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What Black Friday Looked Like Before It Was Called Black Friday

2 minute read

Black Friday wasn’t yet called Black Friday in 1948—nor do the newspapers from that era offer evidence of stampedes or overnight lines that have become par for the course on the day after Thanksgiving—but the kick-off to the holiday shopping season has long been a red-letter retail day. Images of preparations for that season at Macy’s—then, at one million square feet, the biggest store in the world—bespeak a highly orchestrated operation relying upon 14,000 employees to ready 400,000 items to be swept off of shelves by 250,000 eager shoppers.

Planning entailed both logistical and motivational efforts. At a giant pep rally, the morale of staff members was lifted by a harmonious rendition of “Jingle Bells.” Telephone operators prepared to respond to as many as six questions per minute. Plainclothes employee detectives trained to spot shoplifters from among the hordes. And clerks readied themselves to handle fluid pricing on that year’s hottest items—from striped pajamas to “simulated” pearls to Macy’s house-brand Scotch—which fluctuated as many as five times per day as reports of competitors’ pricing came in.

When all was said and done, when the bargains had been scored and the pajama sets sold, all that was left behind was one million square feet of a giant, heaping mess.

Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.

Macy's caters to customers during the biggest holiday shopping season, 1948.
Caption from LIFE. Jane Pickens leads 9,000 Macy's employees in "Jingle Bells" during giant rally designed to whip up fever of salesmanship for Christmas rush.Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Macy's caters to customers during the biggest holiday shopping season, 1948.
Eager customers stand outside the doors of Macy's, 1948.Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Macy's caters to customers during the biggest holiday shopping season, 1948.
Holiday shoppers line the sidewalk outside of Macy's, 1948.Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Macy's caters to customers during the biggest holiday shopping season, 1948.
Macy's shoppers wait to be allowed on the floor, 1948.Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
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Caption from LIFE. Bulletin board lists price changes made as a result of comparison shopping. Macy's gets around fixed prices by producing own brands, fixing own prices.Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Macy's caters to customers during the biggest holiday shopping season, 1948.
Shoppers clamor for coveted items, 1948.Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
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Caption from LIFE. This is how many pearls [salesgirl] Janet [Steurer] sells in one day.Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Macy's caters to customers during the biggest holiday shopping season, 1948.
A customer examines a string of pearls, 1948.Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Macy's caters to customers during the biggest holiday shopping season, 1948.
Santa Claus impersonators at Macy's, 1948.Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Macys
Caption from LIFE. Young salesman William Komlos (Yale '48) is member of the 60-man executive training squad.Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Macy's caters to customers during the biggest holiday shopping season, 1948.
The sales floor at Macy's is crowded with people and Christmas decorations, 1948.Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Macy's caters to customers during the biggest holiday shopping season, 1948.
Women try on furs in the Macy's dressing room, 1948.Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
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Caption from LIFE. Comparison shoppers buy in competing stores, bring back merchandise priced under Macy's. Macy's then lowers prices to undersell competition.Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Macy's caters to customers during the biggest holiday shopping season, 1948.
A child sits with her doll at the crowded Macy's world heardquarters, 1948.Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
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Caption from LIFE. Store hospital treats 65,000 patients a year. This is usual Monday morning lineup having temperatures taken. The lineup is longer after big sale days.Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Macy's caters to customers during the biggest holiday shopping season, 1948.
A pageant is performed for the store's thousands of employees before the holiday rush, 1948.Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Macy's department store employee cleaning up piles of debris after the Christmas shopping rush, 1948.
The mess in the wake of a major sale day, 1948.Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

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Write to Eliza Berman at eliza.berman@time.com