What Is Black Friday?

Black Friday is a colloquial term for the Friday following Thanksgiving Day in the United States. Many stores offer highly promoted sales on Black Friday and open very early, or some time on Thanksgiving Day. Black Friday has routinely been the busiest shopping day of the year in the United States since at least 2005.

Why do we call it Black Friday?

The phrase “Black Friday” to signify a positive boost in retail sales didn't grow nationwide until the late 1980s, when merchants started to spread the red-to-black profit narrative. Black Friday was described as the day stores began to turn a profit for the year and as the biggest shopping day in the United States.

What is so special about Black Friday?

Black Friday refers to the day after Thanksgiving and is symbolically seen as the start of the critical holiday shopping season. Stores offer big discounts on electronics, toys, and other gifts, or at least the first opportunity for consumers to buy whatever the hottest products are.