What Is Black Friday? Date, Name and Profit Math

When Black Friday Falls, and Where the Name Comes From

US Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November, and Black Friday is the day after, so the date moves every year. In 2026 it's November 27.

People often call it "the fourth Friday of November." Usually true, not always. If November starts on a Friday, it's the fifth Friday, like in 2024, when it fell on November 29.

The popular story is that stores moved "into the black," meaning into profit. The older use is grimmer. In the 1960s, Philadelphia police called it Black Friday because of the heavy crowds and traffic.

Black Friday is just one day. The BFCM weekend covers four days, Friday through Cyber Monday. Lots of stores now start deals days or even weeks early.

Why Black Friday Numbers Don't Match a Normal Week

That week, lots of visitors are hunting deals and comparing stores. Other shops are on sale too. So your Black Friday conversion rate and average order value say little about a regular week. Don't use them as the baseline for December tests.

A store-wide sale has a quieter cost, too. Your dedicated buyers, who'd have paid full price, get the same discount as everyone else.

The Myth That Every Black Friday Order Is Extra

A huge order count feels like a big win. But some shoppers just wait for the sale. Those orders weren't added, just moved to a new date.

Example: A Candle Shop's Two Weeks

A candle sells for $40 and costs $20 to make and ship. Each order is one candle. A normal week brings 100 orders and $2,000 profit.

The week before Black Friday, some regulars wait. Orders drop to 70, so profit is $1,400.
Black Friday week, the shop takes 25% off. At $30, each order earns $10, and 250 candles sell for $2,500 profit.
Two normal weeks would've made $4,000. These two made $3,900.

Revenue went up from $8,000 to $10,300. Profit went down by $100.

Running a Black Friday Sale on Shopify

In your Shopify admin, a discount can have start and end dates. So you can set up a Black Friday discount code or automatic discount early, and it'll switch on and off by itself. Cutting prices instead? The compare-at price field lets your theme show the old price crossed out.

Our app, Growth Suite, can run store-wide event-based campaigns and set tiered discounts based on how much a shopper spends. The full plan is in our Black Friday Cyber Monday campaign guide. To fit it into your year, see our yearly Shopify campaign calendar.