Run for the Deals
Everyone loves a discount and saving a bit of money when buying. In the lead up to Black Friday, whether you are buying for Christmas or even just buying for yourself.
Here is a list of deals you need to keep an eye out for this Black Friday
But how much do you really know about Black Friday?
Where did it come from?
Why is it a thing?
Black Friday began in the 1950s as a negative phrase used by Philadelphia police to describe the heavy shopping traffic after Thanksgiving. Philadelphia police officers began calling the day after Thanksgiving “Black Friday” because, massive crowds came to the city to shop, holiday traffic clogged the streets, shoplifters took advantage of busy stores and officers had to work long shifts.
Local retailers tried (and failed) to rebrand it as “Big Friday” to avoid the negative connotation.
In the 1980s-2000s was the nationwide adoption of Black Friday. Retailers started, opening earlier each year, Offering dramatic door busters, advertising heavily in newspapers, training shoppers to expect major discounts.
By the late 1990s and early 2000s, Black Friday was the biggest shopping day of the year and a cultural event with lines, camping outside stores, and viral stories about crowds.
In 2005 was the start of Cyber Monday, as online shopping grew, Retailers invented Cyber Monday to push online deals. Black Friday itself also expanded online and “Black Friday Week” and “Black November” emerged. Now many major companies start deals weeks ahead of time.
Starting in 2010, Black Friday started to spread to beyond the US, it was adopted in Canada, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and parts of Asia. Its global popularity largely came from U.S. online retailers shipping internationally.
By Rosie Hills
