The stampedes have ended. Another Black Friday is in the books, and the numbers from the day are starting to pour in. We picked some of the more interesting facts to share with you:
It’s 1939 and Retailers Revolt
A funny thing happened in 1939. President Roosevelt declared Thanksgiving the third Thursday of November. And for the next two years he repeated that proclamation. Retailers, worried about the shortened holiday shopping season, petitioned then-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to declare the holiday a week earlier – which he did – in 1941.
2001
Black Friday became the biggest shopping day of the year in 2001
Although it’s often touted as the biggest shopping day of the year, the day didn’t earn the designation consistently until the 2000s.
That’s because, for many years, the rule wasn’t that Americans loved deals, it was that they loved procrastinating. So up until that point, it was the Saturday before Christmas that typically saw the most wallets being emptied.
3 million
On top of the dollars spent, the number of total online shoppers also rose – by 3 million this year, to 54 million, USA Today reported. The consistently growing trend-line for online shopping each year is prompting some to question the impact of Black Friday in a digital age – and those retailers who need to compete are increasingly turning to technology for an edge.
52 stores
For years, the trend seemed to be leaning toward more stores staying open on Thanksgiving, but the backlash from consumers and employees seems to have finally tipped the scales the other direction. This year, a total of 52 national outlets decided to shut down for the holiday. It’s worth noting, though, that the stores’ websites were still up and cranking at a pretty impressive transaction rate on turkey day.
Sharks 16, Shoppers 105
Blackfridaydeathcount.com has tracked Black Friday injuries and fatalities since 2006 and reports that in the past ten years of crazed shopping frenzies there have been ten deaths and 105 injuries. Compare that to swimming with sharks where 16 attacks annually result in 1 fatality occurs every 2 years. Kind of makes you wonder if it isn’t worth paying full price for that TV.
Ready for the holiday blitz? Check out our tips to help retailers strategize this holiday season.