What’s not to love about Friday?
I mean, really … if Saturday didn’t exist, Friday would be the best day of the week, bar none.
Let’s face it, on any given Friday, it’s hard to find anyone in a bad mood; especially after lunch time.
My only complaint with Friday is that it comes just once per week.
Black Friday is a different story, however. I wish it never came at all.
Anybody who has ever ventured out on Black Friday to bag an amazing deal on a clever holiday gift knows what I’m talking about. Enormous crowds, bumper-to-bumper traffic, and endless lines make Black Friday a living nightmare.
At most, there are only 53 Fridays in any given year. So whose idea was it to waste one of them on Black Friday?
Sadly, I tried — and failed — to find a specific scape goat. However, I did manage to dig up these facts regarding the black sheep of the Friday family:
- Because it follows Thanksgiving every year, Black Friday can fall on any day between November 23rd and November 29th. (I know. But I’m just getting warmed up.)
- The term “Black Friday” was first used in the 19th century to describe the financial Panic of 1869, which erupted after a couple of speculators tried — and failed — to corner the gold market.
- The use of “Black Friday” to describe the day after Thanksgiving supposedly originated with the Philadelphia police department back in the early 1960s.
- Even so, according to Wikipedia, the term “Black Friday” didn’t begin seeing more widespread use outside of Philadelphia until 1975.
- The cops in the “City of Brotherly Love” originally coined the term because they weren’t fond of the higher-than-usual traffic and pedestrian congestion that accompanied Black Friday.
- Concerned about the potential negative implications that “Black Friday” would have on commerce, a public relations executive named Abe Rosen led a marketing push in the 1960s to change the term to “Big Friday.” Although the media cooperated, the campaign ultimately failed.
- Of course, Abe was badly mistaken. Aprroximately 150 million shoppers per year shop on Black Friday. Imagine how many more shoppers would have hit the stores if the day was called “Big Friday.”
- Black Friday is a very special day for Apple; it’s typically the only day of the year they discount their products.
- According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), approximately 75% of all people between 18 and 34 years old go shopping on Black Friday. No doubt you can find most of them at the Apple Store.
- One hallmark of Black Friday is retailers’ penchant for offering so-called limited “door-buster” deals on big-ticket items that are often as much as 60% off regular prices.
- Door-buster deals are probably why, according to the NRF, 28% of the people who shopped during last year’s Thanksgiving weekend lined up at the stores by 12:01 a.m. on Black Friday. That’s up from 10% a decade ago.
- If you find yourself stuck in a long queue on Black Friday, look at the bright side: it’s probably shorter than the world’s longest-ever Conga line — 119,986 people. I said “probably.”
- Unfortunately, those “door-busters” can lead to the real thing. In 2008, a Long Island Walmart employee was trampled to death by a stampede of impatient Black Friday shoppers who broke down the doors minutes before the store was scheduled to open.
- No, that’s not the same Walmart where two people were shot on Black Friday — during a dispute over a parking space. That store was in Tallahassee, Florida.
- With all that potential danger lurking, it’s no wonder last year 88 million people did their Black Friday shopping online.
- Internet shoppers will be happy to know that, according to DealNews.com, 70% of in-store Black Friday deals are typically available online for the same price — if not less.
- Black Friday isn’t the best time to buy toys, brand-name HDTVs, and winter apparel. According to DealNews.com, “Toys see the deepest discounts right before Christmas; brand-name HDTVs sink in price between December and February; and winter apparel sales are best after Christmas.”
- Despite all the chaos that happens every Black Friday, it turns out that it’s not even the best day for deals anymore. Since 2011 that honor has belonged to … Thanksgiving. Yes, Thanksgiving. Frankly, that’s enough to make anyone pine for Monday.
Photo Credit: jbhthescots
“28% of the people who shopped over the Thanksgiving weekend were lining up at the stores by 12:01 a.m. on Black Friday.”
That is crazy!!!
Spend that 8 hours you are waiting for the store to open delivering pizzas and buy the “normal discount” price afterwards. Pretty sure you will be better off!
