Today is black Friday. The biggest shopping day of the year. Do you get up early and hit Tuttle Mall to get great deals? Black Friday has almost become its own holiday with many people looking forward to it all year. Some love the hype, some love the great deals, and others just love to shop! But do you know how “Black Friday” started?
The term itself is traced back to Philadelphia in the 1960s, where police used it to label the crowds of shoppers and ensuing traffic jams. It would later become the day that retailers begin to make a profit for the year – out of the red and into the black (for those of you who know your accounting terms).
But the term Black Friday started to take over the retail world in the 1950s and 1960s to offer sales that Friday in order to woo shoppers, who often had the day after Thanksgiving off from work (to shop, so the retailers hoped). The day-long shopping spree gained traction in the Internet age, when sales and coupons could be more widely publicized. By 2002, Black Friday had indeed become the biggest shopping day of the year.
In 2014 Black Friday has seemed to expand into other days, not just Friday. You might have noticed a lot of retailers opening their doors on Thanksgiving Day. This is a little much in my opinion. But as much as the employees hate working on Thanksgiving, the shoppers are still there. They want to be the first to get the best deals. Many times there are early bird discounts that only these shoppers will get. I guess, if you can save a lot of money and it makes you happy and you don’t mind missing out on part of Thanksgiving…then go for it!
In the last few years, people have ditched Black Friday for Cyber Monday! Consumers are shopping online more, and why not, you don’t have to get up early, go out in the cold, battle over parking spots, and wait in long lines. Most retailers have the same or even better deals on Cyber Monday. And many of them are offering deals throughout the weekend, including free shipping. The only reason I wouldn’t shop online would be if I needed the item right away since you have to wait for shipping. And depending on how you ship it, it could take over a week to get. So if you don’t need instant gratification this is a win-win! And many times they offer more items online than they do on their website. Plus, you usually don’t have to worry about them running out of your size.
So there you have it. A little bit of history today about Black Friday. I will admit, I did go out and shop today. I didn’t get up crazy early or anything like that. But if I can save a little bit of money for the items I would be buying anyways, why not? I was actually surprised that the stores weren’t busier than they were. Maybe it is because they all were open last night and got all the real go-getters then!
The term itself is traced back to Philadelphia in the 1960s, where police used it to label the crowds of shoppers and ensuing traffic jams. It would later become the day that retailers begin to make a profit for the year – out of the red and into the black (for those of you who know your accounting terms).
But the term Black Friday started to take over the retail world in the 1950s and 1960s to offer sales that Friday in order to woo shoppers, who often had the day after Thanksgiving off from work (to shop, so the retailers hoped). The day-long shopping spree gained traction in the Internet age, when sales and coupons could be more widely publicized. By 2002, Black Friday had indeed become the biggest shopping day of the year.
In 2014 Black Friday has seemed to expand into other days, not just Friday. You might have noticed a lot of retailers opening their doors on Thanksgiving Day. This is a little much in my opinion. But as much as the employees hate working on Thanksgiving, the shoppers are still there. They want to be the first to get the best deals. Many times there are early bird discounts that only these shoppers will get. I guess, if you can save a lot of money and it makes you happy and you don’t mind missing out on part of Thanksgiving…then go for it!
In the last few years, people have ditched Black Friday for Cyber Monday! Consumers are shopping online more, and why not, you don’t have to get up early, go out in the cold, battle over parking spots, and wait in long lines. Most retailers have the same or even better deals on Cyber Monday. And many of them are offering deals throughout the weekend, including free shipping. The only reason I wouldn’t shop online would be if I needed the item right away since you have to wait for shipping. And depending on how you ship it, it could take over a week to get. So if you don’t need instant gratification this is a win-win! And many times they offer more items online than they do on their website. Plus, you usually don’t have to worry about them running out of your size.
So there you have it. A little bit of history today about Black Friday. I will admit, I did go out and shop today. I didn’t get up crazy early or anything like that. But if I can save a little bit of money for the items I would be buying anyways, why not? I was actually surprised that the stores weren’t busier than they were. Maybe it is because they all were open last night and got all the real go-getters then!