The Origins and History of Black Friday

It’s that time of year again! It seems to come around with even more regularity than Christmas, and for some people is even more exciting. In fact, the two are intimately linked.

In this article, we will learn everything about Black Friday and how at Royal Queen Seeds we approach this special date in our calendar.

But, What Is Black Friday?

Every year you’re subjected to a constant barrage of promotions around the time when it starts to get dark early. But what do you really know about this disorienting time of year?

Simply put, in the contemporary world of retail, Black Friday is an ever-growing period of discounts and promotions. Once limited mostly to expensive goods in specific stores, Black Friday now encompasses most goods and services and has evolved lately around online shopping.

The History of Black Friday

In its pure, old-fashioned and innocent form, Black Friday was a single day of discounts on the 25th of November, the day after Thanksgiving.

The first known iteration of Black Friday as a day of shopping discounts was on November 25th, 1952, as this was then considered to be the beginning of the Christmas shopping period. That being said, there is no certain reference to the name Black Friday until November 29th, 1979, when it was referred to in the New York Times.

This post-Thanksgiving, pre-Christmas shopping period became so important in the US that President Roosevelt ordered Thanksgiving to be moved from the “last Thursday” in November to the “fourth Thursday”, meaning that in some years, the shopping period would be extended.

Why Is It Called Black Friday?

But where does the name Black Friday come from?

There are competing theories, and none are certain. The earliest known reference comes in 1951, where it was used to describe the day after Thanksgiving in some factories as a day on which disproportionate numbers of workers would call in sick, supposedly to have a three-day weekend.

Later, in the 60s, police in Rochdale and Philadelphia used the term to describe the traffic congestion in the cities at the beginning of the Christmas shopping period. It seems that from this it began to spread, gaining connotations of shopping and taking on a more positive air. Throughout the 1980s, the term spread around the US and slowly became a sort of capitalist national vacation.

One theory suggests that due to the extra work the police had to undertake on this date, shoppers were able to use it as an opportunity to invade stores and make off with goods without paying—potentially explaining why the day is so associated with discounts.

More likely, though, as stores became aware that many people went on a shopping spree on this date, they dropped their prices to try and lure people in. And as more stores picked up this practice, it would have grown to the massive proportions we see today.

The Evolution of Black Friday

Black Friday once involved queuing outside of a store until it opened and then bursting in and fighting over the limited amount of discounted goods available. And then, after a mere 24 hours, the retail carnage would end and people would return to their normal lives.

No longer!

As you surely know, Black Friday has become longer and longer. Until fairly recently, it lasted for around an extra week, either before or directly after Black Friday itself. However, in the last few years, thanks to online giants, Black Friday has slithered backwards through the year and now can reach back even into early fall.

The Evolution of Black Friday at Royal Queen Seeds

Here at RQS, we think Black Friday is a joyful moment of the year. That's why, when the time comes, we strive to create memorable moments that directly engage with you in funny and creative ways.

Below, take a look at the different Black Friday extravaganzas we’ve put out over the last five years, where we've gone beyond the ordinary.

Join the Weedstock festival

In 2018 we draw a full-blown, psychedelic homage to Woodstock (renamed “Weedstock”). All our site was full of color, with elements sporting The Beatles’ famous “Yellow Submarine”, on a lazy, hazy summer festival.

As we battled the darkness of fall, we injected a full dose of summer color back into everyone's lives. After all, cannabis seeds thrive under the summer sun, so why not evoke the nostalgia of that season?

Glitchy and Unreal: Join The Matrix

In 2019, the world was rapidly transitioning to the digital realm. Inspired by 'The Matrix,' we transformed Black Friday into a digital experience. Through text and imagery, the concept was based on the notion of a glitch in the matrix. For a brief moment, everyone could catch a glimpse of it. Was it real, or just a simple error?

And 2020 Arrived

In 2020, the year COVID-19 made its presence felt (and we understand, it's a year we'd all like to forget). It was a time to keep things simple and attempt to brighten spirits during a challenging period. We used vibrant party colors and styles to lift the mood. Knowing all of you would be sick and tired of hearing meaningless catchphrases from social media, we decided to make our message plain and direct, without dressing it up.

Can a Black Friday get any easier than: “Black Friday Black Friday Black Friday”? Probably not. We understood that people would be struggling that year, so we opted not to add to the noise and distraction with an extravagant drive, but to just give people what they needed.

Rewriting The History in 2021

What if some of the most significant historical moments had occurred in a cannabis-inspired context? The first moon landing? The sinking of the Titanic?

In 2021, with the world deep into COVID and only a slight gimmer at the end of the tunnel, we reinvented history in a distopian way.

In 'Liberty Leading the People,' the famous painting commemorating the French Revolution, Liberty was portrayed carrying a giant spliff, depicting the real revolution.

As for the moon landing, imagine astronauts setting foot on the lunar surface, only to stumble upon a vast field of weed plants. And picture the Titanic, colliding with a colossal 'weedberg'—the remnants of a massive bud that had broken free from the budland up north, stored and frozen.

Did you get your invitation in 2022?

For 2022, we went for exclusive vibes. Are you a James Bond type? Or maybe you’re on your way to an exclusive club, in the back of the limo with Rihanna and Justin Timberlake?

If this is you, then you would have loved 2022’s season. Delivered to the inboxes of our loyal community, we wanted this to feel like a personal invitation to a private party, where you could walk away with your pockets full of top-quality cannabis seeds.

Time Expands in 2023

You may be familiar with the idea of time relativity. When you're doing things you enjoy, time seems to fly by, while moments of boredom can make time drag on.

Planting your cannabis seeds, nurturing your plants, and waiting for that perfect moment to enjoy your harvest can make days feel like mere moments. Watching the curing process might even make weeks feel like months.

This Black Friday, we're stretching the boundaries of time. Simply immerse yourself in the experience and envision the future you, growing and caring for your cannabis.

Buying for Black Friday at Royal Queen Seeds

Top tip: If you’re buying cannabis seeds from us this year for Black Friday, it may well be that you don’t germinate them until spring next year. Rest assured! Although it’s important to make sure that you store your cannabis seeds properly to ensure that you get the results you’re after when the time comes to plant them.