The History of Black Friday
What is Black Friday?
As many of us know, Black Friday traditionally falls on the first Friday after Thanksgiving in the United States, signalling the official start of the holiday shopping season. The term itself, however, has an interesting origin. In financial terminology, being “in the red” refers to running at a loss or being in debt, while being “in the black” indicates profitability and financial stability. In essence, Black Friday symbolises a point when retailers move from losses into profit, as the surge in holiday spending pushes them “into the black.”
Over the years, Black Friday has grown far beyond its original financial context to become a massive consumer event. What was once a single day of doorbuster deals has transformed into an extended shopping period, often stretching over several weeks or even an entire month. Retailers worldwide now capitalise on this period by offering extraordinary discounts on a wide range of products, from electronics and fashion to homeware and toys. For shoppers, it has become a highly anticipated opportunity to secure bargains that are rarely available at other times of the year.
This evolution has also changed how people shop. Many now plan ahead, comparing prices, setting alerts, and lining up online purchases in advance to make the most of limited-time offers. Black Friday has become not just a day of shopping, but a cultural phenomenon that shapes how retailers market their products and how consumers prepare for the festive season.
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The History of Black Friday
Originally, the term “Black Friday” had nothing to do with shopping or holiday sales. Its first recorded use dates back to September 1869, during the American Gold Market Financial Crisis. At that time, two financiers attempted to corner the gold market, buying up massive amounts of gold and driving prices to extreme highs. The resulting market collapse caused widespread economic turmoil, and the day became known as “Black Friday” to reflect the financial disaster.
The modern, retail-focused meaning of Black Friday—associated with moving “into the black” financially, when businesses turn a profit—didn’t emerge until the 1980s. By then, the phrase had shifted from its original catastrophic context to one tied to commerce, marking the day when retailers could finally generate substantial sales ahead of the Christmas season.
The history of the term also includes some colourful local stories, particularly from Philadelphia. One popular tale claims that police officers in the city began calling the day after Thanksgiving “Black Friday” because large numbers of workers would call in sick to extend their holiday weekend into four days. About a decade later, the term resurfaced in Philadelphia, this time referring to the extreme challenges faced by police managing enormous crowds and heavy traffic caused by throngs of shoppers. These early uses highlight how the phrase gradually evolved from a financial crisis to a cultural marker of shopping chaos, long before it became the global retail phenomenon we know today.
How Black Friday is practised around the world
Although Black Friday began as an American tradition closely tied to Thanksgiving—a holiday unique to North America—the concept of end-of-year sales has now spread globally, with each country adapting it in its own way.
In the UK, Black Friday originally fell on the Friday before Christmas. The term was unofficially coined by the police and NHS to describe the surge in drunken and disorderly behaviour during the holiday season, which often led to injuries and arrests.
In the Middle East, the concept exists under a different name. Originally called White Friday, the region now celebrates “Yellow Friday” sales around the same time as Black Friday, offering shoppers a similar festive discount period.
Brazil takes a more cynical approach. Since its introduction in 2010, the event has earned the nickname “Black Fraud,” as some retailers were accused of artificially inflating prices before offering discounts. In many cases, customers ended up paying the original price, leading to widespread distrust and criticism of the sales event.
Cyber Monday
Cyber Monday has quickly become closely linked with Black Friday, despite being a much newer phenomenon.
Taking place on the Monday immediately following Thanksgiving, Cyber Monday is part of the unofficial Holiday Shopping season but focuses entirely on online sales. The concept was designed for shoppers who prefer to avoid the crowds and enjoy the convenience of browsing and purchasing from home.
The term “Cyber Monday” was officially coined by the National Retail Federation in 2005 to promote online shopping. In recent years, online sales have grown so popular that they often rival or even surpass traditional in-store shopping. Today, many retailers combine the events into a single “Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale Week,” spreading deals over several days rather than keeping them as separate occasions.
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