Black Friday’s Dark Origins Revealed: A Retail Tradition Transformed

UPDATE: New revelations about the origins of Black Friday are shaking up perceptions of the biggest shopping day of the year. Historically rooted in chaos and financial collapse, the term “Black Friday” has transformed into a retail juggernaut, but its beginnings are far from what many believe.

Authorities confirm that the term “Black Friday” originated not from retail profits but from a disastrous event in U.S. history. On September 24, 1869, financiers Jay Gould and Jim Fisk orchestrated a scheme to manipulate the gold market, which resulted in a catastrophic crash. This led to widespread financial ruin, impacting everyone from wealthy barons to struggling farmers across the nation.

Retailers later rebranded the day after Thanksgiving as “Black Friday,” claiming it marked the moment they transitioned from operating at a loss (“in the red”) to profitability (“in the black”). However, this narrative oversimplifies the term’s complex history. In reality, the term was coined in the 1950s by police in Philadelphia to describe the chaos that ensued when massive crowds descended upon the city for the annual Army-Navy football game. The influx of shoppers stretched police resources thin, as they dealt with increased traffic and rampant shoplifting.

By 1961, the term was gaining traction in Philadelphia, but merchants’ attempts to rebrand it as “Big Friday” to eliminate negative associations failed. Only by the late 1980s did retailers successfully transform Black Friday into a positive shopping phenomenon, promoting the idea that it marked the beginning of holiday profits.

Today, Black Friday is synonymous with massive sales, often extending beyond a single day and inspiring additional shopping days like Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. Many stores now open their doors as early as Thanksgiving Day, eager to capitalize on the holiday shopping frenzy.

However, the chaos that once defined in-person shopping has shifted in recent years. Critics argue that Black Friday promotes consumerism and incites a frenzy among shoppers. The rise of online retail has further revolutionized the shopping experience, allowing consumers to avoid the crowded stores altogether.

This year, as Black Friday approaches, the conversation around its origins and implications is more relevant than ever. With the holiday shopping season upon us, many are questioning the ethics behind the consumer rush and advocating for a more responsible approach to holiday spending.

As shoppers prepare for the deals that await, the legacy of Black Friday serves as a reminder of how far the retail landscape has come—and how its past shapes its present. What remains to be seen is how consumer behavior will evolve in response to both the historical context and the modern implications of this retail tradition.

Stay tuned for more updates as we track the developments leading up to this year’s much-anticipated shopping event.