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This Friday is the infamous Black Friday again. Only very few bargain hunters know the origin of the name, who enjoy the many special offers every year. We enlighten you about “Black Friday”.
The origin of Black Friday
Like so many things, Black Friday originates from the USA. Since the early 2000s, it has represented a bridge day that is nevertheless open for sales.
- The fourth Thursday in November is Thanksgiving, one of the highest holidays in America. Many Americans take the following Friday off to enjoy a long weekend at home.
- Retailers use the day to entice customers with special offers and giveaways, sometimes as early as midnight the day before – because Christmas is just around the corner and customers have money.
- In 2016, nearly $51 billion was spent in the US over the Thanksgiving weekend. Since 2005, the highest sales of the entire year have been generated at this time.
- Since the wider adoption of online purchases, retailers have been advertising similar savings promotions online on Cyber Monday. The following Giving Tuesday, on the other hand, is about giving back to others as well.
- Surf Tip:These are the best deals in Black Friday 2022
Where does the name Black Friday come from?
There are various guesses as to the origin of the name. These are the most popular ones:
- The crowds on the pavements and the long queues in front of shops supposedly look like one black crowd. This could also be an allusion to the chaos on the streets after the stock market crash of 1929.
- Also, there is a theory that many rather low-turnover businesses have a chance to make a profit on this day – i.e. to be “in the black”. Fittingly, there is a saying that traders would have black hands on this day from counting so much money.
- By the way, the first known use of the term was in Philadelphia in 1966, when the meaning was recorded by the American Dialect Society.
- By the way: There are several theories surrounding the name Black Friday. The most plausible one says that retailers get out of the red on that day and have black hands from counting money at the end of the sales marathon. No wonder, since companies turn over billions of euros during this time.