| Black Friday | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Black_Friday_by_Powhusku.jpg) Shoppers rush into a store as it opens on Black Friday, 2013. | |
| Observed by | Traditionally:[1] United States Others: Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Germany, Poland, Romania, Italy, Greece, New Zealand, India, Malta, Norway, Sweden, Finland, France, Spain, Iran, Israel, Brazil, The Netherlands, South Africa, Mexico (as El Buen Fin) and increasingly in other parts of the world. |
| Type | Commercial |
| Significance | Popular shopping day |
| Observances | Shopping |
| Date | Day after U.S. Thanksgiving |
| 2023 date | November 24 |
| 2024 date | November 29 |
| 2025 date | November 28 |
| 2026 date | November 27 |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Related to | Thanksgiving, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday, Christmas, Buy Nothing Day |
Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving in the United States. It traditionally marks the start of the Christmas shopping season and is the busiest shopping day of the year in the United States. Many stores offer highly promoted sales at discounted prices and often open early, sometimes as early as midnight[2] or even on Thanksgiving. Some stores' sales continue to Monday ("Cyber Monday") or for a week ("Cyber Week").
"Black Friday" has evolved in meaning and impact over the years, initially referring to calamitous days, with a notable early instance being Black Friday (1869) in the US. This financial crisis saw a dramatic plunge in gold prices, affecting investors. The term was later used in American retail, starting ambiguously in the 1950s. Initially associated with workforce absenteeism post-Thanksgiving, it was reinterpreted by Philadelphia police to describe the shopping-induced congestion. Attempts at rebranding to "Big Friday" failed, and the term "Black Friday" solidified by the 1980s, referring to the pivotal point where retailers purportedly shifted from loss ("in the red") to profit ("in the black"). This day marks the unofficial start of the Christmas shopping season, with promotional sales aiming to draw large crowds. Black Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year in the United States[3][4][5] and retailers prioritize it and Cyber Monday as highly profitable holiday shopping days.[6]
The concept has since globalized, with countries around the world adopting "Black Friday" sales to mimic the U.S. phenomenon, adjusting local customs or creating similar events. The advent of online shopping and events like "Cyber Monday" have expanded the traditional one-day shopping frenzy into a broader holiday shopping season, diluting the singular focus of Black Friday, and expanding its economic impact.
- ^ "Retailers & Sales: Using Social Listening To Learn More About Black Friday". Brandwatch. December 2, 2014. Archived from the original on June 17, 2016. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
midnightwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ International Council of Shopping Centers. "Holiday Watch: Media Guide 2006 Holiday Facts and Figure". Archived from the original (PDF) on November 29, 2010.; ShopperTrak, Press Release,"ShopperTrak Reports Positive Response to Early Holiday Promotions Boosts Projections for 2010 Holiday Season". Archived from the original on November 29, 2010. Retrieved January 23, 2012. (November 16, 2010).
- ^ International Council of Shopping Centers. "Daily Sales Comparison Top Ten Holiday Shopping Days (1996–2001)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 12, 2012.
- ^ "HOLIDAY SHOPPERS JAM U.S. STORES". The New York Times. November 28, 1981. Archived from the original on November 28, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ Swilley, Esther; Goldsmith, Ronald E. (January 1, 2013). "Black Friday and Cyber Monday: Understanding consumer intentions on two major shopping days". Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services. 20 (1): 43–50. doi:10.1016/j.jretconser.2012.10.003. hdl:2097/15213. ISSN 0969-6989. Archived from the original on March 7, 2019. Retrieved November 25, 2023.