For many of us, the Friday after Thanksgiving means the biggest shopper’s holiday of the year. Starting after Halloween, retailers began advertising the phenomenal discounts on goods their stores would be offering during the annual Black Friday Sale. The notoriety of Black Friday has resulted in a sort of mania in In the United States. It’s almost as if the possibility of scoring the best deal has overshadowed Thanksgiving as a holiday; especially since most sales are starting on Thanksgiving instead of the Friday afterwards. For some people, it seems very ironic that a day when families and friends gather together to celebrate what they are thankful for is immediately followed by nationwide trampling and hostility over accumulating more belongings. For these people, participating in a shopping event immediately after a national day of thanks is ironic to say the least.
Others however do not see Black Friday as an event that the Nation should be ashamed of. To some Black Friday shoppers, heading to the stores to secure the best possible deal is a financial move and not one of greed. Afterall, saving money allows for the purchase of more gifts for more family members. For some families, Black Friday shopping is an event which extends their Thanksgiving festivities. Braving the frenzy of shoppers together is seen as a bonding event instead of a excluding practice.
The origins of Black Friday have been convoluted. In the last few years, one belief circulating the internet was the Black Friday sales originated from the American slave-trade. This theory suggested that on the Friday after Thanksgiving, slaves would be sold at a discounted rate aid with plantation work during the coming winter. According to numerous sources including the History and Snopes the rumor does not come close to being true. Regardless of the falseness of this rumor or its relationship to the history of black Americans, Black Friday boycotts have been a practice of many civil rights protest including, Blackout for Human Rights, Not One Dime, the Justice or Else Movement, and the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR).
Another popular belief about the origin of Black Friday is its reference to the term, “in the black.” In the black is an example of industry jargon that translates directly to in the black. In the black is an industry related term referring the retailer’s margin of profit. Seeing that the day after Thanksgiving is known to be the biggest holiday shopping day, it is believed that the on Black Friday retailers progress from being in the red to being in the black; that is, going from operating at a loss to actually returning a profit.
According to History, the real beginning of Black Friday can be traced back to Philadelphia in the 1950s. “Black Friday” was a code named used by the Philadelphia Police Department for the Friday between Thanksgiving and the Army vs. Navy Football game that was held on the following Saturday every year. Officers would have to work extra shifts on the following Friday and Saturday to control traffic and crowds. The overall chaos that was brought on by the large groups of people also lead to the increase in crime, specifically shoplifting. Slowly, the term Black Friday began spreading throughout the city and the Nation. It wasn’t until the 80s that Black Friday began being used as a marketing ploy, and the concept of red to black began being promoted.
However, you choose to look at it, the choice of shopping on Black Friday is essentially not that deep. Depending on your worldview, shopping on Black Friday can be a way to isolate yourself from family, or it can be an exhilarating way to incorporate family time into Christmas shopping. The historical background of the event promotes one of chaotic behavior and depending on your source, it does not refer to any slavery-related events. The choice to partake in the name of finding the best deal or boycott under the aegis of social justice is entirely up to you.