Where did the major annual sale get its name? (Picture: Getty)
The day following US Thanksgiving – commonly referred to as Black Friday – has become one of the busiest shopping days of the year worldwide, not just in the States.
The annual shopping bonanza sees many retailers temporarily slash the prices of their products, just in time for Christmas.
Although Black Friday falls today – on November 25 this year – you’ll have likely spotted juicy deals all month long.
But what is the history behind the name?
Why is it called Black Friday?
The origin story of the term Black Friday is heavily debated.
However, the most widely-accepted theory is that it dates back to the 1960s and links to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The term dates back to Philadelphia in the 1960s (Picture: H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock/Getty Images)
Police officers used the term to describe the chaotic day between Thanksgiving and the annual Army-Navy football game.
Thanksgiving always takes place on a Thursday, with the game kicking off on the following Saturday. Thousands of suburban tourists would swarm the city to start their Christmas shopping and attend the football game.
The huge crowds created a headache for the police, who worked longer shifts than usual to deal with traffic jams, accidents, shoplifting, and other issues.
Within a few years, the term Black Friday had taken root in Philadelphia.
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Local retailers took advantage of the crowds by offering ‘Big Friday’ sales, but the new name never caught on.
By the 1980s, Black Friday deals had spread around the US.
A second less popular theory suggests that the shopping event got its name as the last Friday of November is often the day that shops ‘move into the black’, meaning they have enough money to cover their costs while reducing prices.
Yet another theory says that the name dates back to the US financial crash in 1869, which was nicknamed Black Friday as it left many Wall Street barons bankrupt.
What is the origin behind the shopping bonanza? (Picture: Getty)
The annual shopping event didn’t reach the UK until 2010, though, when major US company Amazon introduced the concept – promoting a range of discounts and deals to consumers.
Following this, Black Friday has grown significantly throughout the UK, with more and more retailers choosing to hold sale events.
In recent years, Black Friday has been joined by other shopping holidays, including Small Business Saturday, which encourages shoppers to visit small, local retailers, and Cyber Monday, which is primarily done online.
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The origin behind the shopping bonanza.
