Black Friday carries a long history, and Chicago plays a meaningful part in how the day functions now. The Friday after Thanksgiving shapes how families plan their holiday season, how the city prepares for crowds and how stores in neighborhoods across the region staff their teams. What many people don’t know is that the term “Black Friday” didn’t begin with shopping. Its meaning changed over decades. Now, Chicago shoppers and retailers see the day as both a tradition and a marker in the holiday economy.
Residents often talk about it as a shared seasonal moment. Some look forward to early store openings downtown or at the major shopping centers that serve the region. Others prefer online deals. The story of how Black Friday developed helps explain why it sparks strong reactions today, from anticipation to frustration, especially when lines or traffic appear around some of the city’s busiest areas.
Chicago’s large retail footprint draws shoppers from surrounding suburbs. The combination of local tradition and national expectations makes Black Friday feel significant in the city. Understanding how it evolved gives people more clarity on what the day represents and how to approach it with less pressure.
How the Term “Black Friday” First Took Shape
The phrase “Black Friday” connects to events long before holiday shopping. In the nineteenth century, newspapers used it to describe financial trouble. A well-known example involves the gold market panic of September 24, 1869, where traders attempted to manipulate gold prices. This early use appears in summaries of national economic history, explained through public sources like Trafalgar, which describes the episode as a financial crisis that shocked the country.
That meaning had nothing to do with Thanksgiving or stores. The shopping connection appeared decades later. By the 1950s and 1960s, police officers in Philadelphia began using “Black Friday” to describe the crowds, traffic and public pressure they faced the day after Thanksgiving. The phrase captured the strain on police schedules. Insights in Marketing describes how traffic jams and overcrowding prompted officials to use the term.
Retailers didn’t invent the original meaning. They simply saw an opportunity once the public associated the day with shopping activity.
How the Retail Story Took Over
By the late 1970s and 1980s, national news coverage helped spread the Philadelphia version of the term across the country. Chicago retailers watched the trend grow and began preparing for larger crowds. Department stores and shopping centers in the city had long counted the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas as important. “Black Friday” gave this period a name with strong recognition.
Retailers also began promoting a new explanation. They argued that the day marked the moment stores could shift their books from losses to profits. Narvar, which outlines retail history, describes how this interpretation gained popularity through marketing strategies in the 1980s.
That story didn’t replace the earlier police meaning. Instead, it layered a financial interpretation on top of it. The narrative appealed to shoppers because it made the day feel positive, energetic and connected to the holiday season. Chicago businesses embraced that idea because it matched their efforts to draw early holiday crowds.
Timeline of How Black Friday Became What It Is Today
Black Friday didn’t evolve all at once. It changed gradually. This timeline outlines the turning points using the four approved references:
1869
The term “Black Friday” appeared in national news as a label for the gold market crash, described by Trafalgar as a major financial disruption.
1950s–1960s
Philadelphia police used “Black Friday” to describe the heavy crowds and traffic that followed Thanksgiving. Insights in Marketing notes this happened because officers faced unusually difficult working conditions.
1961
Local newspapers in Philadelphia adopted the term publicly. Britannica points out that the day became known as one of the busiest for shopping as the name spread.
1980s
Retailers promoted the idea that Black Friday referred to a shift from “red ink to black ink”. Narvar shows how this helped the shopping narrative solidify nationwide.
1990s–2000s
Major stores embraced early openings, doorbuster deals and widely circulated ads. Chicago malls and shopping districts began seeing larger crowds as shoppers treated the day as a major annual tradition.
Mid-2000s
Online retailers introduced “Cyber Monday”, expanding the shopping period beyond a single day.
2010s–2020s
Black Friday became a season rather than a date. Deals began appearing throughout November, and global adoption increased as international retailers mirrored U.S. trends.
Why Chicago Residents Respond the Way They Do
Chicago sees a mix of enthusiasm and frustration during Black Friday. Some residents enjoy planning their shopping routes, while others prefer to watch for online deals from home. The history helps explain why the day generates strong attention. It’s part retail tradition, part cultural habit and part logistical challenge for a large metropolitan area.
The city’s layout also matters. Chicago has dense shopping corridors downtown, large malls in surrounding suburbs and busy public transit routes. Crowds shape how the day feels. The history of “Black Friday” captures that tension between excitement and congestion, and the story still plays out every year.
People often talk about the pressure to find the right deal. But knowing that Black Friday grew from traffic descriptions, then later from marketing efforts, can make the day easier to understand. It’s not a deadline. It’s a moment shaped by history, tradition and the way people approach holiday shopping.
