Shopping has been a main part of the holiday tradition and everybody wants to find that perfect gift or even more importantly find the perfect deal to make the year memorable. Black Friday is always part of that tradition falling on the day after Thanksgiving which is of course always on a Friday.
Shopping the day following Thanksgiving was first specifically referred to as "Black Friday" in the 1950s. Because they had to manage crowds, Philadelphia police dubbed the day after Thanksgiving a "Black Friday" due to the surge of people who came to the city to shop. From then on, the phrase was applied to that day's shopping and became more popular every year.
In contrast to Cyber Monday and Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday began as a social, in-person shopping event. It takes place on the Friday following Thanksgiving, which is a paid holiday for most workers. Retailers started cutting prices on items to entice groups into their businesses because people were at home, providing a shared pastime for friends and family.
Retailers must strategically arrange their offers to keep customers interested because Black Friday and Cyber Monday are now spread out over five days, or even the entire month of November in some circumstances. To do this, some provide discounts on various product categories on particular days or weeks rather than conducting monthly storewide specials.
“I think it is interesting how Black Friday sales events are being spread out across the entire month. There is kind of a risk and reward for the specific business where you might get more customers due to the lower prices but the business might not make as much profit due to the low prices over a longer time,” NHS senior Giovanni Rivera said.
Nevertheless, holiday sales are expected to rise gradually in 2024. Between $979.5 billion and $989 billion will be spent on holidays in November and December, according to the NRF's projection, representing a 2.5% to 3.5% rise over 2023.
According to the NRF, 76.2 million consumers shopped in-store on Black Friday 2023, which remains the most popular day of the Thanksgiving weekend. However, it no longer defines the holiday as more consumers take advantage of online offers. These days, traditionalists make up the majority of Black Friday buyers who visit physical businesses.
“I think Black Friday is a great example of how shopping has moved more online where companies like Amazon is dominating overall shopping days of the year. While people still go to stores right on Black Friday,” NHS senior Stephen Verashagen said.
Cyber Monday and Black Friday affect the global retail calendar as well. Although more than 20 nations, including the UK, Italy, Sweden, and Mexico, hold comparable sales under the same name even though they do not observe Thanksgiving, Americans identify Cyber Monday and Black Friday with the holiday.
The same day is used for all Black Friday shopping events around the world. For instance, even though Canada recognizes the second Monday in October as its Thanksgiving holiday, shops there hold Black Friday deals on the same day as the United States.
No matter what day or what country a person is in they have several great opportunities and deals to choose from to start the holiday shopping season. As well as if you can’t make it to the stores on that day many online deals will continue into the holiday season.
“I can’t wait to start shopping for some great holiday deals in the stores and online. You know the holiday season has started once the good shopping deals are offered,” NHS senior Evan Cowley said.
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