101 Fun Facts About Black Friday

What does Black Friday traditionally mark the start of?

The Christmas shopping season — Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, has been treated as the kickoff of holiday shopping since the mid-20th century and is usually the busiest US shopping day.

Black Friday follows US Thanksgiving, which since 1941 has been fixed on which day?

The fourth Thursday of November became the uniform date nationwide in 1941, and the shopping day after it follows.

Which American city's police first used 'Black Friday' for post-Thanksgiving crowds and traffic?

Philadelphia — its police used 'Black Friday' in the early 1960s for the traffic jams and crowds that clogged downtown the day after Thanksgiving, ahead of the Army–Navy game.

What did Philadelphia merchants try to rename the day after Thanksgiving in 1961?

Big Friday — in 1961 Philadelphia merchants and their PR advisers pushed 'Big Friday' to shed the negative ring of 'Black Friday', but the new name never caught on.

In what year did 'Black Friday' first appear in The New York Times, still meaning that city's crowds?

Retailers in Cincinnati and LA had still not heard it in 1985.

The earliest known use of 'Black Friday' for the day after Thanksgiving, in 1951, referred to what?

Workers calling in sick for a long weekend — a November 1951 item in Factory Management and Maintenance dubbed post-Thanksgiving absenteeism 'Black Friday', a 'disease second only to the bubonic plague'.

Which origin story for the name 'Black Friday', first published in 1981, did retailers promote during the 1980s?

Profits turn ledgers from red to black, the story goes, because accountants once wrote losses in red ink and gains in black; the earliest published version is a 1981 Philadelphia Inquirer piece.

Which financial disaster was the most significant early American 'Black Friday'?

Jay Gould and James Fisk tried to corner gold.

Which president's brother-in-law, Abel Corbin, was ruined in the gold-cornering scheme?

Grant released government gold and prices dropped 18%.

On what date did the gold panic that ruined Abel Corbin occur?

September 24, 1869 — that Friday the Treasury announced a sale of $4 million in gold, breaking Gould and Fisk's corner and sending the gold price tumbling within minutes.

Which president moved Thanksgiving a week earlier in 1939 to lengthen the shopping season?

Franklin D. Roosevelt — in 1939 he moved Thanksgiving from November 30 to November 23 to add a week of Christmas shopping; critics dubbed the result 'Franksgiving'.

Who coined the derisive term 'Franksgiving'?

The mayor of Atlantic City — in 1939 the city's mayor mocked Roosevelt's moved holiday as 'Franksgiving', a blend of Franklin and Thanksgiving that newspapers quickly picked up.

Which retail boss urged Roosevelt to move Thanksgiving in 1939?

Fred Lazarus Jr. of Federated Stores — the Federated Department Stores chief lobbied Roosevelt in 1939 to move Thanksgiving earlier and add shopping days; Federated was renamed Macy's, Inc. in 2007.

Which three states gave holidays in both weeks during the 1939 Thanksgiving confusion?

Colorado, Mississippi and Texas — in 1939 twenty-three states took Roosevelt's November 23, twenty-two kept November 30, and those three declared both days holidays.

How did a 1939 Gallup poll find Americans overall felt about the Thanksgiving date change?

Opposed 62% to 38% — Gallup found Democrats narrowly favoured the change 52–48 while Republicans opposed it 79–21, leaving the country 62% against Roosevelt's earlier Thanksgiving.

What did a 1941 Commerce Department survey find about the earlier Thanksgiving?

No significant expansion of retail sales — the Commerce Department's 1941 survey found the earlier Thanksgiving had not lifted holiday spending, and Congress fixed the fourth Thursday later that year anyway.

What is a 'doorbuster'?

A limited-supply discount offered at opening — doorbusters are deeply cut deals on a handful of items, meant to draw crowds through the doors the moment the store opens.

Which toy's 1983 shortage set off store stampedes across America?

Cabbage Patch Kids — Coleco's adoptable dolls sold out in late 1983, sparking shoving matches and fistfights in stores that became the template for later doorbuster frenzies.

What is a 'loss leader'?

A product sold below its profit margin to lure shoppers, in the hope that the vendor profits on the other goods they buy.

Where was Walmart employee Jdimytai Damour trampled to death by shoppers in 2008?

Valley Stream, New York — about 2,000 shoppers surged through the doors of the Green Acres Mall Walmart at its 5 a.m. opening on November 28, 2008, crushing Damour.

