The Christmas shopping unofficially begins! Yes, Black Friday is the Friday that follows the fourth Thursday of November, which is the day after Thanksgiving. Americans are not done with all the fun and merrymaking once the Thanksgiving party is over. The weekend that follows marks the beginning of all your Christmas preparations! The question is – Why is it termed ‘Black Friday’.

Why is Black Friday called ‘Black’ Friday?

The term Black Friday might put you under the impression that some legend has given birth to Black Friday which is observed every year. Not really! Initially, this term was used to refer to a particular date – Sept 24^th, 1869 – when the US stock markets crashed with fatal consequences. Foreign trade came to a halt and farmers were lashed with a 50% dip in the prices of wheat and corn harvest! Two unscrupulous investors – Jay Gould and Jim Fisk had bought up as much of the nation’s gold as they could with the intent of driving the price to a sky-high and selling the assets to make astounding profits!

It was the Friday of Sept. 24^th when the entire conspiracy was unveiled, and the stock markets were subjected to a free fall rendering both the richest and the poorest bankrupt!

From a Financial crisis day to Biggest Retail sales day

The story behind the term 'Black Friday' has traveled a long way from a financial crash to a day for one of the largest retail sales across the US. So, how did that happen? Although the exact period as to when this shopping mania crept in is not known, yet, in the 1950s, this terminology was used by the Philadelphia police to describe the chaos created by shoppers just the day after Thanksgiving! Scores of shopping freaks rushed into the city's shopping centers and the law-enforcing authorities had a tough time dealing with the mayhem rendered by shoplifters!

It was much later, post the 1980s, that retailers were finally robbed of the inhibition that was associated with this negative connotation of 'Black'. America’s stores started putting up their best deals on that day and the profit figures marked a huge success.

Today the Black Friday sales are such a huge saving opportunity that every family has a special shopping list worked on for months as well as one for Christmas gifts for their dear ones.

The most lucrative Black Friday offers…

Black Friday sales could reflect upon any merchandise – be it electronic goods, clothing apparel, kids’ products, or some kitchen accessories. Retailers of almost every genre take the opportunity of this sale day to shoot up their sales figures. Stores across many places in the US open as early as 5 am on that day and thanks to online shopping, some of the whopping e-commerce sales figures according to market analysts –

• Revenue on Black Friday and Cyber Monday goes up to the range of 240% to 380%
• The online traffic too shoots up to near about 155-220%!

[Read More: When you are a Shopaholic]

You can choose from these trending products on Black Friday Sale…

Wondering what should be in your shopping cart this time? Here’s a list of trending products in 2020 and you are sure to find alluring discounts!

• Haircare accessories and products
• Skin and beauty items
• Kitchen accessories
• Furniture and other home décor stuff

The shopping season is a long one beginning from the Black Friday sales and continuing up to the Cyber Monday retail offers. Black Friday today, means a profitable part of the year to retailers and a booming time for the economy as consumer spending soars high (as high as almost 70%) each year!