So yes, Black Friday was started by retailers to boost their sales and probably their Christmas bonuses. And despite what many people have come to believe, Black Friday was not a term that originated from retailers’ first day “in the black.” The term was actually coined in Philadelphia where thousands of people gathered to watch the Army/Navy game the day after Thanksgiving.

And even though there are misunderstandings around how the term Black Friday began, the biggest shopping day of the year has taken off since its birth in the 1980s. And I couldn’t be happier.

Once we all get past the irony that the biggest shopping day of the year is the literal day after we all sit with our families and discuss what we are thankful for, think about the bigger picture here. Black Friday is win-win. Shoppers win because they get crazy good deals, and retailers win because they rake in their highest revenues of the year. In 2017, American consumers spent more than $690 billion on Black Friday. 

And it’s not even just about the money. The National Retail Federation reported that in 2017, somewhere between 500,000 and 550,000 people were hired by retailers as seasonal workers. An increase in jobs, and revenue for retailers means a boost in the economy. Hurray.

This Black Friday, let’s all put aside our differences, get out there, and shop for those we care about.