Most people spend Thanksgiving at home, enjoying time with family and friends, indulging in a big meal, and maybe taking a nap. So, what's a better way to spend the day after a relaxing Thanksgiving than waking up at the crack of dawn to brave massive crowds at superstores? That's Black Friday, in a nutshell.
Today, Black Friday is one of the most popular shopping days of the year, but the unofficial shopping holiday dates back much farther than you might think. The day after Thanksgiving first became popular for shoppers in the late 1920s, when Macy's advertised holiday sales during its annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. From there, the holiday evolved into the bargain hunter's dream that it is today.
Keep reading for the full history of Black Friday in the US.
Black Friday is arguably the most famous shopping day of the year in the US. Today, the day after Thanksgiving is known for massive crowds and insane deals, although it started out much smaller. Holiday shoppers at Macy's. Kena Betancur/Getty The first major post-Thanksgiving Day shopping advertisements came from Macy's department store during their annual Thanksgiving Day Parade, which began in 1924. The name "Black Friday" wouldn't come along until decades later. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1933. APSource: TIME
By the 1930s, the day after Thanksgiving was a popular shopping day, although the Great Depression dramatically slowed the retail industry in general. The Great Depression in New York City. AP Photo In an attempt to stretch out the holiday shopping season and boost the economy, President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the date of Thanksgiving from the last weekend of November to the fourth weekend of November from 1939 to 1941. This period came to be known as "Franksgiving." President Franklin D. Roosevelt. APSource: TIME
The term "Black Friday" is believed to have originated in the 1950s in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was first used by police referring to crowds and traffic related to holiday shopping and football games. Newspapers in Philadelphia then started using the term to refer to crowds at shopping centers in the 1960s. A crowded commuter train in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Three Lions / StringerSource: History
By the 1970s and 80s, "Black Friday" had become known as the day that stores had so much business that they went from being "in the red" to "in the black." The New York Stock Exchange. Bart Sadowski/ShutterstockSource: History
As the hype around Black Friday grew, so did the crowds. Shoppers fighting over dishes. Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images By the 1990s, Black Friday was its own unofficial holiday, which began in the early hours of the morning after Thanksgiving day. Black Friday crowds at Walmart. Gunnar Rathbun/AP Images for WalmartSource: TIME
Terms like "doorbusters" and "early bird specials" became synonymous with Black Friday shopping advertisements, most of them offering dramatic savings on popular holiday gift items. Black Friday advertisements. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton There have been many hot items over the years that topped the wish lists of Black Friday shoppers around the country. TV's and other electronics, for example, have always been popular items. From today's smart TV's... Black Friday at Best Buy. AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh ...to older models, like this 19-inch color television from the 1990s. Black Friday in the 1990s. AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast Toys are another hot category for Black Friday bargain hunters. In 2016, Toys 'R' Us operated for 30 hours straight, opening at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day and not closing until 11 p.m. on Friday. Dedicated toy shoppers. Tom Pennington/Getty ImagesSource: Fortune
By the mid-2000s, there had been several violent incidents at stores where crowds had gotten dangerously out of control, including store damage, fights, and even stampedes. But that's never stopped people from searching for the best deals. Black Friday crowds at Walmart. Gunnar Rathbun/Invision for Walmart/AP ImagesSource: NY Daily News
Today, Black Friday sales are still wildly popular, but fewer people are actually braving the crowds and early morning hours to get deals. Only 102 million people shopped in-store on Black Friday in 2015 versus 147 million in 2012. In-store shoppers. Scott Olson/Getty ImagesSource: The Balance
Instead, the Monday after Thanksgiving has become a popular shopping day known as Cyber Monday. Amazon, for example, offers all kinds of deals on Cyber Monday. Amazon's distribution center. REUTERS/Ralph D. Freso But despite Cyber Monday's popularity and appeal, Black Friday is still projected to be the busiest shopping day of 2017. Excited Black Friday shoppers. Kena Betancur/Getty Images NewsSource: ShopperTrak
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