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Black Friday: From Bargain Brawls to Digital Deals

  • Writer: TheEarlyBard BHSEC
    TheEarlyBard BHSEC
  • Dec 18, 2024
  • 4 min read

Updated: Dec 28, 2024

By: Ariella Thompson And Julien Spencer

From frenzied doorbuster deals to online cart crashes, Black Friday has transformed from a chaotic shopping spree into a nationwide consumer holiday. But how did we go from violent stampedes at packed malls to shopping in our pajamas within the comfort of our own homes? 


Everybody knows about Black Friday, but not everybody knows its origin. The term “Black

Friday” originated in Philadelphia in the 1960s where the annual Army-Navy football game is held the Saturday following Thanksgiving. These popular football games brought in huge crowds, most of whom arrived on Friday. This was a huge nuisance to the local authorities since the visitors would cause all kinds of trouble during their stay, so the police began to use the term “Black Friday” to label that wretched day. Retailers in Philadelphia began to notice the uptick in sales from all the visitors in town and soon adopted the term “Black Friday” as well. But it wasn’t until the 1980s that Black Friday was known for their good deals. Retailers decided to rebrand the term for their own benefit, using it to advertise the idea of profitability and sales.



In the 1980s, Black Friday was one of the biggest consumer holidays in the United States. It was a battleground of big hair, big crowds, and even bigger deals, with middle-aged

shoppers camping outside of Toys R Us and Best Buy to score the hottest deals of the season. You could find people getting into fistfights over cabbage patch kids and trampling small children to get this new “It” toy, going through unnecessary measures to secure it for the holiday season. From waiting hours in the rain to stampeding and knocking over a 75-year-old man nearly killing him in the process. By the time the 90s hit, stores began to open early in the morning, and sometimes even at midnight. Attempting to reel in more customers to make the most of the Black Friday rush. Even weeks before Black Friday retailers would announce to customers their Black Friday deals, many stores encouraged customers to camp outside stores so they could be the first ones through the door and snag those deals. It's no wonder that by the 1993 season, retail sales were around 375 billion dollars. 


The internet changed a lot of things in the 2000s, one being the way people shopped. During the year 2005, the National Retail Federation’s shop.org division created the term “Cyber Monday”, now known as the online version of Black Friday, where the best deals can be found online. Cyber Monday is like Black Friday’s cooler older sister, skipping the chaos of crowded stores, staying home in pajamas, and snagging deals without ever putting on real pants…which arguably sounds better than being in a crowded mall for four hours. 


After doing all this research about Black Friday it got me wondering what Black Friday is like in stores today. So, me and another reporter from the Early Bard; Julien Spencer, decided to go in person to the Queens Center Mall to do some field research. The moment we stepped into the mall we were very underwhelmed; it wasn’t as crowded as we thought it would be. It just looked like the mall on a regular Saturday, crowded but not to the point where we had no personal space, nothing like it was depicted back in the 2000s. Not to mention but the best deal we saw the whole time we were at the mall was a 25-dollar discount off of a 75-dollar purchase, not much of a deal if you ask me. We weren’t the only shoppers who thought the deals were not up to standard, “It (Black Friday) used to be a great way to find actual deals.


Now it's just an overhyped annoying extra sales day and it's like, a whole month now. I feel like Black Friday doesn’t really exist anymore.” another anonymous shopper added “The sales just aren’t good. Retailers mark stuff up just to mark it down.”


Even though it isn't as popular and people aren't camping outside of stores anymore, Black Friday is still a very popular holiday. Even if you're cozied up at home buying things from your computer, you can still get discounts for things on your Wishlist. Nowadays the mall isn't as packed as it used to be when parents were Christmas shopping, so try going out with your friends or family for some nice discounts and a fun time.



BIBLIOGRAPHY:


"The History and Importance of Black Friday"


"Black Friday History: Origins, Evolution & Impact on Shopping"


"Black Friday’s most gruesome injuries and deaths through the years"


"A History of Black Friday"


"Inside the Cabbage Patch Kids craze that turned Black Friday shopping into a rite of violence"


"Forget Black Friday – Experts uncover the best time to get cheapest deals"


"3 Easy Ways to Improve Online Shopping Experience for Customers"


"Black Friday Ads by Year"

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