Take Advantage of the Best Deals With Black Friday Ads

Black Friday is one of the biggest shopping events of the year, when practically all retailers offer the best sales on their products, the best online deals and Black Friday specials, available in brick-and-mortar stores and online, often listed in ads issued some time before the date. Thanks to Black Friday ads, customers are able to see what is on sale this year and plan their purchases carefully in order to get all the deals that interest them. With ads, Black Friday is a really great opportunity to buy luxury goods at affordable prices.

Most people associate Black Friday with adding more products to the cart and paying less, but in fact, the term has many connotations and not all of them are positive. Despite ads with top deals listed, the best sales, an opportunity to shop online, and more amenities, Black Friday has a darker side to it. But what exactly is Black Friday and why do they call it that? Where did Black Friday come from and when did it start? What day is Black Friday on this year? When does the Black Friday sale start and end? Finally, when do Black Friday 2022 ads come out? You are just about to find out the answers to all of these questions, and more. 

The History of Black Friday – Origins

What is Black Friday, what is the meaning of this term, and why is it called “black”? Let’s start from the beginning, reach back through history and discover the origin of Black Friday sales. Surprisingly, the shopping frenzy that Black Friday is did not originate in the USA but in Canada. It all began in 1904, Toronto, when Canadian department store Eaton’s decided to organize the first Thanksgiving Parade by bringing Santa on a wagon through the streets of the town. Later, they organized more such spectacles, each year adding something more to turn up the heat (which served people well during November in Canada). Greater upgrades included adding eight live reindeers to pull Santa’s “sleigh” in 1913, and also seven floats representing nursery rhymes or fairy-tale characters that joined Santa by 1916. From then on, it only grew bigger. 

Such an idea in the neighboring country could not be left unanswered by the USA. In 1924, Macy’s Department Store launched its first parade in New York City, inspired by the one started by Eaton’s in Canada. They wanted to celebrate their success during the Roaring 20’s and to encourage shoppers to buy more. It did happen – the parade turned out to be a sale-booster the following day. Every retailer wanted to take part in holiday sales, but there was a gentleman’s agreement to withhold from advertising their sales before the parade day. 

In 1939, during the Great Depression, Thanksgiving fell on the fifth week of November, and retailers were scared of losing profit because of the holiday shopping season being too short. They petitioned president Franklin D. Roosevelt to move Thanksgiving Day. In 1939, the president declared November 23rd, the next-to-last Thursday of the month, to be Thanksgiving Day (at this occasion jokingly called “Franksgiving”) which caused a lot of confusion, because some people had already made their plans for the regular date. The situation was finally resolved in 1941, when Congress passed a law that made Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November no matter what. 

People like to use every opportunity to get some rest and since the 1950’s, it’s been observed that more and more people were calling in sick on the day after Thanksgiving to have a nice four-day holiday. Because most stores were open, those who evaded work could get ahead on their holiday shopping. If you can’t beat them, join them – instead of cutting pay and chasing sly workers, many business owners decided to make the day after Thanksgiving into another paid holiday. Retailers, on the other hand, saw this as an opportunity to sell more and encouraged shoppers by making the best deals on specials and other products offered by them. This pretty much sums up Black Friday’s history of origin – the day after Thanksgiving started to be associated with top deals, best sales and special offers on all kinds of goods. 

Why is it Called Black Friday?

The name Black Friday became famous in print (and perhaps officially because of that) in 1966. The Philadelphia Police Department used the term to describe chaos caused by customers in a shopping frenzy at downtown stores. For decades, the term was used pejoratively and reflected the violence and competition among customers. In modern times, the situation has gotten even worse – according to some sources, there have been 11 deaths and more than 100 injuries on Black Friday since 2006. Hence, it started to be called “Black-Eye Friday”. Probably the most gruesome incident happened in 2008, when a temporary worker at Walmart was trampled to death by the crowd which broke down the doors – despite him being a man of sturdy build (6 feet, 5 inches tall and 270 pounds), he was knocked down, trampled and suffocated. 

Black Friday – Main Sale of The Year

A pretty dark story, huh? Thankfully, in the past couple of years things have changed dramatically and Black Friday acquired much more positive connotations – it started to be associated solely with the best deals and top sales on goods that are normally very expensive. 

Media has turned their attention toward the problem of strong competition among customers and this caused a public debate on the matter of shopping culture. Moreover, the vast majority of stores started to run Black Friday sales via the Internet which relieved the tension in physical locations. 

Top Black Friday offers, deals and ads attract people who look for electronics, watches and other luxury goods for the best prices. Every year, tens of thousands of shoppers turn out for Black Friday with coupons and ads without fear of the risks, because they have been practically fully eliminated, and tempted by the reward of once-in-a-year sales.  

Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday

Cyber Monday is the first Monday after Thanksgiving, and as its name implies, shoppers can find great deals and savings when shopping online. It was conceptualized by Shop.org in 2005 as an answer to traditional sales at physical locations. At first technical issues prevented Cyber Monday from being an instant success however, the times were yet to change. In both 2017 and 2018 Cyber Monday surpassed Black Friday as the biggest shopping event of the year. Experts link Cyber Monday’s rising popularity to faster internet connections and wider availability of the internet across the country. 

So, Black Friday or Cyber Monday? The final decision is yours but, actually, why not both? It does not have to necessarily be a Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday situation. Previously, when Black Friday took place only in physical locations, which sometimes resulted in violence (hence the nick-name “Black-Eye Friday”), perhaps it was a bit dangerous and over-the-edge, but currently, with the online shopping option available in many stores and a drastic change in people’s approach, it does not have to end badly. Now, the only thing that you risk is spending too much time in front of the screen and getting an ache in your index finger from scrolling while choosing top Black Friday online deals and specials which you can also access in brick-and-mortar stores. 

When is Black Friday?

Have you been wondering “how many days are left until Black Friday”? To find out what day Black Friday is on this year, just look into a calendar and search for the fourth week of November – it’s always the Friday that comes right after Thanksgiving. Another question is what time does Black Friday start? Some stores open at or just before Midnight, so Black Friday may even start during Thanksgiving Day and last until the following day. It all depends on the store, so to know the exact Black Friday hours for the place that interests you, better check for them online some time before the event. 

How to Get the Best Online and In-Store Black Friday Deals and Ads

Who would not like to get a preview of the best upcoming Black Friday news, deals and offers for luxury products now? After all, it would be terrible not to know when Black Friday is this year and to wake up thinking: “It’s Black Friday, and I haven’t heard any news, I don’t know anything about top deals, best sales at any online store or a store near me!”. First, find out what day Black Friday is on this year, whether it’s 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 or any other year ( a hint – search the calendar for the first Friday after Thanksgiving in the fourth week of November). Secondly, when you already know the date of this year’s Black Friday, check which online or brick-and-mortar stores have products that may interest you (such as Lowes), go to their website and try to find information about their Black Friday news, ads, deals, watch deals, specials, opening hours, etc. Finally, make your picks and try to get the goods that interest you and all Black Friday specials when the big day comes! Predictions for 2022 and upcoming years show that Black Friday offers will give shoppers more and more savings.