Why is it called Black Friday?
It started as a complaint. In the 1950s, Philadelphia police called the day after Thanksgiving “Black Friday” because of the traffic jams and chaos. Retailers later spun it as the day stores go “into the black.”
Quick Answer
The shopping “Black Friday” began as a gripe, not a sales slogan. In the 1950s, Philadelphia police used the name for the day after Thanksgiving, when crowds of shoppers and tourists poured into the city ahead of the Army-Navy football game that Saturday. Officers worked long shifts dealing with traffic, crowds and shoplifters. By 1961, the name had caught on so widely in Philadelphia that merchants tried, and failed, to rebrand it “Big Friday.” A 1951 trade magazine had also used “Black Friday” for workers calling in sick the day after Thanksgiving. The famous “in the black” explanation, that it’s the day stores finally turn a profit, came decades later, and a 1981 Philadelphia Inquirer article helped spread it. Another story claims the name comes from sales of enslaved people; historians say that has no basis. This year, Black Friday is November 27, 2026.
By the Numbers
Key Facts
- Where the name came from
- Philadelphia police in the 1950s
- Why they called it that
- Traffic jams, crowds and shoplifting the day after Thanksgiving
- The “in the black” story
- A later explanation, not the origin
- Black Friday 2026
- November 27
Timeline
- Sept. 24, 1869
A gold market crash becomes the first famous “Black Friday.”
- 1951
A trade magazine uses “Black Friday” for workers calling in sick after Thanksgiving.
- 1950s–60s
Philadelphia police use the name for the chaotic day after Thanksgiving.
- 1961
Philadelphia merchants try, and fail, to rename it “Big Friday.”
- 1981
The “in the black” explanation appears in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
A cop’s nightmare
The day after Thanksgiving brought suburban shoppers and out-of-town visitors into Philadelphia for holiday sales and the Army-Navy game the next day. Police had to work extra-long shifts to handle the traffic and crowds, and the day’s nickname reflected their mood.
A failed rebrand
By 1961, Philadelphia merchants disliked the gloomy name so much that they tried calling it “Big Friday.” It didn’t stick. The term slowly spread beyond Philadelphia and went national over the following decades.
Spinning it positive
Retailers eventually embraced the name with a new explanation: that holiday sales push stores from red ink, a loss, into black ink, a profit. Businesses do see a boost, but the retail industry didn’t coin the term.
Myth vs. Fact
MythStores named it for the day they start making a profit.
FactThe “in the black” explanation came decades after Philadelphia police popularized the name.
MythThe name comes from sales of enslaved people.
FactHistorians say there’s no basis for that claim.
The Bottom Line
Black Friday got its name from Philadelphia police who dreaded the crowds and traffic the day after Thanksgiving. The “in the black” profit story came later.