Black Friday has arrived, but then it arrived many, many weeks ago. Black Friday is not what it used to be.
As the founder of a retail consultancy business told the New York Times, “It’s still a cultural event, but it’s not what it was some years ago.”
We all remember what it used to be. A day when all the big stores opened super early. Anxious shoppers camped out in line the night before and when the store doors opened, they streamed inside, pushing and shoving and sometimes fighting as they clamored to get the best of the price-slashed products.
You may not know this. But according to a report by the NY Times, the original term “Black Friday” was coined in the 1960s by police officers in the city of Philadelphia when on the day after Thanksgiving and before the annual Army-Navy football game on Saturday, crowds would storm retailers in the city and would overwhelm law enforcement.
But then over the years, Black Friday became tied to the idea that it was the day that helped retailers get into the black for the year when it came to the bottom line.
Now of course, with online shopping, and much earlier Black Friday deals, those mad crazy rushes on Black Friday are a thing of the past.
And on this day after Thanksgiving that’s something actually to be thankful for.
(Photo Getty Images)
Photo: AFP via Getty Images