Black Friday has existed since the 1950s and has been a stable date for holiday deals in almost every store on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Over the years, however, it has changed and evolved, becoming a well-known shopping day for people all over. 

The term “Black Friday” first originated in the 1950s and ’60s, it was used by the police in Philadelphia to illustrate the chaotic crowds and traffic that occurred on the day after Thanksgiving from crazy shoppers and tourists flooding the city. It wasn’t a good thing. In fact, the term was given due to the amount of stress and headaches the day had given the police. In the 1980s, the term arose again, but for a better thing now, a great day for sales and Christmas shopping. 

However, Black Friday’s glory didn’t last very long as a new shopping day arose in 2005, Cyber Monday. This was the Monday after Thanksgiving, and it was solely for deals online, so many shoppers enjoyed the convenience of shopping online much more than the chaos that black Friday ensued. According to the article, The History of Black Friday — and What 2024 May Bring by Zoe Malin, statistics from 2023 show that of all shopping the days following Thanksgiving, Black Friday had around 76.2 million in-store shoppers and 90.6 million online, which can lead to Cyber Monday being possibly more popular than black Friday. 

I think we all remember the crazy crowds in the 2000s, with people waiting outside stores just to be in line for the store opening and then running through aisles to make sure they got everything on their list. It is different now, with so many of the same deals online, many people don’t see the point of going to stores on Black Friday anymore.

With more shoppers turning online, it is unclear if Black Friday will remain a holiday or continue to change.