If retailers could give thanks on Thanksgiving, you know what would probably make the list? Black Friday—the much-hyped day after Thanksgiving when shoppers queue up, camp out, and participate in some light shoving to capture the "best deals of the year."
Black Friday is the official start to the holiday season, retail's most profitable time of the year. Here's a quick guide to the holiday—from its surprising origins to the numbers you need to know.
The history of Black Friday
The use of the phrase “Black Friday” to reference post-Thanksgiving sales started in the 1960s—albeit with a darker connotation. Philadelphia police used the phrase to describe the day between Thanksgiving and the annual Army-Navy football game, when streets would become clogged with cars and pedestrians and lead to an uptick in crime and traffic.
Clever marketing and consumer tradition slowly made the moniker profitable to retailers. Today, the time around Black Friday remains retail's busiest of the year—last year, consumers spent $57.2 billion the four days after Thanksgiving, according to the National Retail Federation.
Here's an interactive timeline of retail's big day. Click through to dive deeper into the history of Black Friday:
The hard numbers
It's hard to predict the exact level of consumer frenzy that this year's Black Friday deals will bring, but here are some stats and projections from Accenture and Adobe Digital Index that hint at what lies ahead.
Live on Twitter... it's Black Friday!
Expect retailers and consumers to turn to Twitter with their #blackfriday deals, commentary, and complaints. Tune in to see what happens.
Find out first! We'll text you the Black Friday deets on the year's biggest deal! pic.twitter.com/aU7vkwUkLy
— Abercrombie & Fitch (@Abercrombie) November 17, 2014
Black Friday through the years: 2005: 5am 2012: 3am 2013: 12am 2014: Thursday 8pm 2020: July 4th
— Rob Z (@RobZyo) November 19, 2014
The Countdown to Black Friday Has Begun! Even more deals, all day, every day. Shop now! http://t.co/ArqN6mcTL2 pic.twitter.com/QHdeRbppJe
— Amazon (@amazon) November 10, 2014
When is "Black Friday" and can I high five it?
— Naïve American (@Nahdude83) November 18, 2014