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Origins
Black Friday is defined by the actions and traditions of consumers who for decades have initiated their holiday shopping following Thanksgiving and the traditional Thanksgiving Day Parade. While the tradition of post Thanksgiving holiday shopping predates such publicity events as the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924, the application of the term "Black Friday" to the day after Thanksgiving does not appear until "...at least 1975" with a more negative connotation as Philadelphia safety officials and transit professional referred to the heaviest traffic day of the year (Dave Wilton, Wordorigins.org, http://www.wordorigins.org/index.php/site/black_friday_cyber_monday/). The current use of "Black Friday" to symbolize the move of retailers' profits from negative (red ink) to positive (black ink) appears to be born from media interest in this shopping frenzy, not by retailers themselves. Black Friday Shopping
Recognizing the potential of post-Thanksgiving and-Thanksgiving parade holiday shopping, retailers learned to publish popular items and sales in post-Thanksgiving advertising. As day-after-Thanksgiving consumer traffic has increased, so have the efforts of retailers to attract consumers. Going beyond the traditional methods of advertising loss-leaders and doorbuster deals, retailers get a jump on each others' sales with extended store hours and internet sales events. The search for the ultimate Black Friday deal now encompasses more than scouring post-Thanksgiving circulars and predawn positioning to be the first in line at the brick-and-mortar. Internet consumers get a jump on retailers by sharing early leaks of sales circulars and pricing. Some retailers have adjusted their advertising practices to answer this demand for early information, launching Black Friday sales weeks in advance, and even strategically "leaking" sales themselves. Black Friday shopping rituals seem to fall into three categories: the traditional holiday experience shopper, the hard-core doorbuster brick-and-mortar shopper, and the online deal finder. While the traditional experience shopper looks for a favorite Norman Rockwell town, store, or shopping center, the hard-core door buster's choices are based on research and strategy. Even the hard-core brick-and-mortar shopper may covet the time spent with family scouring online Black Friday advertising and newspaper circulars. Friends and family come together as teams to cover more stores or strategically split between finding merchandise and standing in line. The internet shopper shops from home, taking advantage of online and offline advertising. The online strategy has advantages and disadvantages. The savings and inventory found online, shopping in slippers and sipping coffee vary from retailer to retailer. Increasingly in recent years, many brick-and-mortar and online shoppers are concluding the first official holiday shopping weekend on Cyber Monday. Originally a 2005 prediction by Shop.org of increased internet sales as shoppers return to work (and the internet) the Monday after the Thanksgiving weekend, Cyber Monday has become a reality. While the day has not yet become the rumored busiest online shopping day of the year, internet retailers experience increased traffic and advertise deals, sales, and coupons accordingly. Black Friday Tips
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