What did a woman at a Los Angeles Walmart use on fellow shoppers in 2011?

Pepper spray — at the Porter Ranch Walmart in Los Angeles on Thanksgiving night 2011 a woman sprayed shoppers crowding a discounted-electronics display; about 20 people were treated for minor injuries.

Which product was the crowd waiting for in the 2011 Los Angeles Walmart incident?

Xbox 360 — the Porter Ranch Walmart crowd was jostling over discounted Xbox 360 consoles when the pepper spray hit; about 20 people were hurt.

What sparked the 2012 shooting outside a Tallahassee Walmart?

A dispute over a parking space — on Black Friday 2012 an argument over a parking spot outside a Tallahassee Walmart ended with two people shot and taken to hospital.

What did two women fight over at a Norwalk, California Walmart in 2014?

A Barbie doll — on Thanksgiving night 2014 a viral video showed two women wrestling over a discounted Barbie at a Walmart in Norwalk, California, while the crowd filmed.

What was the sale first called in Egypt when it began in 2014?

White Friday — Souq.com launched the region's version in 2014 as 'White Friday', since Friday is the Muslim holy day and black carries mourning connotations.

Under what name did Pakistani retailers rebrand the Black Friday sale?

Blessed Friday — Pakistani retailers rebranded the sale 'Blessed Friday' after objections to attaching 'black' to the Muslim holy day.

Which e-commerce platform created 'Yellow Friday' in Saudi Arabia and the UAE?

It is now an annual event.

What is the Turkish version of the sale called?

Efsane Cuma (Legendary Friday) — Turkish retailers avoided 'Kara Cuma', which sounds like a day of calamity, and sold the event as 'Efsane Cuma', with 'Muhteşem Cuma' (Magnificent Friday) another common label.

What is Mexico's Black Friday-inspired sales weekend called?

El Buen Fin ('the good weekend') — Mexico's four-day sales event has run each November since 2011, modelled on Black Friday and backed by the government and business chambers.

Which Mexican holiday does El Buen Fin precede?

Revolution Day (November 20) — since 2006 Mexico observes it on the third Monday of November, and El Buen Fin runs over the Friday-to-Monday long weekend that creates.

In the UK, the term 'Black Friday' originated with the police and NHS as a name for which day?

The heavy-drinking last Friday before Christmas earned the name from emergency services, who set up field hospitals near nightspots.

Which UK chain, then owned by Walmart, helped import US-style Black Friday sales?

Asda — the Walmart-owned supermarket ran US-style Black Friday doorbusters from 2013, and Amazon UK pushed the day too; by 2014 police were being called to scuffles in several stores.

Before Black Friday crossed the Atlantic, which day had traditionally been the UK's biggest shopping day of the year?

Boxing Day, December 26, was the traditional peak of UK shopping, when post-Christmas sales drew overnight queues outside department stores, until Black Friday arrived in the 2010s.

Which Manchester police chief called shoppers' 2014 behaviour 'appalling' after incidents at Tesco?

Peter Fahy — Greater Manchester's chief constable in 2014, Sir Peter Fahy condemned the scuffles at seven Tesco stores and said retailers had put on too little security; Ian Hopkins succeeded him in 2015.

Why did Canadian stores start their own Black Friday deals in 2008 and 2009?

A strong loonie sent shoppers south to the US — with the Canadian dollar near parity in 2008–09, retailers launched their own Black Friday deals to keep cross-border shoppers at home.

What did 'Black Friday' refer to in Australia before it meant shopping?

The devastating 1939 Victorian bushfires were Australia's original Black Friday, so the imported shopping term is controversial there.

Which nickname did Brazilians give the sale because of inflated prices?

Fraude — Brazilians dubbed the sale 'Black Fraude' after retailers were caught raising prices beforehand, joking that the discounts were 'metade do dobro' (half of the double).

Which company ran the first Black Friday campaign in Germany, in 2006, without using the name?

Apple — in 2006 it held a German 'one-day shopping event' on the US Black Friday without using the name, which German retailers adopted widely only in the 2010s.

What alternative name did some French retailers use after the Paris attacks?

Jour XXL — after the November 2015 Paris attacks some French chains marketed their late-November sale as 'Jour XXL' rather than Black Friday; 'French Days' arrived separately in spring 2018.

Which shopping mall started Black Friday in Norway as a 2010 publicity stunt?

Norwegian Outlet — the outlet mall in Vestby, south of Oslo, staged Norway's first Black Friday in 2010 as a publicity stunt; the day spread nationwide within a few years.

