The ease of online shopping and the disruption of in-person events at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic have continued to impact attendance at Black Friday doorbuster sales, but shoppers still turned out at stores in large numbers this year.
In 2023, Black Friday online shopping hit a record high with a total of $9.8 billion spent — a 7.5% increase from 2022, according to an Adobe report.
Even so, shopping in person the day after Thanksgiving hasn’t completely died out. Of the 131.7 million people expected to shop on Black Friday in 2024, 65% said they planned to shop at stores in person, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey.
Retailers like Target also drew customers to brick-and-mortar locations by releasing exclusive Taylor Swift merchandise in-store on Black Friday before making it available online the following day.
Take a look at Black Friday crowds across the US.
The parking lot at Citadel Outlets in Commerce, California, was already packed on Thursday night.Shoppers lined up outside retailers like H&M, Kate Spade, and Tory Burch at Citadel Outlets to await their turn.Lines formed outside Macy’s flagship store in New York City early in the morning on Black Friday.Target’s exclusive Taylor Swift merchandise attracted a line of Swifties in Jersey City, New Jersey.Fans picked up copies of “The Eras Tour Book” and exclusive versions of Swift’s latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department.”Shoppers also waited outside Best Buy in Downey, California, in the early hours of the morning on Black Friday.At the American Dream Mall in New Jersey, shoppers were drawn to experiences like its Nickelodeon Universe theme park, not just its stores.Of course, the American Dream mall’s retail offerings still proved popular.
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