Black Friday is Here! Or is it? These days it seems like it is more of “Black Friday Month!” You see ads on TV, hear them on the radio, and get bombarded with a flood of Black Friday emails throughout November leading into the holidays.
You might be asking yourself, where did “Black Friday” come from and why has it become such a big deal? Its dark origin might surprise you. As per History.com, the first recorded use of the term “Black Friday” was to describe a financial crisis. The U.S. gold market crashed on Friday, September 24th, 1869! This crash paralyzed the U.S. economy for years.
Jay Gould and Jim Fisk, two ruthless Wall Street financiers colluded to buy up as much gold as possible to push up the price then sell it at a mega profit. On that infamous September Friday, their conspiracy unraveled sending the markets crashing and bankrupting everyone from farmers to Wall Street tycoons.
In the 1950s, factory managers first referred to the Friday after Thanksgiving as “Black Friday” as their workers falsely decided to call in sick to extend the holiday weekend!
There are those that believe “Black Friday” originated in Philadelphia in the early 1960s. Police griped about the congested traffic on the way to the Army-Navy football game and looking for deals after Thanksgiving. It was changed to “Big Friday” to be more positive; however, the rebranding didn’t stick.
The most common retail definition of “Black Friday” came to be in the late 1980s. This refers to the post-Thanksgiving shopping season kickoff. As the retail story goes, after an entire calendar year of operating at a loss (in the red) retail stores would start to earn a profit (in the black) when doing their accounting.
“Black Friday” started as one day, then it expanded to four days, a week, and now it’s a month-long shopper’s bonanza as well as a global phenomenon!
Here are my Money Saving Tips:
For the retail Brick and Mortar Shoppers: As per the “Krazy Coupon Lady” the best place to buy:
Small Kitchen Appliances: Such as cookers, toasters, and coffee machines;
Kohl’s using “Kohl’s Cash.” Spend $50 and get $15 Kohl’s cash up to November 25th, with no limit. Use coupon code ENJOY15 for 15% off. 2nd place: Macy’s.
Flat Screen TV’s: Amazon Fire TV 50” for $249.99 (regularly $469.99 47% off) 2nd place: Walmart.
Pajamas: Holiday PJs at Target for $7. 2nd place: Sam’s Club
Women’s Boots & Booties: JC Penney at 69% off. 2nd place: Kohls.
Popular Toys such as LOL Surprise and Magic Mixies: Try Walmart. 2nd place Target then Amazon.
Thirteen Piece “Tools of the Trade” Cookware: Buy at Macy’s for $29.99. 2nd place: Kohls.
For my Internet Shopping Snipers:
JoinHoney.com: On your Ipad, desktop or laptop click www.JoinHoney.com and add the extension to chrome. This extension (not for phones) automatically searches for the best price and attaches coupons, often cheaper than Amazon & eBay when you are checking out!
Make a Budget: Budget X dollars per person and keep the list with you while shopping.
Points, Points Points: Credit cards, Verizon, AARP, and many other companies offer points to discount prices.
Buy Toys Early Others Late: Statistics show prices are best on Toys early so buy those first and wait on other goods and services.
Search out Free Shipping Coupons: This can add up over multiple purchases.
Browse Discount Websites: Such as Poshmark: which allows you to buy and sell used merchandise. Etsy: This is an online community that allows people to safely buy, make, sell and collect unique items.
I would like to wish a Happy Thanksgiving from the Intelisano Family to your Family and the Families of Wave Readers and my colleagues at The Wave!