Black Friday, people often go berserk on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Looking back at this modern holiday tradition, how many of us know how Black Friday actually started?
History of Black Friday
Back in the 1960s, account finances used to be maintained by hand, where red marks signified losses and black marks represented a profit. Black Friday occurs in November, and it refers to the beginning of the celebratory season of Christmas shopping, when all accounts would smoothly transition from red to black. However, it was reported that ‘Black Friday’ also came from a different origin. An incident in Philadelphia, again in the 1960s, where streets were clogged with motorists and congested with shoppers, led the Philadelphia police to name it the ‘Black Friday’. Today, Black Friday has become a retail marketing strategy that encourages shoppers to flood the streets with their buying frenzy and lots of cash!
How did Black Friday become so popular?
When retailers realized the potential of Black Friday sales, they started implementing promotional tactics, which attracted shoppers to spend, or rather splurge on that day! While some retailers prefer to display their Black Friday specials on the morning of Thanksgiving, some send online offers and catalogs to consumers via email almost a week in advance. Initially, Black Friday started when the stores open at 6 in the morning, but Walmart and a few other retailers changed all that when they announced that they would open all their stores at 8 in the evening on Thanksgiving Day!
Black Friday Survival Guide
- Get an early start, because you know how early Black Friday shopping starts!
- Place a cap on your spending limit.
- Wear comfortable shoes.
- Tuck in healthy snacks to survive the battle of Black Friday there!
- Compile gift recipients’ sizes, preferred colors and budget well in advance.
- Carry newspaper ads with you for additional discounts.
- Compare prices before you hit the stores.
- Use store credit cards to pile up points.
With these tips for Black Friday and knowledge on its history, this Thanksgiving is certainly going to be rather fruitful!
