The history of Black Friday — and what 2024 may bring
According to Barbara Kahn, a marketing expert at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, Black Friday used to be a typical scenario, complete with lines encircling department shops, fighting over merchandise, and crowds so big they streamed out of retailers' front doors. However, the definition of the shopping event has evolved dramatically in recent years. Running into stores before dawn to take advantage of 24-hour doorbuster offers is no longer an option. Due to competition from Cyber Monday, Black Friday sales have mostly moved online, begun earlier, and lasted longer. Some even claim that Black November, the more general name experts use to characterize the month-long sales coming up to Thanksgiving weekend, has supplanted Black Friday.
According to Kahn, "Black Friday used t...