Why Is It Called Black Friday?


Do you have any Cabbage Patch dolls?

I worked in retailing when the dolls first came out. Customers would line up and wait for hours for a truck to arrive. It was Christmas time, and this was the must have item of the season. Absurd amounts of money were being exchanged for a toy that would later be discarded by many. We didn't mind. It's a great time of year when you're a retailer.

There are some slow days in the market place. Days when your sales don't match your cost of operation. Those times often put retailers "in the red." This is where the term "Black Friday," came from. Retailers will often record as much as 50% of all their annual sales between the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. This offsets for the lean months, and helps you to finish the year, "in the black."
There's nothing wrong with shopping on Black Friday, or Cyber Monday, or any day between now and Christmas. There will often be some great deals out there. However you have to remember it's called Black Friday because it puts the retailer in the black, not you. If you shop smart you can stay in the black also. However, if you purchase things on credit to pay for later with interest then the day is actually "Red Friday" for you.

Christmas is all about celebrating the birth of Jesus, and remembering he came to set us free. Debt, however, is a form of bondage.

"The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender." Proverbs 22:7

To enter into bondage as a way of celebrating liberty doesn't even make any sense. Gift giving is a wonderful thing. God gave his Son, and he gives us gifts. Resist the urge to give more than you can afford though. In so doing Christmas will still be a great celebration, and you'll get to "Have yourself a merry little January."

Following the Son,

James A Williams

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