Explanation of Black and White Friday
Black and White Friday are two separate events that occur at different times of the year and in different parts of the world. Black Friday is traditionally an American shopping event that occurs on the day after Thanksgiving, which falls on the fourth Thursday of November.
On Black Friday, retailers offer massive discounts and sales both online and in-store, and shoppers often camp out overnight to be the first to take advantage of these deals.
White Friday, on the other hand, is a shopping event that originated in the Middle East and is typically held during the last week of November. White Friday was created as a response to Black Friday and is meant to provide shoppers in the Middle East with similar deals and discounts.
The event is known as “White” Friday because it is associated with the color white, which is seen as a symbol of peace and purity in the region.
While both Black Friday and White Friday offer shoppers the opportunity to save money on a wide range of products, the two events have different origins, dates, and regional popularity.
Difference Between Black and White Friday
Origin and History
A. Black Friday
The term “Black Friday” originated in Philadelphia in the 1960s, where it was used to describe the heavy and disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic that would occur on the day after Thanksgiving, as shoppers flocked to the stores. The term eventually came to be associated with the start of the Christmas shopping season, and retailers began to offer discounts and special promotions to attract shoppers on this day.
Over the years, Black Friday has become one of the biggest shopping days of the year in the United States, and it has spread to other countries around the world. Retailers now offer massive discounts and sales both online and in-store, and shoppers often camp out overnight or line up for hours to be the first to take advantage of these deals.
B. White Friday
White Friday was created by the e-commerce site Souq.com in 2014 as a response to Black Friday, with the goal of providing shoppers in the Middle East with similar deals and discounts. Souq.com was acquired by Amazon in 2017, and the White Friday event now encompasses all of Amazon’s Middle Eastern operations.
The name “White Friday” was chosen because white is seen as a symbol of peace and purity in the Middle East. The event is typically held during the last week of November and offers shoppers discounts and deals on a wide range of products, including electronics, fashion, and household items. In recent years, other retailers and e-commerce sites in the region have also started offering their own White Friday deals, making it a major shopping event in the Middle East.
Date and Timing
A. Black Friday
Black Friday is traditionally held on the day after Thanksgiving, which falls on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. This means that the date of Black Friday varies each year, but it is always the day after Thanksgiving. In recent years, some retailers have started offering Black Friday deals earlier in the week, or even starting on Thanksgiving Day itself, but the official start of the shopping event is still considered to be the Friday after Thanksgiving.
B. White Friday
White Friday is typically held during the last week of November, and the exact date varies from year to year. The event usually starts on a Thursday or Friday and runs for several days, offering shoppers the opportunity to take advantage of deals and discounts on a wide range of products.
Because White Friday was created as a response to Black Friday, the two events usually occur around the same time of year, although White Friday is more focused on the Middle Eastern market. The dates of the two events can sometimes overlap, depending on the calendar and the timing of Thanksgiving.
Geographical Differences
A. Black Friday
Black Friday originated in the United States and is still primarily associated with American retailers, although the event has spread to other countries around the world in recent years. In the United States, Black Friday is one of the biggest shopping events of the year, with millions of people lining up outside of stores and shopping online to take advantage of the deals.
Outside of the United States, Black Friday has become increasingly popular in countries such as Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom, where retailers offer similar discounts and promotions to attract shoppers.
B. White Friday
White Friday was created in the Middle East and is primarily focused on the markets in that region, although it has also expanded to other countries in recent years. In the Middle East, White Friday is one of the biggest shopping events of the year, with retailers offering discounts and deals on a wide range of products to attract shoppers.
Outside of the Middle East, White Friday is less well-known, although some retailers and e-commerce sites have started offering similar deals and promotions to compete with Black Friday and other shopping events.
While both Black Friday and White Friday offer shoppers the opportunity to save money on a wide range of products, the two events have different geographical origins and regional popularity. Black Friday is primarily associated with the United States and has spread to other countries, while White Friday was created in the Middle East and is primarily focused on that region.
Shopping Trends and Sales
A. Black Friday
Black Friday is known for its massive discounts and sales, with retailers offering deep discounts on a wide range of products, including electronics, appliances, clothing, and more. In recent years, many retailers have also started offering online deals in addition to in-store promotions, with some online sales starting even earlier than Black Friday itself.
The popularity of Black Friday has also led to the rise of Cyber Monday, which is the Monday following Black Friday and focuses on online shopping deals. This has expanded the length of the shopping event beyond just one day and has made it more convenient for shoppers to take advantage of the deals.
B. White Friday
Like Black Friday, White Friday is known for its discounts and deals on a wide range of products, including electronics, fashion, and household items. In recent years, White Friday has also expanded to include online sales, making it more convenient for shoppers to take advantage of the deals.
The shopping trends on White Friday are somewhat different from those on Black Friday. While Black Friday is known for its crowds and long lines, White Friday is more focused on online shopping, with many shoppers preferring to take advantage of the deals from the comfort of their own homes.
Both Black Friday and White Friday offer shoppers the opportunity to save money on a wide range of products, with retailers offering deep discounts and sales on both events. However, the shopping trends and sales strategies may differ slightly between the two events.
Conclusion
Black Friday and White Friday are two major shopping events that occur at the end of November each year. Black Friday originated in the United States and is primarily associated with American retailers, although it has spread to other countries around the world. It is known for its massive discounts and sales, with retailers offering deep discounts on a wide range of products.
White Friday, on the other hand, was created in the Middle East and is primarily focused on that region. It is also known for its discounts and deals on a wide range of products, although the shopping trends and sales strategies may differ slightly from those of Black Friday.
Both events offer shoppers the opportunity to save money on a wide range of products, with many retailers offering online deals as well as in-store promotions.
Reference Books
- “Black Friday: The True Story of the Bombay Bomb Blasts” by S. Hussain Zaidi
- “Black Friday: The Collapse of the American Shopping Mall” by Michael Corkery
- “The Origins of Black Friday: The Legacy of Philadelphia’s Mob History” by J. Michael Morrison
- “The Retail Doctor’s Guide to Growing Your Business: A Step-by-Step Approach to Quickly Diagnose, Treat, and Cure” by Bob Phibbs
- “The New Rules of Retail: Competing in the World’s Toughest Marketplace” by Robin Lewis and Michael Dart
- “The History of White Friday: How the Middle East’s Biggest Shopping Event Was Born” by Racha Adib
- “The Future of Shopping: The Rise of New Technologies and New Retail Experiences” by J. Walker Smith
- “Retail Therapy: Why the Retail Industry Is Broken – and What Can Be Done to Fix It” by Mark Pilkington
- “The New Economics of Retailing and E-Tailing” by Young-Hoon Park and Jae-Young Oh
- “Retail Therapy: Why the Retail Industry is Broken – And What Can Be Done to Fix It” by Mark Pilkington.
References Website
- BlackFriday.com – https://blackfriday.com/
- Tamebay.com – https://tamebay.com/
- Retail Gazette – https://www.retailgazette.com/
- Business Insider – https://www.businessinsider.com/
- CNBC – https://www.cnbc.com/
- Forbes – https://www.forbes.com/
- Gulf News – https://gulfnews.com/
- Arab News – https://www.arabnews.com/
- Statista – https://www.statista.com/
- National Retail Federation – https://nrf.com/