Black Friday: why is it black?

From Friday to the whole week. How did Black Friday come about ? Why is it black?  

Origins of Black Friday

Black Friday falls on the last Friday in November, the day after Thanksgiving Day . This traditional American holiday originated in 1621 in the city of Plymouth, Massachusetts, where the Pilgrim Fathers gathered to thank God for a good harvest.  

In 1924, the day after Thanksgiving, the Macy's retail chain organized a parade in New York City to celebrate the start of the Christmas shopping season. It was an unusual event, given that it was a workday Friday, but it was nevertheless a great success.  

In 1961, on the Friday after Thanksgiving in Philadelphia, shopping streets were congested by traffic caused by thousands of Americans attracted by discounts of up to 80% that were valid only on that day . Starting in the 1970s, American stores began offering special discounts on that day.  

The word "black" instead seems to be traced back to the black ink used to fill out the ledgers of merchants who used black for assets and red for liabilities, and on Black Friday , black dominated the ledgers. Some, however, trace the word "black" back to the 1960s, when the city of Philadelphia was faced with the chaos of the historic Army-Navy football game . The last theory dates back to the 1950s, when employees called in sick to indulge in a shopping spree .  

The custom only reached Europe via the internet, or rather, e-commerce. European retailers began to realize the sales potential associated with this date and included Black Friday in their shopping calendars.  

In Italy, there was initially some reticence about Black Friday , but digitalization has now made it a tradition in our country too. In recent years, it has transformed into Black Friday Week and, in some cases, Black Friday Month .  

What does it measure?  

Black Friday is used by financial analysts to gauge global consumer and spending propensity. It marks the start of the Christmas shopping season and is used as a benchmark for predicting the performance of the holiday season .  

Large retail chains offer exceptional discounts on this occasion , which is why many people who want to take advantage of Black Friday by shopping at a physical store are willing to spend the night before camped outside the store to be the first to take advantage of the offers.  

However, one trend prevails on the Italian market: Italian consumers rarely plan their purchases and only in one case out of six is ​​the purchase actually planned .  

Cyber ​​Monday and Gray Thursday  

For some years, Black Friday has been followed, on the following Monday, by Cyber ​​Monday, characterised by huge discounts on technological products in the electronics sector, especially via the internet .  

While Black Friday was born in stores, over the years it has increasingly moved online.  

There is also Gray Thursday , which is spreading rapidly in all the large American shopping chains: the stores open on the night of Thanksgiving Day, which precedes Black Friday , giving way to a “white night of discounts”.  

Gray Thursday will also be available this year on all sunglasses at www.mrshadeshop.com , from luxury to discount lines. Starting Thursday, November 23rd (morning, not night), every customer will receive an additional 30% discount on already discounted prices.

A great reason to celebrate Christmas early!