The shopping day or the day following Thanksgiving is certainly a retail bonanza. You can also find out Augusta Sportswear golf t shirt as the shopping day is near us now. However, we want to ask you a question. That is: Do you know the real history of the day following Thanksgiving?
No worries if you do not have any clue about the history of the shopping day! We are going to dive into this post regarding it in depth. Reading this post till the end will let you know a comprehensive history of the shopping day.
A Deep Dive into the History of Black Friday
You may already know that Black Friday is an informal (colloquial) term for the day following Thanksgiving. Here are various roots to the coining of this term:
Root No. 1
Besides, the first time people used this term has no link to the post-Thanksgiving holiday. In fact, people used this term because of the financial crisis that took place in 1869 in the United States.
On September 24th, 1869, the US gold market crashed. At that time, two disreputable and ruthless Wall Street financiers Jay Gould and Jim Fisk took advantage of it. They worked together to buy as much of the nation’s gold as they could. They wanted to sell it for skyrocketed prices for astonishing profits.
Moreover, it was that Friday in September that revealed such a conspiracy. As a result, it sent the stock market into free-fall while bankrupting everyone from Wall Street moguls to farmers. It is the first explanation for the coining of the term, Black Friday.
Root No. 2
Another and the most commonly repeated story related to the coining of the shopping day relates to retailers. Stores operating at a loss for an entire year reported losses in the red. In addition, they evidently reported profits in black on the day following Thanksgiving. They earned profit on the day following Thanksgiving (Friday) because holiday shoppers spent so much money on discounted stock. Hence, you can see why people often use the term Black Friday for the day following Thanksgiving.
Besides, it is true retail companies in the past reported losses in red and profits in black when managing accounts. In addition, the aforementioned root for the shopping day is officially approved yet inaccurate.
Root No. 3
There is a myth that has been circulating in recent years about the coining of the name of the shopping day. As per that myth, Southern plantation owners could buy enslaved workers in the 1800s at a discount. Further, they could buy those workers on the day following Thanksgiving (the shopping day we know today).
This explanation of the shopping day holiday has also led some people to boycott the retail holiday. Basically, this root for the coining of the name of the day following Thanksgiving has no basis.
Root No. 4 (The Real History)
When it comes to the real history of Black Friday, it is not as cheerful as retailers may think. In the 1950s, the Philadelphia police used this term to describe turmoil on the day following Thanksgiving. It was when myriads of suburban shoppers and tourists swarmed into the city. Moreover, they did that prior to the big Army-Navy football game that was held on Saturday every year. For this reason, the Philadelphia cops could not take the day off. In fact, they had to work extra-long shifts because of the supplementary hordes and traffic.
In addition, thieves also took advantage of the chaos that took place in Philadelphia. It also caused more pain to Philadelphia law enforcement. In 1961, people caught the term Black Friday. Moreover, merchants and boosters in the city made unsuccessful attempts to change its name to Big Friday. They tried to get rid of the negative associations with the day. During that time, the colloquial term was not disseminated throughout the country. Even though it was not common in the late 1980s.
However, retailers found a way to reinvent the colloquial term & change it into something positive for customers and themselves. It led to the red-to-black concept that we have mentioned already. Consequently, it marked the occasion (Black Friday) when American stores finally earned a profit.
The Shopping Day – Extension to a Four-Day Event
Now, you are well aware of the history that has led to the coining of the colloquial term Black Friday. Besides, the one-day sale shopping day has transformed into a four-day event today. Put differently, it has spawned other retail holidays. Small Business Saturday, Small Business Sunday, and Cyber Monday, to name them.
Moreover, the sales of the day following Thanksgiving start earlier. In addition, they last enough time for shoppers to make the most out of the deals. Thankfully, the most dedicated shoppers can head out to shop today right after a Thanksgiving meal.
However, you may have a question in mind: How can you find deals for the shopping day earlier? We’ll help you out on this next.
How to Find Out Deals for the Shopping Day Earlier
Here are the tips you can capitalize on to find out the deals for shopping day earlier:
- Keep checking the websites of your favorite retailer at least for a week before shopping day.
- Follow the Facebook pages of retailers you love to shop from to remain aware of their deals for shopping day.
- Ask your friends who enjoy shopping on the day following Thanksgiving to share related coupons, promotions, and deals with you.
Conclusion
The shopping day or the day following Thanksgiving is surely a retail bonanza. Moreover, you can find great deals on products on this day, such as different types of wholesale polo-shirts and others. Furthermore, there is more than one root in the coining of the colloquial term, Black Friday. The most commonly accepted root to it is that retailers marked profits in black and losses in red. However, the true history regarding it dates back to the time when Philadelphia police faced chaos in the 1950s. To finish, there are many roots to shopping day, and the one related to the Philadelphia police is historically true.