Our guide to Black Friday shopping in the Puget Sound region (greaterseattleonthecheap.com)

Thanksgiving Weekend is the one of the busiest shopping seasons of the year, from the day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday) through the following Monday (known as Cyber Monday–famous for online shopping). Throughout the weekend, you can enjoy extended hours at shopping malls, sales on gifts, and décor for the holidays, and plenty of holiday spirit. Some stores open on Thanksgiving, though the most recent trend for many major big box and national retailers is to close and let their employees enjoy the holiday before the big Christmas shopping season gets under way.

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Why is it called Black Friday?

“Black Friday” is the common term in the U.S. for the day after Thanksgiving (which is always the 4th Thursday in November). It’s the day when millions of people have the day off from work or school and crowd into stores and shopping malls for what is considered by many to be the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.

The meaning of the term “Black Friday” has changed over time. Some popular, but incorrect explanations exist. We visited our favorite fact-checking resource, snopes.com to find the following factual information:

In 1951, the earliest known use of “Black Friday”, it referred to the practice of workers calling in sick on the day after Thanksgiving in order to have four consecutive days off. Employers likened it to the bubonic plague, also known as the Black Plague.

In 1961 the term “Black Friday” gained widespread popularity after Philadelphia newspapers and television picked up the term “Black Friday” (and “Black Saturday”) from Philadelphia police who used the term to describe the massive traffic gridlock and other headaches caused by the hordes of shoppers heading to the city’s downtown stores on the two days after Thanksgiving, which became known as “Black Friday” and “Black Saturday”.

In 1980s, other popular explanations arose. Black Friday is the day on which retailers began to show a profit for the year, which in accounting terms is known as moving from being “in the red” to being “in the black”. Still others have stated the term comes from retail employees who call it Black Friday because of all the hard work. It’s a long, long day for retail employees dealing with large crowds of shoppers, who—let’s face it—aren’t always as considerate as they should be.

Whether Black Friday is a day of glee for you or one of dread, listed below we’ve put together a list of retailers where you can get into the holiday spirit, start on your holiday shopping list, and decorate your home in full regalia to celebrate the Christmas season, bringing light and joy into your surroundings for the dark days of winter ahead.

Best places to shop on Black Friday

This list of retailers for gift ideas, party supplies, and holiday decor focuses on locally owned stores offering an alternative to big box stores and shopping malls.

At these local retailers you can find meaningful gifts in a range of prices. Some offer unique, hand-crafted, or local products.

Outlet Malls in the Puget Sound region

Outlet Malls in the Seattle-Tacoma area always have extended hours for holidays and offer additional discounts over already low prices.

Art and Craft Shows in the Puget Sound region

We keep a running list of art and craft shows throughout the year. It includes information about the art community around Puget Sound such as art studio tours, which are a great way to support local artists, the local economy, and do your gift shopping all at the same time. Win-win-win. Everybody wins!

But wait, there’s more!