Black Friday is the day when retailers make the biggest discounts on products in their stores in order to make a huge amount of sales. Also, “Black Friday” can be officially considered the start of the season of “Christmas” or “New Year’s” sales. It is after the start of this sale that active advertising campaigns dedicated to the Winter holidays and gifts begin.
What is Black Friday – definition and meaning in simple words.
In simple terms, Black Friday is a day when retail stores have a massive sale of various goods at huge discounts. As a rule, on this day, discounts can reach the highest values for the whole year, which is undoubtedly the best time to shop. In most cases, Black Fridays are organized by shops and marketplaces that sell various popular and everyday products. These include: electronics and household appliances stores, toy stores, clothing and accessories stores, cosmetics and perfumery stores. Sometimes jewelry stores and car dealerships take part in this sale, and although the discounts there are usually not high, you can still save on this.
Origin of the term: Black Friday.
In fact, the origin of this term is very vague. Regarding its origin, no one can say something concrete and precise. But there are many theories. And, as usual, each information resource or store chooses exactly the story that he likes best. We will try to give several popular theories of the origin of this term.
Why Black Friday? Option #1 (Police work)
According to this theory, the term was first used sometime in the 1950s and 1960s by Philadelphia police officers. This was after Thanksgiving. Crowds of shoppers flooded the Philadelphia stores that were having pre-holiday sales. That in itself added work to the city police. Navy football matches also took place over the weekend. As a result, the police had to work overtime to deal with crowds of shoppers, football fans and cars on the roads. On this day, it was not allowed to take a day off, and everyone was required to be at work. Over time, tired officers began to call this terrible working day “Black Friday”. Sellers liked the term and started using it commercially.
Why Black Friday? Option #2 (Colors of income and expenses)
According to this theory, the name “Black Friday” comes from the time when there were no computers, and accounting calculations were made only on paper. So in the ledger, the store’s income was written in black ink, and the store’s expenses in red ink. Based on this, on the Friday after Thanksgiving, sales in stores were huge as everyone was buying gifts for the Christmas holidays. Accordingly, most of the income sheets were filled in with black ink (income). It is for this reason that retailers have nicknamed this Friday – black.
The idea and purpose of Black Friday. Why is it profitable to sell at a discount?
If for buyers, the essence of Black Friday is very clear – shopping at the best prices. So what’s the point of dropping prices to sellers like that? After all, before the holidays, sales will be exactly good. And of course there is a sense in this, and we will talk about this now.
Retailers can spend an entire year planning their Black Friday sales. They use this day as an opportunity to offer low prices for a product that has accumulated in huge quantities in warehouses. Also, this is a great opportunity to attract customers to your store and sell them seasonal goods. For example, it can be Christmas toys or gift sets. Most often, the biggest discounts are made on the best-selling brands of TVs, smartphones and other electronics. This is done with the aim of selling products that are quickly losing their price properties due to the release of newer models. In addition, a client who is already in the store may turn his attention to non-promotional goods with a high margin.
As a result, we can say that the store, arranging a sale, receives the following advantages:
- Popularity among visitors;
- Profit due to mass sales and sales of non-promotional goods;
- Release of warehouses from stale goods;
- The opportunity to replenish your line of products with new ones, which is relevant before the holidays.
When is Black Friday 2022, 2023, 2024?
Since this event is of American origin, the sale dates are based on the American calendar and culture. This means that Black Friday starts on the calendar Friday after Thanksgiving. As a rule, this happens between the 23rd and 30th of November. Accordingly, sales in other countries are read on the same dates. (Though there are exceptions.)
Black Friday date – 2022, 2023, 2024:
- Black Friday 2022–November 25
- Black Friday 2023–November 24
- Black Friday 2024 – November 29
Conclusion.
Naturally, sales with huge discounts are very good for buyers, but you always need to be careful. It is worth thinking carefully before rushing to buy something at a discount. It’s also a good idea to check prices online before buying from an offline store. Likewise, it is possible that there this product is available at the same price or even cheaper. Also, do not forget to use cashback when shopping.