Thanksgiving is the holiday that revolves around some great traditions like a delicious turkey meal, enjoying a football game, and getting up at 3am in search of the best deals. The question is how did shopping become such a big part of the Thanksgiving holiday?
Black Friday has been the unofficial beginning of the Christmas season since the late 19th century. It got a boost in 1924 when Macy's Department Store launched its famous Thanksgiving Day Parade. They wanted to celebrate its success, a result of the “Roaring 20s.” However, that success didn't last. During the Great Depression retailers warned that the holiday shopping season was too short and many of them would go bankrupt. In 1941 Congress passed a law that made Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November no matter what. In the 1950s, people began calling in sick the day after Thanksgiving, essentially giving them a four-day weekend. Since stores were open, as were most businesses, those playing hooky could also get a head start on their holiday shopping -- as long as the boss didn't see them!! Rather then try to determine whose pay should be cut, and who was legitimately sick, many businesses started adding that day as another paid holiday.
The nickname Black Friday is said to have derived from a couple different meanings. The name became popularized in 1966 when the Philadelphia Police Department used the name to describe the traffic jams and crowding in the downtown stores the day after Thanksgiving. And even though it’s hard to believe in a time without quicken or computer bookkeeping, the old standard practice of handwriting sales in a ledger in black and red was used. Being "in the red" referred to the red ink that historically used to indicate a loss, a negative income, or being in debt. Being "in the black" referred to the black ink that was used to indicate that the business had earned a profit. Businesses then started referring to the day after Thanksgiving Black Friday in hopes they would become profitable.
It is interesting to note that Black Friday is not the biggest shopping day of the year. In fact, it’s typically not even in the top five, though it has cracked the ranks a few times. The real biggest shopping day of the year is nearly always the Saturday before Christmas, except when Christmas falls on a weekend day, in which case the biggest shopping day is usually the Thursday or Friday before Christmas. It seems that the procrastinators outnumber the early birds!
Whether you are an early bird or a procrastinator, note that Christmas is now only 5 weeks away and it will be here before you know it. Be safe, and remember you can never go wrong with jewelry!
written by: Susan G
edited and designed by: Carolyn M
edited and designed by: Carolyn M
