The day after Thanksgiving is widely known as "Black Friday." This annual shopping day earned its colorful nickname because it represents the time of year when most retailers turn a profit and the accounting books move from "the red" to "the black."
When I was growing up, I can remember that Black Friday was a big event for some of our family friends. They'd get up and go out shopping at 3 or 4 in the morning to get the biggest deals. My family did that because my parents would always say they were crazy for going out at that time of day just to save a few bucks, but it always seemed like a fun kind of thing to do. I never did get up early to go out shopping on Black Friday, so I don't really know what it was really like. On the other hand, some of those videos of people crushing through store doors and running over other people didn't seem like a good time.
Over the years, the stores began to open earlier and earlier in search of a new gimmick that brings in more people for more profits. As internet purchases ate into their Black Friday sales, they began opening up on Thanksgiving Day, causing some people to skip their own family dinner, searching for deep discounts.
Now, especially since Covid, online shopping has diminished the importance of Black Friday in favor of rolling, year-round sales, and bargains. Sadly, Black Friday has been turned into a week or month now for most retailers. Today's children will never know the joy of finding a deal on the "true" Black Friday, which makes me even more nostalgic for this marketing tactic from days gone by.
Back in 2019, I wrote a fun little feature that took a look at the top sellers of Black Friday's of YesterYear. Please click on the link below to read it. Thank you!
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