Black Friday Countdown

Black Friday falls on the day after US Thanksgiving — the fourth Friday of November — and has become one of the most significant shopping days of the year in the United States and increasingly worldwide. The name 'Black Friday' originally referred to the chaos and traffic caused by millions of shoppers flooding stores the day after Thanksgiving, creating difficult conditions for police and transportation authorities in cities like Philadelphia in the 1960s. Retailers later reframed the name positively, claiming it marked the day businesses moved from operating 'in the red' (at a loss) to 'in the black' (at a profit) for the year — though historians note this explanation was invented after the fact. Modern Black Friday is characterized by massive discounts, early store openings (often at midnight or even on Thanksgiving evening), long queues outside retail locations, and increasingly, online sales that begin days before the physical event. Total US Black Friday spending exceeds $9 billion annually, with online sales alone reaching over $9 billion in 2023. Electronics, clothing, appliances, and toys are among the most heavily discounted categories. Black Friday has expanded globally, with retailers in the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, Brazil, and other countries now running Black Friday promotions — even though these countries do not celebrate US Thanksgiving. Cyber Monday (the Monday following Thanksgiving) was created in 2005 to capture online shopping momentum, and the two days together with the weekend are often referred to as the 'Cyber Five' or 'Black Friday weekend.'

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