Black Friday conjures up images of frantic shopping, violence: How it got its name

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WASHINGTON: Black Friday is referred to the shopping day after Thanksgiving. But the Philadelphia Police reportedly first coined it to describe the mayhem involving the traffic and congestion on Friday that followed Thanksgiving Day.

According to a media report, the name was first recorded in 1966 by a rare stamps dealer, Earl Apfelbaum, who in an ad claimed that Philadelphia Police termed the Friday violence as Black Friday.

Black Friday officially opens the Christmas shopping season. However, it brings massive traffic jams and over-crowded sidewalks and the stores are often mobbed from opening to closing.

Retailers wanted to make "Black Friday" mean something positive as the shopping day after Thanksgiving turned out to be a very profitable day.

Black Friday crowds hunting for good bargains give the police a major headache as frantic shoppers hit the streets looking for insane discounts.

The stores offer mind-boggling discounts on items ranging from electronics, furniture, and clothing to other must-have items of the holiday season.

With the dawn of online shopping, Black Friday has lost some of its sheens but that won't keep the customers from hitting the streets early on Friday.

Most major retailers open very early and offer promotional sales.

Black Friday is an official holiday in the United States.