Black Friday — the name commonly bestowed on the post-Thanksgiving rush of holiday shopping — is a relatively recent phenomenon, only coming into vogue as we now know it in the mid-1980s. What began as a clever marketing strategy by retailers has exploded into a multiday frenzy of commerce in which Americans annually spend billions.
There’s certainly nothing wrong with trying to check everyone off your gift list and hunting bargains, even if it requires starting in the early morning darkness and battling crowds similarly inspired by deep discounts. But in making a holiday budget this year, please remember those in our community who rely on generosity by devoting a few dollars to your neighbors in need and the organizations which support them.
Hampton Roads residents have no doubt already received plenty of appeals to enjoy the “biggest sales of the year” as marketing for Black Friday ramps up. Television and print ads tout the potential savings of holiday shopping this weekend and emails from every online retailer with whom you’ve interacted in your life are currently piling up in your inbox.
Believe it or not, it wasn’t always this way. The History Channel offers some illuminating insight in the checkered evolution of Black Friday — from a 1869 stock market crash spurred by a failed attempt to drive up gold prices, to the experience of Philadelphia police officers overwhelmed by crowds into the city for the annual Army-Navy game in the 1950s and 1960s.
However, the term as we know it today emerged in the 1980s as a marketing campaign to encourage holiday spending immediately following Thanksgiving. The oft-repeated notion that retailers depend on the rush to make an annual profit — turning their accounts from debt (red) to profit (black) — may be fiction, but it sure was effective.
Thus began the tradition of heading to stores early in the morning on Friday to snap up heavily discounted in-demand items to give as gifts. Soon people were sleeping overnight outside malls and big box stores to be the first in line, and videos of truly depraved behavior — pushing, shoving and other behavior that would make a hockey player squeamish — became, sadly, commonplace.
Online purchasing has transformed the traditional rush. Americans now are more likely to sit down at their laptops for shopping rather than brave the crowds and weather typically associated with Black Friday. But it remains big business: Estimates suggest about 187 million Black Friday shoppers will make about $80 billion in purchases this year.
One thing hasn’t changed, though. There are plenty of people in our communities who struggle to get by and whose lives would be improved by community generosity in the coming weeks and months. Higher prices, rising unemployment and general uncertainty have many Americans living on the edge and in need of a helping hand.
That’s where Hampton Roads residents can make a huge difference in the lives of their neighbors and toward the betterment of our region. By allotting some percentage of their holiday gift budgets to charitable nonprofits, area families can ensure help goes where it’s needed.
Some organizations — area food banks, for instance — are well known and reliable. Donations help them stock barren shelves and address growing demand for assistance. Others may require a little more research; be sure to check sites such as Charity Navigator that will help sort out which nonprofits devote the largest share of donations to recipients rather than salaries and overhead (though that may not be a deal-breaker since paying for employees and rent is necessary too).
One useful way to help is to set up a recurring donation so that money supports these worthy organizations throughout the year. Sitting around the Thanksgiving table reminds us of the less fortunate, but hunger is a year-round problem.
So in the rush to cross everyone off your gift list on Black Friday, don’t forget the needy, the hungry and the vulnerable who would benefit from our help this holiday season — and throughout the year.