Which US state observes 'Family Day' on the day after Thanksgiving?

Nevada — the state lists the Friday after Thanksgiving as 'Family Day', a paid holiday for state employees; most other states that take the day off just call it 'the day after Thanksgiving'.

Which three states ban big stores from opening on Thanksgiving under old blue laws?

Rhode Island, Maine and Massachusetts — all three keep blue laws that forbid large retailers from opening on Thanksgiving Day, so their Black Friday doorbusters cannot start on Thursday night.

Which retailer opened at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving in 2010 and gave away Crayola crayons?

Toys "R" Us — the toy chain opened at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving 2010, one of the first big retailers to push doorbusters into Thursday night, and moved to 9 p.m. in 2011.

Which US chain was already opening its stores on Thanksgiving Day as early as 1991?

Kmart opened on Thanksgiving as early as 1991 and kept its doors open on the holiday for many years afterwards.

What derisive name was given to retailers opening on Thanksgiving evening?

Black Thursday — critics of the 2011–2014 push to open on Thanksgiving evening called it 'Black Thursday'; some outlets preferred 'Gray Thursday' or 'Brown Thursday'.

What happened to holiday-weekend sales in 2014 despite heavy Thanksgiving-night traffic?

They fell 11% — the National Retail Federation's survey put 2014 Thanksgiving-weekend spending 11% below 2013, as Thursday-night openings spread the same shoppers over more hours rather than adding sales.

Which retailer said in 2021 that its Thanksgiving Day closure would be permanent?

Target — in January 2021 it announced its stores would stay closed on Thanksgiving permanently, making the pandemic-year shutdown of Thursday-evening openings a fixture.

Which three retailers were targeted by the 2025 'We Ain't Buying It' boycott?

Shoppers organised the boycott around the holiday.

How much did US online Black Friday sales reach in 2020, according to Adobe Analytics?

$9 billion — Adobe Analytics counted $9.0 billion in US online spending on Black Friday 2020, up about 22% from 2019's $7.4 billion as the pandemic pushed shopping online.

By how much did store foot traffic fall on Black Friday 2020, per RetailNext?

48% — RetailNext's store sensors showed Black Friday 2020 foot traffic down 48% from 2019 as shoppers stayed home during the pandemic; rival Sensormatic measured an even steeper fall.

In which year did '.blackfriday' become an internet top-level domain?

2014 — the .blackfriday domain was delegated on April 23, 2014 as part of ICANN's expansion of generic top-level domains, alongside names like .guru and .bike.

According to a 2012 Gallup poll, what share of American adults planned to shop on Black Friday?

18% — Gallup's 2012 survey found fewer than one in five US adults intended to shop on Black Friday; retail consultant Neil Stern said the day was 'quickly losing its meaning'.

Since the 2000s, how have US papers priced their ad-stuffed Thanksgiving Day edition?

The same as the Sunday paper — since the early 2000s US newspapers have charged Sunday prices for the Thanksgiving edition, which is fat with Black Friday circulars and often the year's biggest issue.

What law have retailers used to try to remove leaked Black Friday ads from websites?

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act — Walmart, Best Buy and others sent DMCA takedown notices to sites such as BFAds.net in the 2000s, arguing the leaked circulars were copyrighted and their prices trade secrets.

Which factor is cited for spreading holiday deals across all of November and December, diluting Black Friday?

Christmas creep — retailers launching holiday promotions in October and early November have spread deals across the whole season, so Black Friday no longer stands alone as the bargain day.

What do retailers call the year's final three months, their most profitable stretch?

The golden quarter — retailers' name for October to December, when Christmas trade can deliver the bulk of a year's profit; Black Friday sits at its heart.

Which outdoor retailer began closing its stores on Black Friday in 2015, urging staff to #OptOutside?

REI — the outdoor co-op shut every store and paid its employees to spend Black Friday 2015 outdoors, launching the #OptOutside campaign it repeated in the following years.

Which sale did Amazon launch in summer 2015 as 'Black Friday in July'?

Prime Day — Amazon launched it in July 2015 to mark the company's 20th anniversary, promising Prime members more deals than Black Friday.

On what date was the first Amazon Prime Day held?

July 15, 2015 — the first Prime Day ran for 24 hours that Wednesday in nine countries; shoppers mocked the oddball discounted items and #PrimeDayFail trended.

