Come Together Over Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Coworking

Thanksgiving and Black Friday emerged from a murky past.

The beginnings of Thanksgiving were darkened by the clash between the Indigenous peoples of America and the European colonialists. But the event was remade into a family-focused holiday, a warm, fun occasion for everyone to come together over food, love, and a long tradition of giving thanks for one another.

Black Friday was also quite different from what it is today.

The term “Black Friday” originated from a Wall Street conspiracy in 1869 that bankrupted millionaires and working people alike. In the 1950s, the name was adopted by the Philadelphia police to describe the day after Thanksgiving when shoppers, tourists, and sports fans would storm the streets, sending the city into chaos.

In the 1980s, the term was recast into a more positive light, as the one day of the year when consumers could land all the best deals in one fell swoop. The name itself implies the idea that while during the year, businesses ran at a loss or “in the red”, on Black Friday, they can finally make a profit, or enter “the black”. Thus, Black Friday became something positive.

Both Thanksgiving and Black Friday have evolved into times for people to come together, at the dinner table and in stores. Yet while Black Friday should be a great opportunity to save money and time before Christmas, the day has acquired a negative association, what with the massive, midnight queues and crazed shoppers it’s attracted. But Black Friday can still be a good thing.

Now that so many businesses are available online, customers can simply do their shopping from home, where they can enjoy leftover turkey and stuffing instead of starting a violent fight over the best-priced toaster at Wal-Mart.

This year, why not come together over food and coworking? Here at Free Range Office, you can get 20% off on events for Black Friday. You can also get a free gift when you sign up for a coworking membership on Small Business Saturday and 20% off meetings on Cyber Monday. Make sure to sign up for the newsletter on the Free Range website to get the promo codes so you can cash in on our deals and to visit the shop page for more.