Black Friday has been a popular aspect of the holiday season for decades. The term was coined in 1960 by Philadelphia police officers to describe the influx of suburban tourists into the city to partake in holiday shopping.
In the 1980s, merchants began to spread the red-to-black profit narrative. This narrative states that businesses operate at a financial loss, or are “in the red,” until the day after Thanksgiving, when massive sales finally allow them to turn a profit, or put them “in the black.”
The term Cyber Monday, created by Scott Silverman and Ellen Davis of the National Retail Federation on November 28, 2005, was first used to describe the Monday after Thanksgiving. On this day, online retailers provide a variety of deals to entice shoppers. Since 2005, the popularity of Cyber Monday and online shopping has seen an increase in popularity.
This is in no small part due to the pandemic. COVID restrictions led many retailers to close their doors, leading to a surge in online shopping. During Cyber Monday 2020, $10.8 billion was spent, making it the biggest online shopping day in U.S. history. Despite record numbers, at the time, more people typically shopped online during Black Friday than on Cyber Monday. This year, roughly 90.6 million people shopped online during Black Friday, compared to 73 million on Cyber Monday.
According to Drive Research, in-person Black Friday shopping was the least popular shopping method during the holiday weekend, accounting for only 16% of shoppers. Online shopping carts were 3.9x larger than in-store ones.
Staff and students of New Hyde Park Memorial High School have varying preferences on how they take advantage of Black Friday deals.
“When I was dating my husband, his family loved shopping at Roosevelt Field Mall on Black Friday. I always accompanied them but I HATED it. I never liked shopping during the holiday season because of the stress and the crowds,” English teacher Ms. Caruso said. “So before online shopping was invented, I was miserable. Thankfully, by the time I had my first child 17 years ago, I was able to do most of my holiday shopping online. This was a life-changing event! Not only was I now able to avoid the crowds and carrying bags all over the mall, I was able to shop at my convenience. I didn’t have to drag a child AND packages around a crowded mall. Online shopping allows me to save time and money. I can search for deals and coupon codes before I make a purchase. I can shop anywhere at any time. I even do some grocery shopping online!”
“I prefer online,” senior Navpreet Singh said. “I find it much easier and more reliable. It has better deals too because I can see how much percentage is off for the specific item I am looking for. Black Friday used to be crazy. People waiting for hours by the gates of a store turned to going online and buying. I like how we have gone from mobs to mobile.”
While many feel that online shopping is more convenient, others feel that there are certain perks to in-person shopping. Many choose to incorporate both methods into their shopping experiences.
“My family does both,” junior Serina John said. “We buy clothes in person and other things online. We go in person to make sure the quality is good and the sizes match. I think online shopping makes people more relaxed when buying stuff. In the past people were more hectic and would wait in long lines just to buy stuff, but now people can just order them in the comfort of their homes.”
