When is Black Friday?
Black Friday will rear its ugly, money-saving head in the weeks to come, November 25 to be exact, and shoppers will wreck havoc on retail workers while others shop online. There’s plenty of chatter that the bizarre holiday is dead, as shoppers begin purchasing Christmas well before the day after Thanksgiving. This trend is killing sales but providing many outlets with gift-wrapped PR opportunities—closing up shop so their employees can spend more time with families.
Where does the name come from?
So, how did this faux-holiday come into existence? Back towards the end of the Great Depression, then-President John F Kennedy was pressured to make Thanksgiving the final Thursday in November to extend the Christmas shopping season. After the decision, only thirty some states would acknowledge the new date before Congress settled the official change in 1941. But it wasn’t until the 1960s until the term became popularized by the Philadelphia Police Department when grumpy deputies complained about holiday traffic and folks traveling to the annual Army Black Knights vs Navy Midshipmen football game (the matchup used to be held in November and now, usually falls on the second week of December.)
Okay, but that meant nothing to me. Seriously, why should I care?
There have been seven deaths and 98 injuries in Black Friday-related incidents.
Where are the deals?
There’s no shortage of retail outlets hosting Black Friday sales both online and in-stores. Here’s a list of places to watch before the best price of the year hit. You can check back here for a full list of the best sales from across the web when they become available.
Best Buy will open at 5pm on Thanksgiving Day and close at 1am on the morning of Black Friday. It’s unclear when they’ll reopen but last year it was by 8am.
Dell is offering their holiday sale beginning on November 16.
JCPenney is offering customers early access to their Black Friday deals on November 4 if you sign up for their mobile app. Text “APP” to 527365 to sign up.
Target is giving customers free shipping from October 25 through January 1, 2017.
