Yes, we’re still a couple of days away from the annual turkey-centric gatherings that will take place from sea to shining sea on Thursday. But as far as retail locations are concerned, it’s never too early to think about the holiday shopping season that is, in many ways, already upon us.
But all of that spending will get goosed this weekend thanks to a pair of days that have become just as synonymous with the Thanksgiving holiday as cranberries and candied yams: Black Friday and Cyber Monday. And 2024 could prove to be one for the record books in terms of consumer participation.
A new report from the National Retail Federation shows that 183.4 million people are planning to showcase their purchasing power between Thanksgiving Thursday and Cyber Monday – an all-time record.
Of those who responded, 131.7 million said they’ll be hunting deals on Black Friday – about 72% of those polled. About 72.3 million people – about 39% – say they’ll be looking for bargains online on Cyber Monday.
As far as why people still rely on these big retail days and choose to battle the large crowds, whether fighting the hordes in person or from behind a computer screen, about 57% said that the deals to be had on these days are “too good to pass up.”
But which is better? That may simply come down to your own personal preference and how you prefer to duke it out with other consumers since most larger retail outlets offer the same sales throughout the entire weekend or at least two very similar sales that run consecutively.
For example, Amazon’s Black Friday Week features deals that started November 21 and end on Black Friday, November 29. But then it’s Cyber Monday deals begin November 29 and run through Cyber Monday, December 2.
The bottom line: It seems like the level of your thirst for potentially combative social interaction may fuel your final decision on which holiday shopping day is right for you.