Thanksgiving is a time where your friends, family, and loved ones come together and celebrate what you’re grateful for. Black Friday is the time when everyone is for themselves.
Black Friday started in Philadelphia in the 1950’s and 60’s, where the police used it to describe the chaos and heavy traffic for the day after thanksgiving. In the 1980’s, retailers rebranded the term to have a positive connotation. Retailers turned the term previously associated with chaos to a term associated with saving money, signaling a move from loss to profit due to holiday sales.
Black Friday is now one of the most popular shopping days of the year because stores will mark things down so much at a price you can’t beat. Some historical Black Friday deals include in 1979 someone bought a $700 25in color tv which was $150 off, (Back then that was something amazing). Another great deal was in 2011 when someone got a 70in LED tv for $1,499, which was $1,300 off the asking price.
In 1986, Montgomery’s Wards gave away a $700 love seat with a purchase of a $700 sleeper sofa. “The best thing that, you know, I bought from Black Friday was probably my new private jet. I got it half off for only five mil. It was originally 10 mil. So yeah, 100% that” a black Friday shopper said. As you look at these deals you might be thinking, “That’s a good deal, but why did people wait outside the stores for hours for a TV that might be on sale within a couple months?” But that’s the thing with today’s time.
Ever since Covid-19, stores like Amazon, Walmart, and Target have started developing their online software which at first ran sales for Black Friday but there is something that would cost these companies a lot of money. There isn’t just one day anymore for sales days like Cyber Monday, Small Business Monday, Giving Tuesday, and more are starting to appear. So, stores like Walmart and Target do double deals for Black Friday, and Cyber Monday causing the companies a lot.
One thing that companies do now to cope with the losses is kind of sad. Instead of having two or three big deals a few days a year, they have deals all the time. Companies like Best Buy, Walmart, Target, and so many more have a bunch of deals throughout the whole year. Though they aren’t as big as Black Friday deals, you might be able to find $100 off a TV that cost $999.
Amazon also has their Prime deal days and Cyber Monday. “
I like Cyber Monday more just because I don’t really like to go out and shop in places. I’d rather just order online and have it arrive at my door [instead of] going out to places. The only benefit I really see [is that] if it’s close you get to try them on but I like ordering stuff online more because usually there’s better deals online and you can find stuff that’s better” Brody Capooth (10) said.
So, as time goes on and technology advances, Black Friday may not be as big as we all remember. The new Black Friday that is becoming prevalent is an all month long Black Friday, a hybrid between online and in-store deals. Many people do like the idea of an all month long Black Friday. The appeal is that even though it doesn’t have as big of deals, the month long deals create a less chaotic environment for shoppers.
“I like the new Black Friday because instead of it just being one day, to where people might be working on that one day, now it’s one month, so people get to shop around the whole month,” a Black Friday shopper said.
So whether you like the new Black Friday or the old one better, just remember, when the day comes don’t miss those deals.
Image from: Metro Parent
