With the holiday shopping season right around the corner, Black Friday is on everyone’s bucket list to knock out all their holiday shopping with deals on prices that are almost too good to be true.
Black Friday originated in the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s, with the Army vs. Navy college football game in Philadelphia which happened the day after Thanksgiving. This event brought in loads of tourists and football fans from all over the country, mixed with the family members of people who lived in the vicinity for the celebratory Thanksgiving period. The businesses and shops in the surrounding areas saw this yearly influx of people, and it being the holiday season, they took initiative by discounting their prices, so people would buy more gifts for the holidays at a cheaper price, this led to huge business profits. The tradition continued, and the name “Black Friday” was born from the Philadelphia police that would struggle to maintain crowds of football fans and holiday shoppers because of the nightmare that the city police went through at the start of the holiday season. Another explanation for the name is businesses would be “in the red” (not making profit) until the day after Thanksgiving when they would be “in the black,” or making profit.
Fast forward to the 21st century, and Black Friday has become a full blown discount shopping experience. In 2005, Cyber Monday got its start as the e-commerce version of Black Friday. Now, the shopping discounts have expanded well beyond the original Friday and Monday dates. Businesses offer lighter discounts in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, and continue their discounted prices for both their in-store and online products all the way through the holiday season.
One Rochester High School senior, Pedro Demizu, was asked about how he takes advantage of the holiday deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. He stated that his preference is doing holiday deal shopping online. His favorite brands to buy from are mainly clothes lines such as H & M, Holister, Zara, and Gap. He prefers to shop online to avoid the crazy in-store Black Friday rush, and he likes to take advantage of the online Cyber Monday deals. One of his favorite reasons to shop online is for the free shipping that his favorite brands and sites offer. When Demizu was asked what items he mainly buys when taking advantage of these deals, he said that “the gifts I need to buy for my friends, family, and for myself are the main items I purchased. I do my own Christmas shopping early, buying winter outfits I can wear through the holiday season.”
Students at Rochester High School carry on the nationwide Black Friday and Cyber Monday tradition. From the businesses in Philadelphia in the 60’s, to the many websites and online orders we know so well, holiday discount shopping has deals, items and gifts for all to choose and enjoy, with prices that are irresistible to all shoppers in the nation.