When was Prime Day held in 2020 after a pandemic postponement?

October 13–14 was the 2020 slot in the US and Canada, after COVID-19 pushed the usual July event back.

Who coined the term 'Cyber Monday' in a 2005 press release?

Ellen Davis of the National Retail Federation — she and Shop.org's Scott Silverman coined 'Cyber Monday' in a November 28, 2005 press release after research showed the Monday was a big online day.

What online shopping holiday did 1-800-Flowers' Tony Valado propose in 2003?

White Wednesday — in 2003 Tony Valado of 1-800-Flowers.com pitched the Wednesday before Thanksgiving as an online shopping holiday; it flopped, and 'Cyber Monday' took hold two years later.

Why did people historically shop online the Monday after Thanksgiving, per The New York Times?

They returned to fast internet connections at work — a 2005 New York Times piece explained that shoppers who browsed stores over the weekend bought online on Monday from speedy office broadband.

In which year did US Cyber Monday online sales first top $1 billion, per comScore?

2010 — comScore measured $1.028 billion in US online spending on Cyber Monday 2010, the first single day ever to cross $1 billion online.

What was Australia's first Cyber Monday-style event in 2012 called?

Click Frenzy — launched in November 2012 as Australia's answer to Cyber Monday, a 24-hour online sale backed by dozens of participating retailers.

What happened when Australia's Click Frenzy sale launched at 7pm on 20 November 2012?

The website crashed almost immediately — Click Frenzy's site buckled within minutes of its 7pm launch despite organisers' assurances it could cope, and stayed unreliable for hours.

Which company created and promotes Small Business Saturday?

Small Business Saturday is a registered American Express trademark, created to encourage holiday shopping at small businesses.

When was the first Small Business Saturday held?

November 27, 2010 — American Express staged the first Small Business Saturday that day with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Boston mayor Thomas Menino as partners.

Which country got its own Small Business Saturday in 2013?

Britain — Small Business Saturday UK launched on 7 December 2013, backed by American Express, with the day set on the first Saturday of December rather than the weekend after Thanksgiving.

What is Buy Nothing Day?

Buy Nothing Day is a day of protest against consumerism, held on Black Friday in North America.

Which Canadian artist invented Buy Nothing Day?

Ted Dave — the Vancouver artist founded Buy Nothing Day as a protest against overconsumption, and an anti-advertising magazine later took the idea worldwide.

Which magazine and nonprofit promotes Buy Nothing Day?

Adbusters — the Vancouver anti-consumerist magazine and foundation has promoted Buy Nothing Day since the 1990s; its TV spot showed a belching pig superimposed on North America.

When was the first Buy Nothing Day held?

September 1992, in Canada — Ted Dave held the first Buy Nothing Day in Vancouver that month; in 1997 it moved to the Friday after US Thanksgiving to coincide with Black Friday.

What did activists call the Buy Nothing Day stunt of conga-lining empty shopping carts?

Whirl-Mart — participants silently steer empty shopping carts around a store in a long conga line without buying anything, a ritual meant to clog the aisles without spending a cent.

Which network was among the few to air the Buy Nothing Day commercial?

CNN — the only major US network to run Adbusters' Buy Nothing Day spot; MTV, ABC, CBS and NBC all refused to air it.

What was Buy Nothing Christmas renamed in 2011?

Occupy Xmas — in 2011 Adbusters rebranded its Buy Nothing Christmas campaign as 'Occupy Xmas', borrowing the name of the Occupy Wall Street movement it had helped launch that September.

On which Tuesday of the year does GivingTuesday fall?

The Tuesday after Thanksgiving — GivingTuesday always falls five days after US Thanksgiving, following Black Friday and Cyber Monday as a day for charitable giving.

Where was GivingTuesday founded in 2012?

The 92nd Street Y in New York — Henry Timms launched GivingTuesday there in 2012 with the United Nations Foundation as founding partner.

When is Green Monday, an online retail term coined by Shopping.com in 2007?

Second week of December — Green Monday is the second Monday of December, a term eBay's Shopping.com coined in 2007 for one of its strongest online sales days.

Why was the second Monday of December singled out as Green Monday?

Last day to order online for holiday delivery — eBay picked the second Monday of December because it was its best December sales day, the last comfortable moment to order gifts for Christmas arrival.

When is US retail's Super Saturday?

The last weekend before Christmas — Super Saturday, or Panic Saturday, is the final Saturday before Christmas, when last-minute shoppers make it one of the busiest US retail days.

