Black Friday (shopping)

Black Friday (shopping)
Powhusku from Laramie, WY, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Name	Black Friday
Date	Day after Thanksgiving (United States)
Frequency	Annual
Observedby	United States; worldwide variations
Significance	Major retail sales event

Black Friday (shopping) Black Friday is a major annual retail sales event originating in the United States and occurring the day after Thanksgiving (United States), associated with high-volume consumer spending, extensive promotions, and retail marketing strategies. Retailers, manufacturers, distributors, logistics firms, payment processors, and media organizations coordinate sales and promotions that affect fiscal results for companies such as Walmart, Target Corporation, Best Buy, Amazon (company), and Kohl's. The phenomenon has implications for supply chains, labor relations, public safety, and international retail calendars involving entities like Alibaba Group, JD.com, and Carrefour.

History

Black Friday's modern retail incarnation traces to mid-20th-century merchandising in cities such as Philadelphia, where police used the term to describe post-Thanksgiving congestion related to Army-Navy Game crowds and holiday shoppers. In the 1960s and 1970s, major chains including Macy's, Montgomery Ward, and Sears, Roebuck and Company began staging festive displays around Thanksgiving Day parade timelines and holiday marketing tied to fiscal year accounting practices at firms like General Motors and IBM. The late 20th and early 21st centuries saw expansion via doorbuster promotions pioneered by retailers including JCPenney and Circuit City, amplified by broadcast outlets such as NBC and CNN, and trade associations like the National Retail Federation. The advent of e-commerce platforms—eBay (company), Amazon (company), Walmart.com—and logistics providers such as FedEx and United Parcel Service transformed timing and channels of sales, creating sibling events like Cyber Monday and influencing international imitations observed in markets involving firms like Tesco, Woolworths Group (Australia), and H&M.

Retail Practices and Promotions

Retailers employ a mix of loss-leader merchandise, limited-time offers, and omnichannel strategies coordinated by marketing departments at organizations such as Procter & Gamble, Unilever, and Sony Corporation. Advertising campaigns run across networks including Fox Broadcasting Company, CBS, The New York Times, and digital platforms like Google LLC, Facebook (company), and Instagram to highlight promotions for brands including Apple Inc., Samsung, LG Electronics, Nike, Inc., and Adidas. Inventory management systems from firms like Oracle Corporation and SAP SE interface with point-of-sale systems by Square, Inc. and Verifone to execute timed markdowns, while payment rails such as Visa Inc., Mastercard Incorporated, and PayPal Holdings, Inc. process peak transaction volumes. Brick-and-mortar outlets coordinate workforce scheduling with unions such as the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union and corporate HR teams, while omnichannel fulfillment leverages warehouses operated by XPO Logistics and last-mile carriers including DHL International GmbH.

Economic Impact and Consumer Behavior

Black Friday affects quarterly earnings statements for corporations listed on exchanges like the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ, influencing investor sentiment monitored by firms such as Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase & Co.. Macroeconomic indicators tracked by agencies including the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Federal Reserve System register shifts in retail employment, wages, and consumer spending patterns. Consumer behavior studies by academic institutions such as Harvard University, Stanford University, and London School of Economics analyze impulse buying, price elasticity, and decision heuristics among shoppers patronizing chains like Costco Wholesale Corporation and Sam's Club. Promotion-driven demand interacts with supply constraints tied to global manufacturers including Foxconn and Pegatron Corporation, and with commodity markets monitored by organizations such as the International Monetary Fund.

Legal and Safety Issues

Crowd management, liability, and regulatory compliance implicate local authorities including New York City Police Department, municipal fire departments, and prosecutors in jurisdictions applying statutes like state consumer protection laws and municipal ordinances. High-profile incidents at retailers such as Walmart and Best Buy prompted litigation handled in courts including the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and regulatory scrutiny by agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission. Labor disputes over scheduling and overtime involve collective bargaining with unions including the United Auto Workers and Service Employees International Union. Safety protocols reference standards from organizations like the National Fire Protection Association, while retailers coordinate loss prevention with firms such as ADT Inc. and Securitas AB.

International Variations

International adaptations appear as sales events promoted by multinational retailers—including IKEA, Zara (retailer), and H&M—in markets from United Kingdom and Germany to India, Brazil, Japan, and South Africa. Local retail calendars integrate with national holidays such as Boxing Day, Singles' Day (11 November), and regional festival periods supported by platforms like Flipkart and Mercado Libre. Regulatory frameworks differ: European Union consumer directives and national competition authorities such as the Competition and Markets Authority in the United Kingdom and Bundeskartellamt in Germany govern fair trading, while countries like China see parallel events driven by companies including Alibaba Group and Tencent Holdings.

Criticism and Controversies

Critics including journalists at The Guardian, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal and scholars from institutions like Columbia University and University of California, Berkeley have documented issues ranging from worker exploitation highlighted in reporting on Amazon (company) warehouses to environmental critiques by organizations such as Greenpeace and World Wildlife Fund. Antitrust concerns, deceptive pricing litigation, and consumer fraud cases have involved retailers and intermediaries before agencies like the Federal Trade Commission and courts including the Supreme Court of the United States in broader jurisprudential contexts. Cultural commentators tie critiques to materialism debated in forums associated with Pew Research Center and Brookings Institution.

Category:Retail Category:Shopping events Category:Commercial culture