America’s Black Friday: A Big Deal With a Dark History
How did Black Friday become America's shop-til-you-drop day? It involves a crisis that has nothing to do with not being the first in line.
Sometimes, America as a whole likes to let its hair down and let loose a little. In the case of Black Friday, the unofficial official start of the country’s holiday shopping season, it’s a way to burn off the calories ingested the day before on Thanksgiving and save some major bucks on big-ticket items. Considering Black Friday has a history of causing sane people to lose their minds in order to cash in on bargains that earn some retailers no money but a lot of publicity, it’s to be expected things can get out of hand.
Why Black Friday Was Originally Negative
Retailers did not appreciate the negative connotation associated with a black day of the week. They had a good point, since the media used it to describe stock market crashes. For example, Black Monday was the name journalists gave to Oct. 19, 1987. On that day, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 23%. The Dow's closing history shows that it was the largest percentage drop on one day in stock market history.
Another dark day, Black Thursday, occurred on Oct. 24, 1929. It was the day that signaled the start of the Great Depression. It was followed the next week by Black Tuesday. On that day, the stock market lost 12% despite attempts by major investors to support stock prices. That destroyed any confidence investors had in the stock market, which in those days was perceived to be the economy. Many had invested their life savings and were entirely wiped out.
Worst Black Friday Violence
Black Friday crowds still give the police headaches. According to data analysis by The Hustle, there have been 11 deaths and more than 100 injuries on Black Friday since 2006. Violence has become so bad The New York Daily News renamed it "Black-eye Friday."
The states with the most Black Friday violence are Arkansas, Tennessee, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Alabama. On the other hand, the safest holiday shopping is in Vermont, Oregon, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
The worst Black Friday occurred in 2008 when a man was trampled to death at a New York Walmart. Despite being 6 feet, 5 inches tall and 270 pounds, temporary worker Jdimytai Damour died of asphyxiation when crowds stampeded into the store. At least 2,000 people broke down the doors, trapping Damour in a vestibule where he suffocated. Eleven other shoppers were also injured, including a pregnant woman. These incidents give police the right to call Black Friday by a negative name.
In 2019, a man was shot to death in a mall parking lot in Ottawa, Canada.
In 2018, three people were shot, one fatally, in an Alabama mall.
In 2017, five people were injured in Thanksgiving/Black Friday violence. Brawls forced an Alabama shopping mall to close.
In 2016, two people were fatally shot in Reno, Nevada, and in South New Jersey.
In the end
Fights, beatings, gunshots, murder…they’ve all become part of the risk Americans take in order to get 80 percent off anything in one 24-hour time span. Philadelphia police despised the frenzy the day caused back in the ’60s, and are often credited with throwing the Black Friday moniker on the day. Despite the negative origin story to the Black Friday name, it looks good on retail fliers, so here we are. Put on those elbow pads and get ready to find the deal of a lifetime. Even if it maims or kills you.
Comments
Post a Comment