It’s Black Friday today in the United States. A few other countries definitely celebrate, too. The world economy is so tightly connected. No supply chain issue on the other world can possibly stop Americans from spending money on items their children will ignore in 3 months.

Black Friday is something I feel like I’ve always known about yet never really took the time to research the history on. School continously taught us about Tammany Hall every year. I’m still not sure if that’s a corridor or a person. Black Friday is one of those faux holidays that has grown exponentially in the last 25 years. As consumerism increases and buying things from the toilet has become accessible to everyone, Black Friday has taken off further.

So what’s the history behind it? 

I did what any scholarly researcher did and scrolled through the Wikipedia page a bit. Here are some of the major takeaways.

Black Friday started around 1952

We can blame Christmas parades in November for Black Friday. While everyone was standing out in the cold for one look at an imposter in a white beard made of cotton, they would also spend time shopping for the upcoming Christmas holiday. It makes sense. The big Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York is sponsored by Macy’s. You know the store. It’s the one you walk through to get to the places you actually want to be at in the mall.

Black Friday really took off in 2005

It’s in 2005 when Black Friday became the busiest shopping day of the year in the United States on a more routine basis. It was probably already trending that way prior. I remember being younger and seeing people getting trampled outside of Best Buy. The ironic thing is that Best Buy probably can’t draw a crowd ever. Of course, with online shopping dominating the marketplace, the only broken bones are in the fingers from clicking too quickly. Times are-a-changing.

The best Black Friday-themed film is Jingle All The Way

There’s actually a movie in Amazon called Black Friday which seems to center around people trapped in a mall battling monsters on Black Friday. I actually had this idea years ago. I just didn’t have the funding or wherewithal to do anything more than think about it. Anyway, the best Black Friday-themed film is Jingle All The Way. This came out in 1996. So while Black Friday might not have been at its peak, it definitely seemed to inspire more parents to realize the only way to their child’s heart is through buying them the gift they must have.

Why do they call it Black Friday?

Here’s what you really came for. Why call it Black Friday? Everyone is so joyous as they pummel each other with punches in the toy aisle. The reference actually goes back to companies who in the early 1950s would have many of their employees call out sick the day after Thanksgiving. Who knew? I thought it was just in reference to the color of eyes shoppers would have.

Hopefully you’re not too tempted to shop on Black Friday merely to fit in with the rest of society. I think Black Friday has kind of lost its luster in the American public. The rise of minimalism. A more “woke” culture of realizing objects aren’t everything. The desire to sleep in. Black Friday isn’t what it once was. It’s probably for the best.

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