The first recorded use of the term “ Black Friday ” was applied not to holiday shopping but to the financial crisis: specifically, the crash of the U.S. gold market on September 24, 1869. The day after Thanksgiving wasn't called Black Friday then. The name was associated with September 24, 1869. Two speculators, Jay Gould, and James Fisk created a boom and bust in gold prices. Black Friday remains a crucial holiday shopping day, but it’s no longer paramount. Nor is it accurate to say that Black Friday is still the start of the official holiday shopping season. That’s largely due to the retail industry’s increasingly fierce, even desperate, competitive landscape. In an omnichannel world, consumers can shop when and where they please. That gives retailers who already face increased competition from online-only stores. Decide what you want in advance. You may not be able to cover all the stores and may not be able to get all the early bird specials. So decide