How did Black Friday, where billions of dollars are spent around the world, begin and why did it get this name? Where does Black Friday, which is known by different names such as ‘Legendary Friday’, ‘Super Friday’ and ‘Magnificent Friday’ come from in Islamic countries where Friday is considered sacred?
Black Friday, where discounted shopping is done, has been met with great interest in recent years, despite Covid-19 measures. While long queues form in front of markets in countries where stores are open, especially in some states of the USA, online shopping is also very popular due to the epidemic.
Black Friday, which provides a global trade volume of billions of dollars, caused controversy in Islamic countries due to its name, and some claimed that it was a disrespect to religious beliefs.
Why Friday and why black?
First of all, such days are held in all countries of the world, under different names on different days, for different purposes to revitalize the economy and sectors. However, Black Friday (BF) is one of the rare examples implemented on a global scale.
Black Friday actually refers to the Friday following the fourth Thursday of November, which is Thanksgiving Day in the United States (USA), and since 1952 it has been considered the first day of the Christmas shopping season and discounts begin.
The reason why this day, which is not an official holiday, is called ‘Black’ starts in the 1960s. The fact that the shops open very early that day before it gets light and do not close before dark, as well as the negativities affecting daily life caused by the heavy vehicle and human traffic on the shopping streets, causes this day to be called ‘Black Friday’. It is estimated that this expression was first used in Philadelphia.
These discounts, which were applied in certain regions in the USA until the 1980s, then gradually spread to the whole country in the 90s and 2000s.
The opening hours of shopping malls and shops were moved much earlier, and finally in 2011, shops started to open at 24:00 between Thursday and Friday in 2011.
With the introduction of online shopping sites, this discount day in the USA turned into an international discount day and was adopted all over the world.
Black Friday caused deaths and injuries
As the start of the discount and the opening hours of the stores were moved earlier in the USA, the time and shape of the queues formed in front of the stores by people waiting for the discount also changed.
Customers who started camping by setting up tents the day before sometimes chose to spend Thursday evening and night on the street. This led to stampedes, the use of propane gas and generators for heating, the crowd blocking emergency exit doors and stairs, as well as an increase in crime rates such as theft and mugging. Since 2006, 10 deaths and 111 injuries due to BF have been reported in the USA alone.
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