Blame Me For Black Friday

I apologize for Black Friday. Sorry. I had a part in ruining one of America’s greatest national holidays—Thanksgiving. As a journalist I was part of the machine that hyped a made-up “holiday.” My reporting helped put the focus on steals and deals and away from meals. Again, please forgive me.

The term “Black Friday” was coined in the 1960s to mark the start of the holiday shopping season, according to several sources. The news media often reports the day after Thanksgiving is “the busiest shopping day of the year.” That’s not actually true. According to a report from the International Council of Shopping Centers, Black Friday ranks from fifth to tenth on the list of busiest shopping days, with the last Saturday before Christmas usually taking first place.

I contributed to this fake holiday hype. I did my duty interviewing frantic shoppers at the Mall of America. I wrote copy about crowds foregoing Thanksgiving dinner in lieu of the opportunity to buy an enormous television set. I read the retail numbers suggesting Black Friday sales numbers are tied to the economic health of the nation. Research suggests the relationship between Black Friday sales and retail sales for the full holiday season is quite weak.

The blackest part of Black Friday is the death. From 2006 to 2014 seven people have died during Black Friday shopping sprees and 98 people were injured. I know these numbers because, sadly, there is a website keeping track of the disturbing statistics. Here’s a link to blackfridaydeathcount.com. Yes, the website name is very direct.

How did Black Friday carve out a place in American culture? I have my theories. First, I believe this is an unholy marriage of reporting and retail. In many cases media outlets make a great deal of money in ad sales and have an interest in increasing sales numbers. One hand washes the other—right?

Second, the day after Thanksgiving was a traditionally a slow news day—meaning not much happened. Sending a reporter and a photographer out to a retail mall is one way of filling airtime and column inches. Newsrooms often call these kinds of stories “shooting fish in a barrel.” It does not take much talent to get a quote from a captive shopping audience.

Again I’m sorry for my past transgressions. This year I’m thankful I won’t be called upon to file a Black Friday story. In case you’re wondering, I apologize in advance for the media coverage of Cyber Monday. Ho, ho, ho.