It seems that every year Black Friday starts earlier and earlier, so before we start celebrating Black Friday on Thanksgiving Thursday, we should take a look at how it all started, and where we are today.
According to TIME magazine, the origins of Black Friday stem all the way back to the 1960s to describe the massive crowds congregating at the stores the day after thanksgiving. The day only became an unofficial holiday in the 1990s, and has taken over at the biggest shopping day of the year. What was originally a day for department stores to host parades and start bringing out the Christmas decorations has now become a frenzy in which people have to fear for their safety. This year’s Black Friday is estimated to produce over $40 billion in sales worldwide, and many companies are hoping to get out of the red zone for the first time this year.
Many stores are opening at midnight this year, unlike previous years where stores opened as early as 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. This early opening has caused quite an uproar with many employees in stores such as Target and BestBuy. Some companies are requiring employees to work on Thanksgiving day in order to set up for the rush of Black Friday.
Whether you are up at the crack of dawn to get all your holiday shopping done or you decide to seek shelter rather than fight the crowds, Black Friday is a part of our culture that is widely recognized and does great things for businesses that usually suffer financially throughout the fiscal year.
Source:
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1942935,00.html
http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Slideshows/_production/ss-…
Check out some Black Friday deals at BestBuy.