Is it just me or do a lot of folks seem to enjoy undervaluing their time?
The very last place on earth I would be on the day after Thanksgiving.
Wait…the very last place on earth I would be….EVER.
My city is within easy driving distance of Buffalo. I am disgusted every year with the hoards of Canadians who rush across the border for your Black Friday and blow all their money in the USA then complain about the lack of jobs for youth in our city.
They don’t seem to see the connection between spending their money elsewhere and the health of our local economy.
Can I safely assume Canada doesn’t have a “Black Friday” after their Thanksgiving holiday? If not, maybe they should to even out the trade imbalance. 😉
I was happy to see this fact…”70% of in-store Black Friday deals are typically available online for the same price if not less.”
My goal each year is to have my Christmas shopping finished by Thanksgiving, so I can spend the holiday season decorating, cooking, wrapping gifts – the things I enjoy.
I’ve never shopped on Black Friday – although I have gone to the mall, just to watch the crazy people. It makes you feel smart!
How I wish Christmas wasn’t so commercialized, Sassy. My best memories of Christmas have always come from decorating, cooking and other family moments.
I haven’t shopped on Black Friday in 20 years.
I loathe, not to be confused with love, Black Friday. The one year I did shop that day was so awful that no discount could ever make up for the frustration and lost day. I do love a good buy, but not at that cost!
That’s crazy…and sad. I feel for all the families that now have to say goodbye to someone who works at KMart or some other discounter during Thanksgiving because they have to work to support someone’s shopping addiction (or should I say “nearly EVERYONE’s” shopping addiction….).
Me too, Joe. When I was a teenager working in the grocery business, even my store was closed on Thanksgiving Day. Not any more — which ain’t a bad thing if you forgot the cranberry sauce … but not so good for the poor store employees.
Ugh. We’re just staying home on Thursday. Maybe we’ll go out for an hour or two on Friday.
I didn’t know Black Friday is a good day to get toys. I’ll keep that in mind for next year. We already got toys from Amazon this year.
You better reread that … Black Friday is NOT the best time to get toys!
I refuse to shop the stores on Black Friday (and definitely not on Thanksgiving!). I used to do it years ago, and gave up on it after seeing three different women have their purses snatched downtown, and the traffic backed up for over a mile to get into the mall. I think Thanksgiving is sacred, and no one should be asked to work just so people can get their Christmas shopping started.
There are no bargains good enough to make me put up with that. I did a lot of online shopping in late November-early December last year, and only shopped stores on weekdays.
When I moved into my quiet, older, established neighborhood thirteen years ago, you had to drive 10 miles to find a mall. About seven years ago, a local farmer sold a lot of acreage to developers, who created a large shopping center a half mile from my doorstep. It is convenient and I sometimes walk there to pick up small items.
However, on Black Friday it becomes an absolute nightmare if you have to pass that way. Police cars are stationed at near the entrances because it just gets that stupid. I have made the mistake of trying to pick something up at Target later in the day and Good Lord, it looks like a disaster zone.
On Black Friday, I stand overlooking it with much the same feelings as Obi Wan did, when he looked down upon Mos Eisley.
+1 for the Mos Eisley reference!
I can definitely see the similarity between Black Friday and the Mos Eisley cantina.
I’ll go out on Black Friday, but after the crazies and major sales are gone. I’m sick of being in the house at that point in the weekend and rarely buy anything. However, if there is an awesome deal on a laptop I want, I might have to give in and go get it. Of course, I’ll check online first. Hopefully DealNews is right! My laptop is slowly failing me…
I actually always work clinic that day. It’s usually quiet day as everyone is out shopping. The kids hang out with grandparents.
Wow! People shot each other fighting for a Wal Mart parking space. That’s both funny and horrific all at the same time!
On a related note, I’m wondering when Black Friday will start rolling out deals as early as Tuesday. Maybe in a few years!? 🙂
The best deals are now on Thursday, so they’re getting there, Jacob.
Great post, Len! The last time I ventured out on Black Friday the stores were so crowded that I could hardly get around and the deals aren’t much better than what is offered during the rest of the holiday season. Never again.
Great…