why do we celebrate black friday
Black Friday is celebrated as the unofficial kickoff to the holiday shopping season, occurring the day after Thanksgiving in the United States. Retailers offer massive discounts to lure shoppers, turning it into a frenzy of deals on everything from electronics to clothing.
Origin of the Name
The term "Black Friday" stems from accounting practices where profits are recorded in black ink and losses in red. For many retailers, this day marks when they finally shift from yearly losses ("in the red") to profits ("in the black"), thanks to surging post-Thanksgiving sales.
Philadelphia police coined it in the 1960s to describe the chaotic crowds of shoppers overwhelming the city after the holiday.
Merchants initially resisted the negative connotation, dubbing it "Big Friday," but by the late 1980s, the profit narrative took hold nationwide.
Historical Evolution
Black Friday began as an in-store tradition in the mid-20th century, with families braving lines for big-ticket items like TVs and appliances.
Retailers timed deep discounts for the Friday after Thanksgiving—a paid holiday for many employees—knowing people were home and eager to shop.
By the 2010s, it exploded online, evolving into "Black November" with pre- Thanksgiving sales to match early holiday shopping trends.
Why It's Celebrated Today
Shoppers chase unbeatable deals amid economic pressures, with 196.7 million Americans participating in the 2022 Thanksgiving-to-Cyber Monday period alone—the highest on record.
It's a social ritual too: friends and family hit stores together, unlike solo online events like Cyber Monday.
In 2025 , as President Trump's reelection influences consumer confidence, expect even bigger turnouts, with retailers staggering deals across categories to sustain hype.
Multiple Perspectives
- Consumer View : A thrilling hunt for savings, though crowds and overrated hype frustrate some—"Why risk trampling for a TV?" as one forum post quipped.
- Retailer Angle : Critical profit booster, but myths inflate its stats; peak sales often hit pre-Christmas Saturday instead.
- Critic's Take : Over-commercialized chaos, born from police slang, now a global export despite violent incidents in early years.
"Profit is shown on the books as black as opposed to a loss shown in red. So Black Friday is the day many retailers become profitable for the year." – Reddit user
Modern Trends (2026 Context)
Sales now stretch weeks early, helping shoppers avoid "lumpy spending" with phased purchases.
Online dominance grows, but in-person remains a bonding experience.
Forum Buzz : Redditors debate its hype—"Big deal or overhyped?"—while predicting 2026's deals amid inflation talks.
TL;DR : Black Friday celebrates retail profitability post-Thanksgiving via epic deals, evolving from chaotic crowds to a month-long global event.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.