Why is the Friday after Thanksgiving (in the US) called Black Friday?

1. 60

   rlahaposted 12 years ago

   Why is the Friday after Thanksgiving (in the US) called Black Friday?
   
   Is it because of the crowds that line up to shop for deals? I never understood that term.

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2. 64

   What's Newsposted 12 years ago

   Black friday use to have a negative connotation attached to it. In the mid sixties a man named the friday after Thanksgiving "Black Friday" because all the people going out to shop for Christmas would cause a lot of fuss, such things as traffic jams and violent behavior would erupt due to the shopping season getting underway.
   
   Today though it has a much lighter meaning. Retailers see Black Friday as a very profitable day and for a company to see profits it goes in their ledger books in black ink (profitable) instead of red ink (negative profits).

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3. 69

   VeronicaFarkasposted 12 years ago

   To add to What's News' answer (which was very helpful & ultimately answered your question better than I am going to - about why it's called "Black Friday"), it's a day in which stores have deals that start extremely early. As in, they do not open at the normal hours. Instead, they may open at 3, 4, 5, or 6 am. Some stores, this year, have decided to "up the ante" and open at 10 pm on Thanksgiving, or midnight. Most stores have limited deals (they may have 2 or 3 of an item). People will wait in lines for hours, and sometimes days, for the doors to open, in order to get a discounted item.
   
   I'm on the fence about Black Friday. I find it ridiculous that some people will camp out for a few days (in front of a store) in order to get a deal. Others will lose sleep and/or skip work to save a bit of money. Yes, there are some things (and it's all a matter of perspective) that may be worth getting only a few hours of sleep and our economy isn't the greatest & saving money is important, but all-in-all, there's more hype about Black Friday than there is about Thanksgiving.
   
   My mother is a nurse. The hospital she works for has now declared Black Friday a holiday, but has decided that Easter (a religious holiday here) is no longer a holiday... It's sad.

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4. 61

   gryphin423posted 12 years ago

   It is called "Black Friday" because that is the day the stores are no longer "In the Red" because of the increased amount of sales on that big shopping day. I personally don't join in the craziness, but it surely benefits the bottom line of all the retailers. I'm more focused on my bottom line!

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