Nowadays, almost everyone is familiar with “Black Friday“, which this year will take place on 25 November 2022. Christmas presents are snapped up at bargain prices, extensive shopping trips are taken with loved ones or household appliances are replaced. But hardly anyone knows where this day originated.
In the following, we will explain the historical background in a little more detail, as well as some interesting facts that you can use to shine at your next Thanksgiving dinner.
What is Black Friday and how is it different from Cyber Monday?
The unofficial sales event for retailers originated overseas, in the USA.
Black Friday has nothing to do with the well-known “Black Friday” in the financial world on 29 October 1929, one of the biggest stock market crashes in history.
The background of the name is not completely clear, but there are some plausible theories, which we will discuss in more detail later.
Black Friday is the ideal day to do your Christmas shopping, as on this day many retailers tempt you with special offers, deals, discounts and giveaways. Shops often open in the early hours of the morning, sometimes even in the early evening on Thursday.
Since online trading has spread, many online retailers also advertise savings promotions on the Monday following Black Friday, known as Cyber Monday. This serves as an answer to Black Friday, as it originally only took place in stationary retail.
The offers cover a wide range of product categories, such as technology, household, health or clothing.
History
Black Friday always takes place on the Friday after Thanksgiving, a holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. Traditionally, working people take this Friday off as a bridge day to ring in the start of a traditional family weekend and the Christmas season, as well as to shop for the first gifts.
It has therefore always been famous as an important shopping day, but only became known as “Black Friday” from 1952 onwards.
In the USA, the day is considered an important indicator of Christmas business, as large sales are made every year. In the USA, the focus is more on local shops, in Germany on online retail.
Meanwhile, the big shopping event is no longer limited to one Friday. There is an entire savings week, Black Week, which is followed by Cyber Monday, the Monday after Thanksgiving.
Origin of the Name
The term Black Friday first appeared in Philadelphia in the 1960s. The background of the name is not entirely clear, but rather a composite of various legends. None of them has been substantiated yet, but some of them seem very plausible. They refer to the time when people mostly paid with cash and Black Friday took place in the shops on the street.
One theory is that the police spoke of the large gathering of people on the street trying to get a bargain as a black mass. One theory, very similar to this one, bases the name on the fact that the people were dressed in dark clothes or pictured in a black and white photo.
Another theory assumes that on this day traders were finally back in the black after a year of low sales. Another theory describes the naming of the event as a result of traders getting black hands from counting the numerous banknotes.
Black Friday in Germany
Since the bargain day originated in the USA, it was unknown in Germany until recently. In 2006, Apple was the first company to offer Black Friday discounts in Apple Stores in Germany and in its online shop. Many retailers took this as a model and lowered their prices in the online shop on Black Friday in the following years. However, this was initially not carried out under its current name, but as a “one-day shopping event”. Since 2015, more and more traditional retailers have also taken part in the event and the significance of the day is steadily increasing.
Comparable campaigns are also gradually gaining in popularity. The online retailer Amazon, for example, holds a “Prime Day” discount campaign every year. Another high-turnover and very successful day for bargain hunters is Singles Day. This has its origins in a Chinese tradition on which single people celebrate themselves, and generates millions in sales.
Black Friday Deal 2022 and Code for 15% Discount
We at Esprit Luxury Homes would also like to give you a treat for Black Friday 2022. With our code “BF22” you will receive 15% off all bookings made between 25/11/2022 at 0 am until 28/11/2022 at midnight. Simply enter the code in the designated field when you complete your booking and enjoy the anticipation of your dream holiday.
