Black Friday kicks off the Christmas sales season. In the US, many people look forward to this day even more than the holidays themselves. Originally an American tradition, it has already taken root elsewhere.

Origins, name, history

The date of Black Friday changes every year because it falls on the Friday after Thanksgiving, which is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. It's hard to name the exact date of the first Black Friday, but the tradition of offering discounts after Thanksgiving likely began soon after the holiday was declared a national one. There are two solid reasons for that.

First, after Thanksgiving, many perishable goods had to be sold off quickly.

Second, in the US, it’s not common to stay in your hometown—many people live far from their families. That’s a good reason to take a few days off to gather with relatives. It’s the perfect time for shopping. Retailers began taking advantage of the crowds and lured them in with great discounts, and fierce competition made those discounts truly massive.

Nowadays, the tradition of shopping on Black Friday is well established thanks to widespread sales—you can walk into nearly any US store on this day and find something at a reduced price.

The name originated in the late 1960s in Philadelphia and quickly spread across the country. According to legend, traffic jams on that day were so massive that for law enforcement, it truly was a “black” day. Later, marketers tried to rebrand it as “Big Friday,” but that name never caught on.

Another version of the name's origin refers to retailers turning a profit, with positive balances recorded in black ink in accounting ledgers. This interpretation has gained popularity since it relates more directly to sales.

Originally, sales in the US were exclusively offline—people lined up outside stores the night before, and when the doors opened, crowds stormed in, sometimes even trampling each other. With the rise of online shopping, a new day emerged—Cyber Monday. It was intended for office workers who, once back at their desks, kept shopping online. Black Friday gradually turned into Black Weekend and then Black Weekdays, with many retailers now extending sales until Christmas.

Today, Cyber Monday has shifted in focus—it now features discounts on electronics, appliances, gadgets, components, games—anything that fits the "cyber" label. This change happened for a simple reason: online sales are no longer rare; they often surpass offline ones. So, what would you choose? Shopping lazily from your couch or pushing through crowds in a store? With online shopping, the geographical reach of sales has expanded too.

What’s the benefit?

Many people expect a catch or assume the sales apply only to outdated or defective products. That’s not true. Some manufacturers even present new products for Black Friday. Retailers gain access to a massive audience and the opportunity to sell quickly.

For many brands, there's also long-term benefit—on sale day, customers might splurge on premium items they couldn’t previously afford. After experiencing a higher-quality product, they often don’t want to go back to cheap alternatives. Companies also benefit by clearing unsold inventory, boosting related product sales, and attracting new customers with low entry prices.

The phenomenal commercial success of Black Friday in the US inspired other countries to follow suit, and the tradition is now spreading globally. International companies, Western-focused businesses, the IT sector, and the most progressive industries are the ones implementing this model most fully.

Helpful tips

How can you get the most out of the biggest shopping day of the year? Here are a few principles for smart shopping:

Non-material purchases

The more popular something becomes, the more opponents it gets. That’s why there’s also an anti-Black Friday movement. These people oppose mindless consumption and instead celebrate Buy Nothing Day. Their protest stems from various concerns, from global inequality to environmental pollution due to overconsumption.

But remember—if you agree with this mindset, you can buy experiences instead of things: travel, online courses, concert tickets, e-books, subscriptions. These purchases are never wasted, and they make you happier for longer than a new pair of shoes. Plus, non-material purchases don’t harm the environment and don’t need to be thrown away.

Black Friday discounts have now spread to all kinds of industries. On this day, even airlines, entertainment centers, movie theaters, and hobby clubs offer deals. What started as a celebration of rampant consumerism is now a win for everyone—how you use it is up to you.

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