The History of Black Friday

  Did you ever wonder how Black Friday came about?  Dedicated shoppers, like myself, view this as an official holiday and wait all year for it.  It should have a sports category all its own and in some stores, I would compare it to the Running of the Bulls in Spain.

  Blackfriday2011.com states the term “Black Friday” has two different meanings.  In 1960’s the term was used by the Philadelphia Police Department in regards to the heavy traffic on that day.  Before that it was an accounting term that referred to a hand-written-ledger.  The use of “black ink” indicated a profit and “red ink” indicated a loss.  By the Friday after Thanksgiving, most retail ledgers were “in the black” which meant a profitable year for the store.

  Were you surprised to find there actually was a history associated with this shop-a-thon?  I thought all this time it was a made-up-holiday by the stores to get us in and spend our money. 

  Some stores have already posted their Black Friday sales on their websites.  Sears has their “door buster coupons” ready for you to print.  They are offering $10.00 off a $30.00 purchase of apparel or accessories from 4 a.m. – 1 p.m. 

  The stores are opening ever earlier in an attempt to attract the early shopper.  Kohl’s opens at midnight on Thanksgiving.  You will receive $15.00 in Kohl’s cash (to be used at a later time) for every $50.00 you spend.  There is no limit to the amount of Kohl’s cash you can earn.  The sale is from midnight Thanksgiving to 1pm Black Friday.

  I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the Monday after Black Friday is called “Cyber Monday”.  It is one of the busiest on-line shopping days of the year with most computer servers are jammed that day.  Web sites like http://www.cybermonday2011.com offer great deals.  My favorite would be the Taste of Home Cookbooks , normally $24.99 on sale for $5.00.  That’s a 80% savings! This makes a great gift for the person who has everything.  You can create a gift basket, include a cookbook, some wooden spoons, a dish towel, measuring spoons/cups.  Your total for the gift basket is $10.00,   That’s a great deal with huge savings!

  The key to Black Friday and Cyber Monday is to do your homework and research the items you want to purchase before you leave your home.  If you venture into the store without a plan, you’ll spend more money than need be. 

  What’s our mantra?  “We’re not cheap - we’re frugal!”