This coming Thursday many of us will take a break and enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday.  Each of us will celebrate with family and friends, watching hours of high school, college and pro football, and of course eating all types of amazing food.  This will all be the precursor to one of the biggest shopping days of the year –  Black Friday.  There are many versions of how Black Friday gained its popularity and notoriety.

The term was first coined in the early 1960’s by the Philadelphia police who witnessed an increase in pedestrian and vehicle traffic the weekend after Thanksgiving.  This overflow of shoppers to the downtown stores, schools having the day off, and visitors coming in for the annual Army vs. Navy game created the perfect storm of chaos for the Philly Police.

Additionally, it was the only weekend throughout the year that no Philadelphia Policeman could take off from work due to heighten activity in the city.  With the increase of retail foot traffic, the phase gained popularity with retail accounting legions who stated that Black Friday is the first day that a traditional retail location will move from a business in the red to a profitable business in the black.

In the 1990’s and 2000’s the Black Friday phenomenon grew, as retail stores launched multi-channel strategies to consumers focused on the day after Thanksgiving.  Retail stores experience record growth year after year on these days.  In 2007 the financial collapse changed the rules of Black Friday.

With growing unemployment numbers, and consumers having smaller amounts of disposable income, retail stores adopted a “why wait for Friday” strategy.  The result was Black Friday getting kicked off in special early sales that start the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Many retailers offering low discount offers to those who are willing to shop on Thanksgiving or arrive at their stores at mid-night to kick-off Black Friday.  It seems the offers and incentives are endless.

As we move forward the holiday shopping period will continue to evolve based on retailers plans to meet consumer demand.  In 2005 Cyber Monday was labeled as a counter balance for those who would rather shop online then face the cut-throat adventures of retail shopping.

Other shopping days such as “free Shipping” day were introduced during the holiday season. It seems right now in some back room a retail consultant is busy at work coming up with the next great “sales day moniker” that will help drive holiday merchandise revenue profits.

Funny how an expression can morph over the decades from a Police department in Philly to the biggest shopping day of the year.  Whether you venture out at 3:00 early Friday morning for that big screen TV, or shop online – Be safe from United Security.