What is the Significance of Black Friday
Posted by Charli Mace on 11/22/2011
Black Friday is more than just a day for people to get up early in the morning and go shopping. This day marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season for most people. Some choose to complete their shopping before the Thanksgiving holiday, and some enjoy getting mixed in with the crowds to get the best deal possible on Black Friday. Most stores open between midnight and 4 in the morning on the Black Friday.
The day goes back to 1966 when people in Philadelphia crowded the streets and sidewalks on the Friday after Thanksgiving. After 1975, an alternative explanation began to be offered that "Black Friday" indicates the point at which retailers begin to turn a profit, or are "in the black”.
Today, Black Friday means stores offer deep discounts to customers who want to stand in line for hours outside the store. Ten years ago, stores would open near six in the morning. Now, stores are opening even earlier, some opening the evening of Thanksgiving just to make more money. Black Friday is a way for stores to get a jump start on the New Year in sales. Black Friday ranks as one of the top ten shopping days in the year, but it is not the first. The Saturday before Christmas has been in the top two spots for the past ten years.
