Black Friday is here! People expect this day with excitement and hope of finding what they want. Mobs go to stores to look for discounts and save money. It’s crazy to think about the hype of this day, people waiting outside the store early in the morning, lines of people, fights over desired products. This tradition goes back years. The question how did this earn its name “Black Friday”? 

Myth 1: after a year of operating at a financial loss, which takes them “in the red”, stores go “into the black” or earn a profit on the day after Thanksgiving because holiday shoppers spent a lot of money on discounted merchandise.

This was a story to make people forget the negative real origin of the title Black Friday, which was created by retailers in the late 1980s. The people quickly adopted it. 

Myth 2: The Crash of the U.S. Gold Market on Friday, September 24, 1869.

Even though it’s also referred to as Black Friday, it’s not the same Black Friday that we know today. 

The Origin of Black Friday 

Shopping after Thanksgiving has been popular for many years. In Philadelphia, from the 1950s, mobs of locals and tourists would make shopping expeditions around the city, creating chaos, traffic, and accidents. Of course, shoplifters would take advantage of all the chaos.  All of this meant extra work and headaches for the poor police officers. Then, on top of that, that Saturday was the annual Army-Navy football game. Those were the worst days for these police officers. As a result of these events, police in this area started calling this Friday, “Black Friday” for all the misery they would go through this day. 

Black Friday Means… 

 Black Friday, a day now synonymous with excitement, deals, and bustling shopping crowds, has a complex history rooted in chaos. While modern myths tie their name to profits and prosperity, the real origin lies in the challenges faced by Philadelphia police officers during post-Thanksgiving shopping. Over time, retailers and society transformed this day into a cornerstone of holiday shopping. As we enjoy the discounts and deals today, it’s worth remembering the less glamorous beginnings of this iconic day and appreciating how it has evolved into a cultural phenomenon.