The day’s name originated in Philadelphia, where it originally was used to describe the heavy and disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic which would occur on the day after Thanksgiving. Use of the term started before 1961 and began to see broader use outside Philadelphia around 1975. Later an alternative explanation was made: that retailers traditionally operated at a financial loss (“in the red”) from January through November, and “Black Friday” indicates the point at which retailers begin to turn a profit, or “in the black”.

Black Friday is the day following Thanksgiving Day in the United States (the fourth Thursday of November), often regarded as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. In recent years, most major retailers have opened very early and offered promotional sales to kick off the holiday shopping season, similar to Boxing Day sales in many Commonwealth nations. Black Friday is not a holiday, but California and some other states observe “The Day After Thanksgiving” as a holiday for state government employees, sometimes in lieu of another federal holiday such as Columbus Day. Many non-retail employees and schools have both Thanksgiving and the day after off, followed by a weekend, thereby increasing the number of potential shoppers. It has routinely been the busiest shopping day of the year since 2005, although news reports, which at that time were inaccurate, have described it as the busiest shopping day of the year for a much longer period of time. 

Top Black Friday 2022 Predictions, Per Retail Experts

• Black Friday 2022 will begin early: Retailers will begin having Black Friday sales earlier than ever this year, some right after Halloween.
• Retailers will have excess inventory: The retail industry has much excess inventory — as seen throughout this year — so expect to see Black Friday-level savings in addition to ‘official’ promotions.
• Brick and mortar stores will drive growth: online shopping remains a convenient option for most shoppers. But buying journey is no longer a linear physical vs. digital experience. Buyers interact at multiple touchpoints before completing their purchase.
• Toys will sell out quickly this year: Popular toys will sell out fast, and our retail experts recommend buying them before Black Friday.
• Consumers will choose sustainable options: research by Sprout Social reveals that nearly 72% of shoppers want brands to contribute positively to society. After employee and customer treatment, a company’s sustainability practices are the topmost factor influencing buying decisions. Modern shoppers won’t buy from you if there’s a value mismatch.

Will consumers start their Black Friday shopping earlier this year?

Shoppers worried about inflation and a potential recession aren’t waiting until Black Friday, but instead are looking to early fall sales and discounts to beat expected price hikes,

While there’s an overall ‘shopping early’ trend, there’s also added pressure among retailers to drive sales.

Consumers will lean toward hesitancy because of the looming recession uncertainty, leaving retailers with a lot of work to drive traffic and convert purchases now.

Black Friday 2022 Predictions on Top Retailers, Per Shopping Experts

• Amazon: Amazon will be focusing on curbside pickup and in-store returns (if a shopper would like to swap out their purchase once received). According to Kieboom, retailers are 400% more likely to convert returns into a new buy, in comparison to non-replenished good stores.
• Kohl’s: Kohl’s has already shared their upcoming holiday deals, which kicked off in early October. From Oct. 6 through Christmas Eve, shoppers will find items on sale or an offer at Kohl’s every single day. The retailer will also be offering a seven-day Black Friday Early Access event and of course be offering more Kohl’s Cash than ever before. 
• Macy’s: Macy’s held their own early holiday sale in October and shoppers can expect incredible savings for Black Friday & Cyber Monday — from KitchenAid appliances and cookware to bedding and bath essentials, to furniture. 
• Target: Shoppers can anticipate daily deals featured across all categories including home decor and furniture, electronics, groceries, beauty, fashion, children’s toys, sporting goods and more. Target’s Black Friday 2022 event is already live.
• Walmart: Walmart is currently hosting a large fall sale that is continuing into the holiday season. At Walmart, you can find major discounts on items across a wide variety of categories, however, the biggest deals are in tech and home goods. 

Sources:
https://nypost.com/2022/10/21/black-friday-predictions-and-trends-for-2022-per-retail-experts/
https://www.intelligencenode.com/blog/5-key-predictions-for-black-friday-sale-2022/