How did Black Friday get its name?

THE story most repeated is that it is the day US retailers would finally turn a profit, or swing into the black, after being in the red all year. This marks the kick-off of the Christmas shopping season.

However, the origins actually stem from Philadelphia, some reports suggest. In the 1960s, the term was bandied about by Philadelphia traffic police, who had to contend with heavy traffic and a sharp rise in pedestrians as crowds of shoppers thronged the stores the day after Thanksgiving. In the ensuing chaos, there would also be a spike in crime, resulting in a major headache for the police who weren't allowed to take the day off and had to work long hours to boot.

A Philadelphia Bulletin reporter brought the word into the mainstream by using it in a front-page story.