What’s the Origin of Black Friday?
"Black Friday" is one of the biggest days of the year in marketing -- but do you know where the name originated? Test your knowledge. 🤔
The name "Black Friday" refers to which of these things?
Death of fall; start of Xmas
Chaotic crowds shopping
Stores going into "the black"
Nothing; no meaning to name
The correct answer is option two, “chaotic crowds shopping.” The name “Black Friday” originated in Philadelphia in the 1960s, according to The History Channel and Encyclopedia Britannica. Historians say the Philadelphia police took to calling the day “Black Friday” because officers had to work long hours that day. People from around the area would descend on the city to do their holiday shopping and also travel to the city for the annual Army-Navy football game. This would cause large crowds, traffic, accidents, shoplifting and other problems, leading officers to work extra hours. By 1961, the name “Black Friday” had stuck in Philadelphia. Retailers there wanted to draw in shoppers that day, but they disliked the term because of the connotation of the word “black.” Retailers first tried to rebrand the holiday “Big Friday” but were unsuccessful. They then reclaimed “Black Friday” and, because the day is strongly associated with huge sales and buying, concocted the story that this was the day when stores’ books went from red ink to black, or when stores turned a profit. It wasn’t until the late ‘80s, though, that Black Friday was popularized nationally and that the "red to black" shopping analogy was propagated even further. Many people still believe this to be the real origin of Black Friday's name today.