Black Friday is one of those phrases that instantly communicates a rush of activities. The moment it appears anywhere, people think of discounts, crowded malls, online countdown timers, and that electric sense of urgency that somehow feels exciting and stressful at the same time. It is a day that practically commands attention, partly because of the promise of bargains, partly because it has grown into a cultural event. Yet beneath all that noise sits a story that is surprisingly layered, one that carries pieces of economic crises, human psychology, evolving traditions, and retail strategy all packed together.
Many people only know Black Friday as the day after Thanksgiving when the shopping frenzy begins, but the idea did not start as a celebration at all. The term had a very different life before it became synonymous with sales. The earliest known use was in 1869 in the United States, and it was anything but cheerful. Two financiers, Jay Gould and James Fisk, attempted to corner the gold market, their scheming led to a financial panic on September 24 of that year.
The stock market collapsed, businesses suffered, and the day was described as a black one in reference to the losses and fear that followed. It was a moment that shook the financial world, and although unrelated to shopping, this event gave the term an established place in public memory.
A century later, the phrase would be reborn in a completely different setting. In the 1950s and early 1960s, police officers in Philadelphia used the term Black Friday to describe the chaotic day after Thanksgiving when shoppers and tourists flooded the city for holiday shopping and the annual Army Navy football game. Roads were packed, stores were jammed, and shoplifters blended too easily into the crowds. The police reportedly disliked the day due to the overwhelming traffic and long working hours, so they began calling it Black Friday. It was a nickname rooted in frustration, not festivity, and certainly not discounts.
Retailers eventually realized that the phrase was already circulating among the public, even though it carried negative implications. Some of them tried renaming the day Big Friday in an attempt to neutralize the gloom, but that version did not catch on. People were already using Black Friday, so stores leaned into it, slowly reinventing the idea until it became something far more positive.
Retailers began framing it as the moment they finally moved from losses to profits for the year, which they referred to as going from red ink to black ink. That narrative stuck, and as years passed, the phrase transitioned from a description of chaos into a symbol of deals, excitement, and economic momentum.
This transformation did not happen overnight. It was the result of consistent marketing, the growing popularity of holiday shopping, and an increasing culture of sales promotions. Once stores realised how much money could be made from the post Thanksgiving shopping rush, they invested in making the day memorable. Large discounts, limited time offers, early morning openings, and spectacular advertising campaigns all played a part.
Eventually, queues outside stores before sunrise became normal, particularly in the United States, where shoppers often camped outside malls waiting for doors to open. Videos of people running inside stores, grabbing televisions, or struggling over discounted items became common on news channels. Those incidents were real, and they served to reinforce the idea that Black Friday was not just another sale but a cultural ritual.
The digital age expanded that ritual beyond physical stores and physical borders. Online shopping introduced flash sales, countdown timers, and wide audience reach. Retail giants began exporting the idea to other countries, turning it into a global event. In Nigeria, for example, Black Friday came into the mainstream around the early 2010s through major e commerce platforms. It was initially met with curiosity, then with excitement, and eventually with a blend of enthusiasm and skepticism.
People enjoyed the discounts and variety, but many also recognized that some price hikes happened before the supposed reductions. The phrase everyone used jokingly, that Black Friday prices sometimes became last week’s prices, was a reflection of how quickly people adapted to spotting patterns.
Even with the skepticism, Black Friday found a home in the Nigerian shopping culture. November is now recognised as the month when people buy phones, gadgets, home appliances, cosmetics, and fashion items. Online traffic skyrockets, carts fill up and empty repeatedly, and people wait for payday to align with sale periods.
Online stores take advantage of the anticipation by stretching the entire idea into Black November, creating weekly deals to keep shoppers engaged. Social media also fuels the energy of the season through influencers, joke threads, flash sale announcements, honest reviews, and dramatic stories of missed deals and delayed deliveries. It has become a part of the modern rhythm of shopping.
The Psychology of Black Friday
What makes this entire phenomenon interesting is not only the history but the psychology behind it. Humans respond strongly to the idea of getting something valuable at a lower price. Discounts activate a sense of reward. There is an emotional boost that comes from feeling like one has outsmarted the system, secured a win, or taken advantage of a rare opportunity. Retailers understand this perfectly.
They design offers that create urgency. They emphasise scarcity. They introduce time limits. They highlight how many people are currently viewing an item or how few items are left. These little nudges influence decisions, often more than people realise. None of this is accidental. Sales strategies are grounded in behavioural research, and Black Friday is one of the peak examples of how those strategies are applied.
