Nov
21

Where did the name Black Friday come from?

Posted by admin under Meanings

This one is for my oldest son. My eleven year old asked me earlier this week where the term Black Friday came from. Black Friday is the day after Christmas. The phrase is believed to have originated in the Philadelphia area. It is the first day of the Christmas shopping season. The day is famous, or infamous if you prefer, for its retail sales which are very hectic and cause a lot of traffic. The widespread chaos is meant to refer to Black Tuesday of the stock market crash of 1929. Some people understand the term to be an Accounting term meaning the point in the year where businesses begin turning a profit, hopefully coming out of the red (referring to an accounting term) into the black. It is highly unlikely this meaning is correct, because as far back as research goes the phrase has always been associated with traffic and crowds.

2 Responses to “Where did the name Black Friday come from?”

  1. tuti Says:
    November 25th, 2007 at 8:21 am

    Actually the term refers to the fact many retail stores operate in the RED through out most of the year and get in the BLACK on the Friday after Thanksgiving. In actual numbers Black Friday accounts for 15-20% of the retail business for the entire year.

  2. valmg Says:
    November 25th, 2007 at 9:27 am

    I mentioned this in my post, it’s an unlikely meaning once you read different sources.

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