What Is Black Friday? A Guide to the 2025 Shopping Event

You’ve seen the ads, you've heard the term, and you know it involves massive sales. "Black Friday" is one of the most famous shopping days of the year, but what is it, and how did it start? Here’s a simple guide to understanding this global sales phenomenon.

At its core, Black Friday is the Friday immediately following Thanksgiving Day in the United States. Since Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, Black Friday falls on the fourth Friday.

This year, Black Friday is on November 28, 2025.

It traditionally marks the official start of the Christmas holiday shopping season. Retailers (shops) offer deep discounts and "doorbuster" deals to attract shoppers, often opening their doors in the very early hours of the morning.

Why Is It Called "Black Friday"?

There are two popular explanations for the name, one of which is a myth and one of which is the real history.

First, the popular (and more positive) myth is that "Black Friday" is the day when retailers finally become profitable for the year. In traditional accounting, losses were recorded in red ink and profits in black ink. The story goes that this massive shopping day was so successful it pushed companies from "the red" into "the black."

The real origin of the term, however, is a bit darker. It was first used by police in Philadelphia in the 1950s and 1960s. They used "Black Friday" to describe the chaos that occurred on the day after Thanksgiving, when the city was flooded with suburban shoppers and tourists. This influx of people and cars created massive traffic jams, smog, and gave police long, difficult shifts they couldn't take off.

Retailers initially hated the negative term but later embraced it, successfully rebranding it with the more positive "in the black" profit explanation in the 1980s.

How Has Black Friday Evolved?

Black Friday is no longer a single-day event. The competition among retailers has become so intense that the sales have changed in several key ways:

• It's a Week-Long Event: Most "Black Friday" deals now start on the Monday of Thanksgiving week, or even earlier.
• Online Dominance: While people famously used to line up outside stores at 4 a.m. for "doorbuster" deals (like cheap TVs), the event has overwhelmingly moved online. Most of the same deals (or even better ones) are available on websites, removing the need to fight the crowds.
• Cyber Monday & Cyber Week: The Monday after Black Friday became known as "Cyber Monday" to encourage people to shop online. Today, the lines are completely blurred. The entire period from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday is now often just called "Cyber Week" or the "Black Friday/Cyber Monday (BFCM)" sales event.

Is It Only a US Holiday?

Not anymore. Like Halloween, Black Friday has been exported as a global commercial event. Retailers in countries all over the world, including the UK, Canada, France, and even here in Sri Lanka, now run Black Friday sales. It has become a global opportunity for stores to boost sales before the end of the year, even in countries that do not celebrate American Thanksgiving.

What to Expect from Black Friday 2025

Black Friday is known for its deep discounts on electronics (TVs, laptops, headphones, smartphones), home appliances (vacuums, air fryers), fashion, and toys.

While there are many genuine bargains, it's always smart to be a cautious shopper. Some retailers have been known to raise prices before the event, only to offer a "discount" that brings the price back to its normal level. Always check price histories if you can and know what you want to buy beforehand to avoid impulse purchases.

In summary, Black Friday has transformed from a chaotic, single-day shopping event in Philadelphia to a week-long, global online sales phenomenon that kicks off the holiday gift-buying season for millions.

source - wikipedia.org, history.com