The appeal is clear. Black Friday gives people access to items they have postponed buying all year. It creates a moment where big purchases feel justified. Families buy televisions. Students shop for laptops. Parents get school shoes for the next term. Beauty lovers restock their favourites. Workers upgrade old electronics. The day gives everyone a chance to stretch money a little further. This affordability factor is one of the strongest reasons Black Friday has remained relevant for decades. It also contributes significantly to the economy. Retailers use the period to clear inventory, increase revenue, and position their brands for the holiday season. Seasonal jobs rise, delivery services become busier, and the market becomes more active.
Pros and Cons
There is another side to this. The excitement often comes with hidden consequences. Some discounts are exaggerated or structured in ways that make them look more generous than they actually are. People sometimes buy things they do not need, simply because the price looks attractive at that moment. Buyer’s remorse becomes common, especially when items arrive and do not match expectations. Overconsumption grows, contributing to waste, clutter, and unnecessary spending. Fraud also increases, especially online, where fake websites, fake ads, and fake sellers try to take advantage of the surge in shopping activity. These are realities that people navigate every year.
Various regions face their own unique challenges. In countries where consumer protection laws are still strengthened, shoppers rely heavily on reviews, word of mouth, and past experience to determine which deals are genuine. Conversations like telling someone to compare previous prices, waiting until mid month, or avoiding unbelievably low offers have become standard advice. These local strategies show how people balance their excitement with caution.
What Black Friday Reveal About Us
Stepping back from all these details reveals something deeper. Black Friday is more than a discount season. It is a reflection of modern life. It shows how much humans enjoy anticipation, how easily traditions evolve, how marketing shapes our decisions, and how global culture spreads faster than ever before. The day mirrors our relationship with shopping, with gratification, and with the feeling of belonging to a shared experience. People in different countries may celebrate different holidays, but many of them now share the same sales season, the same countdown fever, the same jokes about broken websites, and the same thrill when a cart successfully checks out.
There is also a strangely communal feeling that grows around the season. Friends share links. Families make lists. Coworkers compare deals. Entire households gather to place orders. People cheer each other on when deals are secured. People also warn each other when deals are suspicious. Something about the environment encourages participation, even from those who claim they are not buying anything. The season gathers people in the same digital spaces, creating a subtle rhythm of togetherness that is easy to overlook but definitely present.
The more closely one looks at it, the more Black Friday appears as a study of human behaviour. It blends hope, strategy, impulse, pressure, and celebration. It reveals our desire to save money, to find value, to experience momentary excitement, and to feel part of something time bound and widely recognized. It highlights how tradition can form from marketing, how frenzy can grow from anticipation, and how the promise of a deal can move people in ways regular advertising cannot.
The practice will continue evolving. More people now prefer online shopping, more tools exist to track price changes, and more shoppers are becoming aware of marketing tactics. These changes will shape future Black Friday seasons. However, the core idea will most likely remain the same. People will always enjoy feeling like they are getting something good for less. Retailers will always find ways to make the day memorable. And society will continue treating the period as a signal that the year is winding down, that the festive energy is beginning, and that it is time to close out the calendar in a lively way.
Black Friday may have started from a place of crisis and chaos, and it may have carried several names and meanings over the decades, yet its endurance speaks to something fundamental about human nature. People love opportunities. People love bargains. People love stories. Black Friday happens to combine all three. It carries a past that is dramatic, a present that is energetic, and a future that will certainly be unpredictable.
The best way to walk through Black Friday is with awareness. Not necessarily caution in a fearful sense, rather, a simple understanding of what the season represents. People can enjoy the excitement without losing clarity. They can shop smartly without missing the fun. They can appreciate the tradition without getting carried away. The day does not have to be all frenzy or all restraint, it can be a balanced moment where intention meets enjoyment.
Every year, when November arrives and the conversations start again, the story repeats itself with slight variations. People will ask what deals are worth it. People will share their wins and regrets. People will compare this year to last year. And through all of this, Black Friday will continue living as one of the most fascinating examples of how history, culture, psychology, and commerce can merge into something that feels both ordinary and extraordinary at the same time.
If anything, the story of Black Friday reminds us that tradition is not always ancient. Sometimes, tradition is simply a moment that catches on, takes root, spreads widely, and becomes an annual ritual with its own energy. That is what Black Friday has become, a global ritual built on excitement, shaped by strategy, and fuelled by a human desire to get the best out of the world whenever the opportunity appears.
Did you get a great deal at the last Black Friday? 😉 Feel free to share your experience in the comments.
Stay frosty.
