The Truth About Black Friday

You might think you know where the term "Black Friday" comes from.

You don't.

It didn't start as retailers celebrating profits.

It was 1950s Philadelphia cops complaining about the post-Thanksgiving traffic nightmare.

It wasn't until the 1980s that retailers began to spin it as the day they go "in the black."

Here's something else you might not know:

Black Friday isn't just about sales...

It's a $74.4 billion global case study in why policy matters.

That $10.8 billion in U.S. online sales? It depends on:

Logistics: Emissions standards, hours-of-service, and port policy ripple straight into freight rates and delivery SLAs.
Workforce: Overtime, temp staffing, and predictive scheduling laws decide whether peak season scales or stalls.
Tech & Privacy: Payments, fraud tools, and data-sharing live under PCI, CCPA/CPRA, and platform rules that shape conversion.
Payments & Fees: Interchange, chargebacks, and buy-now-pay-later rules = real basis-point swings in profitability.
Returns & EPR: Reverse logistics and emerging “extended producer responsibility” mandates can turn wins into write-offs.

The upshot?

Companies that invest strategically in public affairs see returns that would make any CFO weep with joy.

We're talking 22,000% ROI in documented cases.

One study found $2B in public affairs work and lobbying generated $400B in benefits—a 200:1 return.

Think policy agendas aren't costing you money?

Think again.

Even a $250,000 investment in public affairs that mitigates just 5% of policy risks can save $5M+ annually.

That's a 20:1 return... any CEO's dream.

The bottom line: Black Friday proves that retail success isn't just about discounts and doorbusters.

It's about understanding the policy ecosystem that makes those billions possible and investing to protect it.

Because the real "black" in Black Friday?

It's the ink on your balance sheet when you get policy right.

Let the Think Big team help you save some of those dollars.