📋 Black Friday History: How a Sale Became an Obsession (AARP Article)

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📋 Black Friday History: How a Sale Became an Obsession (AARP Article)

FROM THE ARTICLE.

Black Friday: How a Post-Thanksgiving Sale Became a National Obsession.

A look at the history of America’s biggest shopping holiday — and where it’s heading next.

By Perry Santanachote, AARP. Published November 21, 2025.

Key takeaways!

(1) Scarcity and urgency fueled the frenzy, turning deal-hunting into an emotional, communal experience.

(2) Online shopping and Cyber Monday shifted the excitement from store lines to digital deals.

(3) Today, Black Friday is less about discounts and more about creating shareable experiences.

When Macy’s launched its first holiday parade in 1924 — then called the Christmas Parade, and three years later dubbed the Thanksgiving Day Parade — it wasn’t just pageantry. It was a signal flare for the retail world, capped by Santa Claus waving in the official countdown to Christmas.

“The Thanksgiving Day parade was one of the first experiential marketing moments,” says Barbara Kahn, professor of marketing at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. “It didn’t say ‘go shop now,’ but it absolutely started the holiday period.”

USE THE LINK BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE.

https://www.aarp.org/money/personal-finance/black-friday-history/