Comments on: Why it is called “Black Friday”

By: Anna K.

Anna K. — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:14:02 +0000

Entertaining, but rather unsubstantiated.

It begs the question, why do we refer to it as Black Friday if it’s a tribute to a man who passed on the 27th? It doesn’t take much to realize that the 27th will not always occur on Friday, as it did not, for example, last year (2008). Why then would people pay tribute to a man on a day other than that of his passing?

I have read other sources which indicate that Black Friday came to refer to the day after Thanksgiving when the Philadelphia Police Dept applied the already established term to represent the hoards of traffic and overcrowded sidewalks marking the beginning of the holiday shopping season.

More recently the emphasis appears to have shifted to the more positive explanation rooted in early accounting: red indicates loss, whereas black denotes profit.

Don’t trust everything you read. Especially unsubstantiated online sources. I am still seeking evidence of the proferred explanations.

By: Stacey J.

Stacey J. — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:09:22 +0000

Thank you for putting light on my previous ignorance.

Also, I think it’s pretty funny that the author is named RJ White. :D

By: Trucker

Trucker — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 20:25:36 +0000

People just can’t take time in their life to believe in the “possibility” that someone actually cared about someone else enough to have a day of remembrance for them.
True or not, this is a good story.

By: Black Friday and Theatre | Backstage at BackstageJobs.com | Life behind the scenes…

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:33:42 +0000

[...] Finally, the wonderful The City Desk has a great story on the “real” reason we call it Black Friday. [...]

By: Mogilb

Mogilb — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:14:50 +0000

Who really cares which reason is true; the day retail makes lots of money or the demise of a certain Mr. Black. When someone asks what is the meaning of “black Friday”, one can simply state that BOTH stories are in circulation; and who cares which is correct!

By: Happy Thanksgiving and Shopping Reminder «

Happy Thanksgiving and Shopping Reminder « — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:05:11 +0000

[...] Some believe the term came from Osberger’s Department Store. You can read more about it here: Osberger’s Department Store [...]

By: Johnpaul

Johnpaul — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 05:45:14 +0000

All wrong. Very obvious, really. The Friday after Thanksgiving is the first and only day of the year when stores open their doors for shopping in the dark. Hence, “Black Friday.”

By: David "Duckman" Thompson

David "Duckman" Thompson — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:40:18 +0000

Isn’t it funny that people can put any story to a term or event they want? It doesn’t matter whether or not it is true (and I don’t believe it is), Black Friday sales are intended to help build profit. I’ve been in retail for over 24 years and few retailers would be in business if there stores only made a profit for the last few weeks in a year, especially with the significant discounts offered. Further, people who stand in lines seeking those discounts usually intend to only buy the featured item and little, if any, other products. The featured items are sold usually at a loss, so it strictly the traffic builing that the stores benefit from. And today, with the economy as it is, “Black Fridays” are turning up earlier in the season and multiple times.

By: Pre-Black Friday….Its GO TIME! « iTourAz

Pre-Black Friday….Its GO TIME! « iTourAz — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:47:01 +0000

[...] Ok…..here is the story of black Friday. Did you really think I would leave you hanging? Black Friday Origin [...]

By: Derrick

Derrick — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:00:16 +0000

Interesting. Regardless of the name, I enjoy the sales!