The True Story About Amazon’s Black Friday And How It Got Started

Have you ever wondered how Amazon went from an online bookstore to dominating Black Friday? Well, here’s the real story, and it’s better than the myths.

As Amazon’s Black Friday Sale kicks off on November 20, 2025, the hype is real. This isn’t just another shopping event, it’s the evolution of retail, gift-ideas, and deep discounts under one roof.

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Amazon Didn’t Invent Black Friday

Black Friday originally started as a chaotic shopping day in the U.S. — the Friday after Thanksgiving — when stores slashed prices to kick off the holiday rush. Retailers saw the day as a way to turn a profit (“in the black”) as sales exploded.

Amazon didn’t invent Black Friday itself, but the company was among the first to turn it into a massive online event.

In 2015, Amazon officially began its own multi-day Black Friday store with exclusive deals, launching the holiday shopping season early.

By 2019, Amazon was running a “biggest ever” Black Friday sale, featuring new deals every day across thousands of items, from electronics and fashion to holiday gift ideas.

This aggressive discounting strategy helped cement Amazon’s reputation as a go-to destination for Black Friday shopping.

Online Shopping Festival

Years of innovation followed, including Prime-exclusive offers, lightning deals, and expanded events. By turning Black Friday into an online shopping festival, Amazon changed how the world thinks about discount events and gift ideas.

This year, with Amazon’s Black Friday Sale starting on November 20 and running through December 1, 2025, shoppers can expect a wide array of deeply discounted items.

Whether you’re shopping for tech, holiday gifts, or all the must-haves on your list, Amazon’s continuing to raise the bar on deals and convenience.

The Original Black Friday

The original Black Friday may belong to Philadelphia police and old-school accounting, but Amazon is the true architect of the modern digital sales frenzy.

The Myth vs. The Masterstroke
The origins of "Black Friday" were chaotic, local, and entirely physical:

The Police: In 1950s Philadelphia, police used the term to describe the miserable, congested day after Thanksgiving when hordes of shoppers and tourists jammed city streets creating a headache for law enforcement.

The Accountants: Later, retailers adopted it to describe the day their ledger finally moved "into the black" (profitable) after operating "in the red" (at a loss) for most of the year.

By the mid-2000s, Amazon realized they didn't need a single day. They didn't need physical crowds. What they needed was a sustained, global digital event that started well before Thanksgiving.

They began launching Black Friday Deals earlier and earlier, turning the chaotic 24-hour event into a multi-week, multi-category shopping marathon.

In doing so, Amazon fundamentally changed the psychology of holiday purchasing. They conditioned consumers to seek out gift ideas and massive savings in early November, effectively starting the modern Black Friday as a premier online event.

Their early sales domination forced every other retailer to follow suit, kicking off the global race we see today.

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