The Hangout: Black Friday’s messy origins - and my even messier spending habits

Black Friday may sound like the title of a moody crime documentary or a bizarre disease from the 1800s but its origins are far less glamorous and much more chaotic. The story begins in Philadelphia in the 1950s and 1960s, when local police coined the term to describe the ordeal that awaited them on the day after Thanksgiving. Picture jam-packed streets, shoppers kung fu fighting their way to early sales and supporters pouring in for the big Army-Navy football game. It was less festive sparkle and more pure gridlock which made the day feel unmistakably black for the officers stuck directing traffic.

What began as a slightly miserable nickname soon took on a life of its own. The mayhem of that Friday became so legendary that the name spread far beyond Philadelphia. For the police, it was the opposite of joyful. It meant long shifts, endless crowds and problems at every corner. Yet even in those early years, the city buzzed with a feverish mix of holiday excitement and competitive bargain hunting that modern shoppers would instantly recognise.

By the 1980s, business owners saw an opportunity to give the name a brighter story. Instead of letting it linger in a puddle of traffic fumes and nervous officers, they decided to polish it up for the holiday season. They shifted the meaning from bleak Friday to something much more profitable by promoting it as the glorious moment their accounts finally moved out of the red and soared triumphantly into the black. Suddenly, it was no longer a day of headaches but a day of potential shopping magic.

This is where my personal trouble settles in because when retailers leap into the black, I tend to slide spectacularly into the red. I have a deeply entrenched gift-buying addiction, which is alarming enough on an ordinary Tuesday but absolutely catastrophic when faced with Black Friday. The moment I see a sign proclaiming special-offer, my brain short-circuits, and I become a one-woman economic encouragement plan. They rise. I crumble. It’s a beautiful and financially terrifying dance. I have never been a bargain hunter and I’ve never counted pennies. I’m not great with money, to be honest. But holy macaroni, the thought of being able to buy 55 Christmas pressies instead of just 30 makes this girl wanna breakdance or do the worm from all the excitement. 

Still there’s something wonderfully chaotic about the whole affair. Perhaps it’s the shared thrill of hunting for treasure or the comfort of knowing that millions of us are being equally irrational. Black Friday may have started as a police officers' nightmare but it has become a modern tradition full of excitement, curiosity and the occasional spectacular bargain. My only advice is to set a happy but strict limit and to check prices the day before, so you know a real deal when you see one. I don’t do this either but dish out the advice I will. Thanks Yoda. And if I emerge with a mountain of presents and a slightly singed bank balance well, that is simply the holiday spirit at work.

Who knew it originated way back when? You learn something new every day. So, do your push ups and keep hydrated. We are all in for a shopping marathon this weekend and it’ll probably last until the end of November. It should actually be called Black Week, right? I can’t believe I get to see Christmas trees and listen to carols and feed my addiction all at once for the next few days. Woohoo! 

Happy Black Friday!