Black Friday 2023: How the annual sales day got its name; all you want to know about date, history and significance

Gear up for Black Friday 2023, a worldwide shopping frenzy just around the corner. From date to history, here's all you need to know about the annual sales.

In American culture, the Friday after Thanksgiving is known as "Black Friday". In the US, it usually signals the start of the Christmas shopping season. Turkey-stuffed shoppers flock to both online and offline retailers to buy holiday gifts, hoping to find the best deals and discounts on a wide range of products. Shops typically open as early as midnight or on Thanksgiving Day to showcase amazing deals and attract large crowds on Black Friday. In the US, Black Friday has always been the busiest shopping day of the year. So why is it called Black Friday? Read on to find out all you need to know about Black Friday, including its history, significance and date.

Black Friday 2023 date:

In the United States, Black Friday falls on the day after Thanksgiving. This year, Black Friday will be celebrated on November 24.

Why is it called Black Friday? Know the history behind this day

As the week before Thanksgiving approaches, stores, online retailers and major brands begin to flood our screens with Black Friday deals. It's also likely that you've shopped on Black Friday at least once in your life. But where does the term come from? There are many misconceptions about the origins of Black Friday. Many people think that Black Friday got its name because retailers stopped making losses and started offering huge discounts to shoppers. People assumed that good deals would lead to big profits because profits are recorded in black and losses in red.

But that's not the case. In fact, the Philadelphia Police are credited with giving Black Friday its current name. There are rumours that Black Friday has nothing to do with shopping. Black Friday was a term coined by the Philadelphia police in the 1950s to characterise the chaos that occurs on the day after Thanksgiving. At that time, hundreds of out-of-town visitors would descend on the city for the football game, creating a problem for the authorities.

The term was also used at the time by some big-city businesses to describe the huge queues outside their stores and the excessive shopping. Business owners tried to rename the day "Big Friday" in 1961. However, they were never successful. By 1985, the term had become a household name in the United States. And after 2013, Black Friday became internationally recognised.

Significance of Black Friday

Black Friday, the annual shopping festival, is a major cultural and economic event. Customers look forward to Black Friday deals with great anticipation to take advantage of significant discounts, resulting in a surge in retail activity. The event has become more widely known around the world than it was in America, influencing consumer behaviour and creating a sense of rush and urgency in shopping. It represents not only the hunt for deals but also the start of the holiday season and the shared tradition of Christmas shopping.