Why is Friday Called “Black Friday”?

The term Black Friday actually has two different origins. The first goes back to the stock market crash of September 1869. The second—and more familiar—comes from Philadelphia in the 1950s and 1960s, when police used the term to describe the chaos, heavy traffic, and huge crowds the day after Thanksgiving.

The reason the term spread across the United States was that it also marked the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. Stores lowered their prices to attract shoppers, and accounting practices of the time helped reinforce the meaning: losses were written in red ink, but profits were written in black. Since retailers often moved “into the black” on this day, the name Black Friday stuck.

Every year, many people wait for this date to buy gifts and all sorts of things—sometimes things they don’t even need—just because they’re on sale.

I wrote that last part because I’m at a stage in life where I want to get rid of a lot of the stuff sitting in my closet, things I haven’t touched in a long time.

For me, Black Friday is more a reminder that I should clean out my garage than a reason to buy anything new!

The three images you can see above are from recent garage sales in our neighborhood. Enjoy, and feel free to share with a friend.