With Thanksgiving just celebrated yesterday, the next anticipated event is Black Friday. During this Thanksgiving holiday, as we spend time with family and eat more than our fair share of turkey, there is one thought that keeps creeping to the forefront of the minds of people as during this weekend: Black Friday shopping.
Americans are beginning to (or already!) map out their game plan to find their new MacBook Pro or that 60-inch LCD TV that would look perfect in their living room. Midst all the chaos and long lines it would be interesting to know just how Black Friday began.
There are two theories behind the origin of Black Friday. One theory is that during the 1960’s in Philadelphia the term “Black Friday” was coined by police referring to the day fans poured into the city for the Army vs. Navy football game after Thanksgiving, causing an enormous amount of work. Another theory is that in the 1980’s storeowners spun the term to refer to making profits, in order to change the negative association with their most profitable shopping days.
Regardless of how Black Friday started it has certainly become an unofficial U.S holiday. Many stores are even creeping onto Thanksgiving territory as they open on Thanksgiving day at 6 p.m. Since 2011 the overall sales on Black Friday have reached over $50 billion each year, with a peak of $59.1 billion in 2012.
Despite great deals available, forecasters have predicted overall sales to drop 3.7 percent this year from last years total of $50.9 billion. Shoppers are starting to opt for buying online or skipping Black Friday altogether as it was reported that 5.1 million fewer people were out shopping in 2014 on Black Friday than in 2013. With many deals becoming available online, this trend is likely to increase.
How much will retailers make this year? Here’s how we can find out. Couponbox.com has created a Black Friday Real Time infographic that allows us to follow and track the total sales for Black Friday. You can view the infographic below or click on this link to view total predicted sales for Black Friday: http://www.couponbox.com/black-friday-real-time/
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