Facts you didn’t know about Black Friday

Perhaps the most famous Friday in the world, this year falls on November 25^th and is expected to bring big discounts and traffic in stores, as it does every year. But it also has some interesting fun facts so let’s dig in, shall we?

– “Black Friday” once referred to a stock market crash. Historical records show that the term was used to describe what happened because of American Wall Street financiers Jay Gould and Jim Fisk, who bought a significant amount of the country’s gold to drive up the price. The pair were unable to resell the gold at the inflated profit margins they had planned and their business venture was exposed on September 24^th, 1869. “The scheme finally came to light that Friday in September, sending the stock market plummeting and bankrupting everyone from Wall Street millionaires to poor citizens,” said Lyle David Solomon, a bankruptcy attorney at Oak View Law Group.

– “Santa Claus parades” were the predecessor to Black Friday. For many Americans, Macy’s (a well-known store in the U.S.) Thanksgiving Day parade has become part of the holiday ritual. But in reality, Macy’s actually got the inspiration for the parade from Canada and the Canadian department store Eaton’s, which held the first “Santa Claus Parade” on December 2, 1905. Santa’s appearance at the end of the parade signalled the beginning of the holiday season – and consequently the start of holiday shopping. Naturally, shoppers were encouraged to buy their gifts at Eaton’s.

– “The Friday after Thanksgiving.” According to Bonnie Taylor-Blake, a researcher at the University of North Carolina, Factory Management and Maintenance (a labour market newsletter) claims the first use of the term Black Friday in relation to the holiday. The 1951 circular drew attention to the suspiciously high level of sickness absenteeism on that day. The “Friday after Thanksgiving” is a disease that is second only to the bubonic plague in its impact. At least that’s what those who need to get production out when Black Friday comes around feel. The store may be half-empty, but every absentee was sick – and can prove it,” the circular said.

– A New York Times report from 1975 identifies the phrase “Black Friday” as part of Philadelphia slang. The city that first published the term Black Friday was Philadelphia. Police officers, frustrated by the congestion caused by shoppers that day, began to mockingly refer to it as “Black Friday.” Predictably, retailers were not happy to be associated with the traffic and the smear campaign. Thus, they tried to call the day “Good Friday,” according to a local Philadelphia newspaper in 1961. Of course, the term did not stick.

In the end, Black Friday has interesting facts and associations to go along with it, don’t you agree? Discover the unique Black Friday deals at Epiplo Alexandros and take advantage of this opportunity; you only get it once a year!