Black Friday Sales

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, marks the start of the holiday shopping season. Retailers kick off this all-important shopping season with sales to attract customers to their stores. Bargain hunters can find deep discounts on big-ticket items on Black Friday, making it one of the biggest shopping days of the year.

History

During the Great Depression, President Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving up a week to extend the holiday shopping season and stimulate the economy. In the 1960s, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, journalists termed the Friday after Thanksgiving as Black Friday. At the time, the term referenced the city’s downtown traffic jams caused by holiday shoppers. Today, the Black Friday term has a more positive connotation, referring to retailers moving out of the red and into the black thanks to holiday sales.

Sales

Many popular holiday items hit their lowest prices on Black Friday. Stores mark down electronics, ranging from gaming systems and tablets to computers and plasma televisions, significantly on Black Friday. However, landing one of these deeply discounted items can be a challenge, as stores often have limited quantites, and shoppers often line up hours before the stores open to take advantage of the deal. Toys, jewelry and apparel are other items that stores mark down on Black Friday.

Appeal

Black Friday is such a successful shopping day in the U.S. for a number of reasons. Saving money is the biggest reason shoppers are willing to brave the crowds and hit the stores on the day after Thanksgiving. The opportunity to score a popular holiday item at a reduced rate appeals to shoppers. Plus, Black Friday encourages you to start your holiday shopping as soon as the Christmas season is underway, helping to prevent that last-minute shopping on Christmas Eve.

Events

Black Friday seems to grow in popularity among retailers and shoppers alike every year. Shopping malls and stores across the country host Black Friday events, many of which start when the clock strikes midnight on the Friday after Thanksgiving. For example, some shopping malls will host Black Friday pajama parties, encouraging shoppers to come out in the pajamas and shop in the wee hours of Black Friday. Events like these add some fun to the often competitive shopping experience of Black Friday.

Stores

Nearly every store offers some sort of Black Friday deal, but some stores offer better sales than others. Any store that sells electronics, especially national chains, features deeply discounted items on Black Friday. Big-box stores like Target and Wal-Mart offer a range of products on sale on Black Friday, allowing you to snag a variety of gifts for different people on your shopping list. Mall stores, including department stores, apparel stores and jewelry stores, get in on the Black Friday fun, offering discounted merchandise and sometimes even gifts for anyone who makes a purchase.