Discover the true origin of Black Friday, why it is called that, how it emerged in the United States, and how it became one of the most important commercial events in the world.
By Jorge Alonso Curiel
HoyLunes – This coming Friday, November 28, a new Black Friday will be celebrated, and therefore it is a great opportunity to learn about the origin of this date, which represents a significant day in commercial sales.
Black Friday is one of the biggest discount days worldwide and marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. But although it has become a global phenomenon, many people do not really know what it is or what its origin is.
In this article, you will discover how Black Friday was born, what its true meaning is, and how it went from being a negative expression to a massive commercial event.
Origin of Black Friday: long before stores and deals
Although some popular theories claim that Black Friday is called that because businesses “go from red numbers to black numbers,” the real origin is different.
The expression “Black Friday” was used for the first time in 1869, when the gold market in the United States collapsed due to financial manipulation. That day of economic panic was called Black Friday.
However, this historical event is not directly related to today’s discounts. The commercial history of Black Friday began later.
The modern Black Friday was born in Philadelphia
The version we know today has its origin in the 1950s and 1960s, in the city of Philadelphia (United States).
There, the police began calling the day after Thanksgiving “Black Friday” due to the chaos it generated: large crowds in stores, traffic collapse, massive influx of tourists, and exhausting workdays for officers.
The term had a negative meaning, but it quickly spread among merchants and locals when they saw that the city filled with shoppers.
How it went from a negative term to a global marketing event
In the 1980s, American retailers transformed the perception of Black Friday. They created a more positive narrative: the day when businesses “went from red numbers to black numbers” thanks to sales.
This new explanation helped boost the event’s popularity and turned it into an essential part of the shopping calendar in the United States.
The expansion of Black Friday to the rest of the world
With the rise of e-commerce, Black Friday crossed borders and became an international trend. Today:
Offers begin days or weeks earlier.
They continue during Cyber Monday.
E-commerce drives record sales every year.
Many countries adopt it even without celebrating Thanksgiving.
In this way, its origin went from being an urban chaos to becoming a global commercial phenomenon that marks the beginning of the Christmas season.
Why is it called Black Friday? Summary
1869: the term appears due to a financial crisis.
1950–1960: the Philadelphia police use it to describe the post–Thanksgiving chaos.
1980: it is redefined as a positive day for sales.
Today: it is an international commercial event with massive discounts.
For all these reasons, understanding the origin of Black Friday helps us understand how a simple expression used by the police ended up becoming one of the greatest events in world commerce. Its history combines urban chaos, marketing strategies, and the rise of e-commerce, giving rise to the phenomenon that millions of consumers eagerly look forward to each year.
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