Black Friday consumers go online, rather than stand in line
Shoppers browse through stores at Mall of America for Black Friday deals, Friday, in Bloomington, Minn. AP-Yonhap
NEW YORK/ATLANTA — Bargain-hunting Americans clicked their way through Thanksgiving, spending 5 percent more than last year, as more consumers turned to laptops and phones instead of braving brisk weather to snap up deals over the crucial Black Friday shopping weekend.
While early online sales figures showed a promising trend for spending, at major retailers, the traditional Black Friday bargain-chasing felt subdued compared to years when throngs of people stood in line on a post-Thanksgiving morning. Many of those who ventured out said they were on a budget, fearful of overspending at a time when inflation remains above-trend and the labor market is softening.
“I’m being much more careful,” said Grace Curbelo, 67, of New Rochelle, New York, who was at the Woodbury Common outlet center in Central Valley, New York, on Friday morning. “I’m not sure how the economy will turn, and I don’t want to put myself in debt.”
Cautious consumers, higher prices
Overall online spending on Thanksgiving Thursday rose 5.3 percent year-over-year to $6.4 billion, according to Adobe Analytics, which vets e-commerce transactions online, covering over 1 trillion visits to U.S. retail sites. That was better than anticipated, Adobe said, as online shopping has diluted Black Friday's significance, with promotions geared towards the event spread across weeks.
The specter of higher prices hovered over the day. U.S. retail sales increased less than expected in September, in part due to elevated prices, and President Donald Trump's tariffs have contributed to this trend, adding roughly 4.9 percentage points to retail prices, according to the non-profit Tax Foundation.
Software firm Salesforce said its early data showed prices in the United States rising faster than worldwide. The average online selling price for goods was 8 percent higher than last year, compared with 5 percent globally, a sign of both the effect of tariffs and spending from affluent households, who have continued to shop while most income groups say their consumer confidence is low.
"This is the only market where we're seeing such high increases in average selling price. So there absolutely is a component of retailers trying to save margins because of the impact of the tariffs," said Caila Schwartz, director of consumer insights at Salesforce. With unemployment near a four-year high, shoppers have also become more selective. U.S. consumer confidence sagged to a seven-month low in November, according to economic research group The Conference Board, with fewer households planning to buy motor vehicles, houses and other big-ticket items over the next six months, or to make vacation plans.
The richest 10 percent of Americans — those earning at least $250,000 annually — accounted for about 48 percent of all consumer spending in the second quarter of 2025, a steady increase from around 35 percent of spending in the mid-1990s, according to Moody's Analytics.
"Higher income consumers are a little more resilient, and that's why we're seeing strong growth in categories like furniture and luxury," said Schwartz.
Quiet at sunup
About an hour before sunup in freezing temperatures, Quantavius Shorter, 40, a diesel engine mechanic from Atlanta, was one of the first of only a dozen people waiting in line at 5:59 a.m. at the local Walmart in Atlanta's Gresham Park neighborhood.
Shorter bought a Roku 1, flat-screen smart TV for $298, a perfect discount for his smaller Christmas budget.
"This is usually $500," said Shorter. "I'm here early because I expected it to sell out." In Europe, the shopping day was marked by strikes at Amazon warehouses in Germany, with separate protests also planned outside Zara stores in Spain. Meanwhile, Starbucks' workers union also said they were escalating their ongoing indefinite strike to 26 more stores in the U.S. on Black Friday.