Where did Black Friday come from?

There is a story that the name originated in the Philadelphia Police Department in the 1950s or '60s, as a description for the day of unmanageable traffic jams and crowds related to the after-Thanksgiving sales (as in, if you were trying to police the mayhem, it was a dark day indeed). The first use of it advertising a sale seems to have been in 1966 by a Philadelphia store that sold stamps to collectors.

More Info: abcnews.go.com

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41 Comments

Toni Tanouye

From what I've learned about Black Friday, it was to get businesses out of the " red" and into the black at the end of the year. Sinse this has been a national issue after Thanksgiving , that makes more sense to me.

Shelley Welch Dunivan

I thought it was such a huge sales day that merchant profits went from in the red prior to black Friday to in the black making huge profits on black Friday.

Kevin

I was sure that I was right and I am still sure because I heard that Black Friday which is always the day after Thanksgiving, is the biggest and busiest Christmas shopping day for all retailers and it is because of this reason that department stores all across the United States, at least can get themselves out of the red and into the BLACK. This means that a department store sort of gets out of debt and actually shows a profit/ie get in the black. Hence the term, BLACK Friday and therefore, the answer that even comes closest to any of the other 3 answers is the one about Macy's. Therefore, if my answer is incorrect then really all of the answers are incorrect.

Howard Groopman

I don't agree with that explanation. I've always read that it's often the day of the year that businesses make big sales and their accounting books go "into the black" (profit) for the year.

Richard D. Boyle

Shelley Welch Dunivan, I have read exactly that and was looking for it as the correct option. Selected the closest option to the answer I was expecting. I assume you did also.

Bob Blumrick

The first "Black Friday" was October 29, 1929, the day the stock market crashed and began the Great Depression. Many people saw millions of dollars of assets wiped out in a single day. Wall Street economists and investors were jumping out of skyscraper windows. Mortgages were foreclosed on. Newly homeless families set up tent cities called "Hoovervilles" in Washington DC. My dad and his buddies would help feed their families by going to the nearby railyard and shooting pigeons with their slingshots. There were no jobs to be had, as nobody could afford to hire, if they were lucky enough to still be in business.

Char

I think in rereading it the question was how it got its name not what it does for the stores. Me I steer clear if the day mayhem and madness

Char

Toni Tanouye, you are right I believe its finding what you have and what needs to go so you put it on sale to get rid of it to keep yourself in the black

vonlora

like this explanation better than the one where it was named as the day that slaves were bought at a discount as fewer were needed when it was cold and crops already picked.

Stephen Illich

Perhaps the more interesting question is where is Black Friday going? While I'm old enough to recall Black Friday as the Friday after Thanksgiving (USA), today, Christmas shoppers can enjoy Black Friday Sales 24/7 throughout November and most of December. And retailers run Black Friday Sales as often as they can, all year long now!

Florence McKenna Hiscock

Seemed to be the only logical answer offered.

Florence McKenna Hiscock

Toni Tanouye, I had heard the same thing about retail getting out of the red and into black ink. I guessed right on this answer just because it makes sense. That's one day of the year I never shop.

Richard Adams

Len Johnson, wrong the crash was on a tuesday.

Brenda Willson

Toni Tanouye, that was my belief also. I have read several articles that had stated that very thing. The traffic jams started because of black Friday.