Thanksgiving weekend sales attracts nearly 200M shoppers

Black Friday through Cyber Monday sales attracted approximately 197 million shoppers this year, coming in slightly lower than 2023’s record-breaking 200.4 million, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Retail Federation (NRF). 

The turnout exceeded NRF projections that this year’s sales would attract 183.4 million shoppers.

“Even with this year’s shortened shopping period and the multitude of early sales promotions from retailers, this past weekend exceeded expectations in terms of the sheer volume of shoppers,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said in a press release.

Grocery stores attracted 40% of shoppers, coming in slightly behind department stores and online stores, both of which brought in 42% of shoppers, according to NRF. Meanwhile, clothing and accessories stores attracted 37% of shoppers, followed by discount stores at 32%. 

“Whether it’s tradition, the deals or simply an activity with friends and family, consumers continue to embrace Thanksgiving holiday weekend shopping,” Prosper Executive Vice President of Strategy Phil Rist said. “Additional offerings like free shipping, a limited sale or promotion or a positive review helped convince most shoppers to move items from their shopping carts to the purchase finish line.”

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, was the biggest sales day for both in-store and online purchases with 81.7 million shoppers making a purchase. That’s up 7.2% from the previous year when the shopping day attracted 76.2 million shoppers. 

Online shopping took a dip on Black Friday, though, attracting 87.3 million shoppers compared to 90.6 million in 2023, according to the report. 

Cyber Monday was the second biggest sales day this year, bringing in 64.4 million shoppers, down nearly 12% from last year when 73.1 million shoppers made a purchase.