(Photo from Marietta College Special Collections) Christmas time 1930.

What kind of Black Friday deals did Marietta retailers offer 100 years ago? None. Black Friday, the name and the deals, didn’t start until the late 1980’s. Today’s Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, the unofficial kick-off for Christmas shopping. The name refers to the concept that stores achieve profitability (“in the black”) from Christmas shopping after losing money (“in the red”) in prior months.

There were other Black Fridays long before that. The first Black Friday had no connection to shopping but to a financial crisis. The price of gold crashed on September 24, 1869, after a failed attempt by two financiers to drive up gold prices. “Black” captured the unpleasantness of the occasion.

One writer says the “real” Black Friday was coined by Philadelphia police in the 1950s. Crowds flooded into the city on the day after Thanksgiving for shopping and to see the Army-Navy football game. Cops had to deal with traffic jams and shoplifting. It was a Black day because they worked long shifts of difficult duty – while their own families were out shopping.

Some businesses labeled the day Black Friday because many of their employees called off sick, so they could shop. The resulting staffing shortages complicated an already challenging day for retail stores.

The Black Friday name stuck, though it did not become a major event until the 1990s. The vibe shifted to positive fun things – doorbuster deals, earlier store openings, and excitement. Sometimes shoppers were too enthusiastic – showing up earlier and fighting each other to get in. “Doorbuster” offers sometimes resulted in busted doors.

So, how did Marietta stores in pre-Black Friday times promote Christmas shopping? They used traditional print advertising and promotional events. Christmas spirit motivation was always a built-in advantage for merchants. The Marietta Register in 1893: “The remark of an old merchant is ‘I never saw a time where there was not a Christmas trade….’ This year is no exception,” despite a financial panic in the national economy.

Retailers were creative in planning promotional events. There were two such events in 1930. On December 18, Santa arrived in Marietta with a mobile workshop. The Marietta Times noted that “Santa Clause…has embraced modern ideas and is arriving on a large truck.” His workshop was a log hut perched on the truck. Santa’s visit was a big hit. The Times gushed, “The visit of Santa Clause (is) one of the most popular innovations that the patron saint has ever tried in Marietta.” The photo is taken on Second Street looking toward the river. Union Hardware is the present Zide’s Sport Shop building. The building just below it was a Chevrolet dealership. Santa is shown with the “workshop” behind him.

One of the oddest Christmas promotions was a performance of noted strongman “Daredevil” Al Ritchie. He visited Marietta December 4, 1930, to perform feats of strength. One of his signature acts was pulling 10 Railway Express trucks carrying “200 pretty girls” with a rope around his neck. Later he had 16 men put their full weight on a bar on the back of his neck, then engaged in a tug-of-war with 50 guys. Marietta merchants offered “special inducements” to encourage shopping. The Marietta Times assured the public that local businessmen had verified ahead of time that Ritchie’s acts were for real. “Thousands” turned out.

Christmas shopping is now bigger than ever, lasting two or more months, with big box stores and endless on-line sources. Some say the shopping frenzy now overshadows the true meaning of Christmas. What do you think?