Black Friday?

  Have you ever wondered how the day after thanksgiving has become "Black Friday", complete with sales and madness?  I have but up until today, I've never done anything about finding out.  Historically, the term "Black Friday" has referred to several events beginning in 1869 when two people purposely tried to buy up enough gold to cause the price to go up before they sold it at a huge profit.  The scam was discovered but in the process, the stock market took a serious nose dive.

One story on the shopping Black Friday is that the day after thanksgiving is the day when retailers finally start making a profit but this may not be the origin of the phrase.

This particular Friday became known as the kickoff to the holiday season beginning in 1924 when Macy's began their Thanksgiving day parade.  

It is said that this term originated in Philadelphia back in the 1950's when masses of people converged on the town in preparation for the annual Army-Navy Football game played the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  According to accounts of this day, it was total mayhem and absolutely crazy.

People who came in for the games would come early to shop while others came in because this day is the day when Santa made his first appearance in stores. The influx of visitors meant that police officers were unable to get any time off and had to work longer shifts to cover the city due to an increase in crime.  By 1961, this was an annual event in Philly but it wasn't until the 1980's that the term and concept spread nation wide.

As time passed, the event spread to cover 4 days so now it includes Cyber Monday.  In fact, Black Friday now begins the day before Thanksgiving and due to the internet, one does not have to leave your house to take advantage of many of the specials.

Do you head out to the malls or do you shop from the comfort of home?  I shop from the comfort of home because I don't live where there are Black Friday sales but I know people who head out to try to buy that 1 TV on sale for $50 so they are lined up and ready to go at 5 AM. 

Have a good day.