Which Indian e-commerce company launched the 'Big Billion Day' sale in 2014?

Flipkart — its first Big Billion Day on 6 October 2014 drew so much traffic that the site buckled and the company apologised; it grew into an annual multi-day festival.

On what date (month/day) is China's Singles' Day held?

11/11 — Singles' Day falls on November 11 because the date's four 1s look like 'bare sticks', Chinese slang for bachelors.

Which company turned Singles' Day into a shopping festival in 2009?

Alibaba — in 2009 Daniel Zhang, then running its Tmall marketplace and later Alibaba's CEO, turned Singles' Day into a 24-hour discount festival that grew to dwarf Black Friday.

Where did Singles' Day originate in 1993?

Nanjing University — the story goes that four single male students in a Nanjing University dorm in 1993 chose 11 November, with its four lonely 1s, to celebrate bachelorhood.

The 26 December sales day usually coincides with whose feast day?

St Stephen — 26 December is the feast of St Stephen, the first Christian martyr, which is why Ireland's public holiday that day is St Stephen's Day rather than Boxing Day.

What does the Oxford English Dictionary say tradespeople traditionally received on 26 December?

A 'Christmas box' of presents or gratuities — the OED's earliest attestation, from 1743, describes the first weekday after Christmas as the day postmen, errand boys and servants expected their Christmas box.

In which country was 26 December historically the biggest shopping day until Black Friday arrived?

Canada — Boxing Day, stretched by retailers into 'Boxing Week', was Canada's biggest shopping day until stores began copying US Black Friday deals from around 2008.

Which other observance shares Black Friday's date in the United States?

Native American Heritage Day — Congress designated the Friday after Thanksgiving in 2008, so it coincides with Black Friday, a pairing some Native activists have called 'poor taste'.

Which store's Thanksgiving procession has marched to Herald Square since 1924?

Macy's — the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has ended at the store's Herald Square flagship since its first march in 1924, and NBC carries the broadcast nationally.

Which president began annual national Thanksgiving proclamations in 1863?

Washington had proclaimed one in 1789.

How many US Black Friday deaths had the Black Friday Death Count site tallied by 2019?

12 — the Black Friday Death Count tally stood at 12 deaths and 117 injuries in the US by December 2019, counting incidents since 2006.

How many people did the NRF estimate shopped over Black Friday weekend 2019?

190 million — the National Retail Federation counted 189.6 million US shoppers over the five-day 2019 Thanksgiving weekend, up 14% on 2018, spending an average of $361.90 each.

What has research found about the link between Black Friday sales and full-season holiday sales?

Quite weak, and possibly negative — studies of US retail data have found Black Friday weekend takings a poor predictor of the whole season's sales, sometimes moving the opposite way.

In which year did Amazon first hold an October 'Prime Big Deal Days' sale?

2023 — Amazon's first Prime Big Deal Days ran on October 10–11, 2023, a second Prime-member event after July's Prime Day; its 2022 October sale had been branded 'Prime Early Access Sale'.

Which country's government launched Black Friday in 2012 as a way to draw regional tourists to its capital?

Panama — its government staged the country's first Black Friday in 2012 to lure shoppers from neighbouring countries to Panama City; immigration counts put the first year's visitors near 35,000.

Which retailer was the first in Switzerland to run a special Black Friday promotion, in 2015?

Most Swiss retailers followed the next year, and by 2024 sales of 470 million francs were expected, eclipsing Singles' Day there.

Which Indian festival period has traditionally anchored the country's holiday shopping season?

Online retailers there adopted multi-day promotions modelled on US-style events, and international chains later imported Black Friday itself.

What record online spend did Cyber Monday reach in 2019, according to Adobe Analytics?

$9.4 billion — Adobe Analytics put Cyber Monday 2019 online spending at $9.4 billion, up from $7.9 billion in 2018, with smartphones alone accounting for about $3 billion.

Per comScore, what share of US Cyber Monday spending in 2009 came from work computers?

52.7% — comScore found just over half of Cyber Monday 2009's $887 million in US online spending came from work computers, as shoppers used office broadband.

Which country did Black Friday reach in 2013, with The Warehouse and Harvey Norman offering sales by 2015?

New Zealand — Black Friday arrived there in 2013, and by 2015 chains such as The Warehouse and Harvey Norman ran dedicated sales; Paymark logged NZ$219 million of card transactions on Black Friday 2017.