欧博百家乐What Is Black Friday? Black Friday History an
Shannon Flynn
Updated November 17, 2025 12:42pm EST
Let’s take a look back at how Black Friday began and how it has become so popular before we talk about how much shoppers are spending on Black Friday today.
Everyone knows Black Friday is one of the best times of the year to shop because it's when most retailers offer their best deals! But how, when or why Black Friday came to be what it is today remains a mystery to most. Here we'll unpack the history — and break down what Black Friday will look like this year (2025).
For billions of people (yes, billions!), Black Friday is a time to do some serious shopping – even before the last of the Thanksgiving leftovers are gone! Black Friday occurs on the Friday after Thanksgiving and is one of the biggest shopping days of the year. In 2025, Black Friday falls on Nov. 28. While the November Thanksgiving element is specific to the U.S. Black Friday sales actually take place over the world these days!
Hoping to shop Black Friday sales this year? Below, we've listed some of our top deal guides to help you find everything you're after.
What is Black Friday and how did it get its name?You’re not alone if you’re asking questions like, “What is Black Friday?" and "What are the origins of Black Friday?” The term originated in Philadelphia. In the early 1960s, Philadelphia police complained about the congested streets, clogged with motorists and pedestrians heading to the Army-Navy football game and looking for post-Thanksgiving deals. They called the day “Black Friday.”
According to History.com, Philly's biggest department stores tried to steer away from the negative name and call it “Big Friday.” However, the rebrand didn’t stick, and Black Friday became the day’s permanent name all around the United States.
To bring a positive spin to the name Black Friday, in the 1980s people suggested the name was referring to black ink. Meaning that retailers with red ink in their accounting books (experiencing loss) would be changing their ink to black as they saw profits rise during the major shopping event!
Why did Black Friday become so popular?As retailers began to realize they could draw big crowds by discounting prices, Black Friday became the day to shop. Black Friday prices eventually became even better than those seen during the last-minute Christmas sales. This earned the shopping holiday the title of “The Biggest Shopping Day of the Year.”
Traditionally, Black Friday was just one long "day." Many retailers would open up the morning of Black Friday to hordes of people waiting anxiously outside the windows. Over time, some stores even started opening on Thanksgiving. However, the latest Black Friday trend is for stores to stay closed on Thanksgiving and open early on Friday.
Black Friday isn't just a one-day event anymore either. In fact, the time between Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday has come to be known as Cyber Week. And, in recent years, we’ve been seeing what has been called the “Black Friday creep.” Many retailers host early Black Friday sales online and in-store several days (or even weeks) before Thanksgiving.
Most major retailers post their Black Friday ad scans, coupons and offers online beforehand to give consumers time to find out what sales are ahead and plan their purchases. Other companies take a different approach, waiting until the last possible moment to release their Black Friday ads. Today, some don’t even release an ad scan at all!
What is Black Friday and how has it changed over the years?This year's Black Friday looks pretty different than ones even just a decade ago. Here's a look at some of the biggest changes to Black Friday in recent years:
2020 changes everythingThe preference for Black Friday online shopping was amplified in 2020, and it became the dominant mode of shopping that season. The COVID-19 pandemic all but put an end to in-store shopping on Thanksgiving Day.
Most retailers opted to remain closed for the first time in a decade. While some offered in-store Black Friday sales, these were far more subdued compared to the frenzied race through the aisles of years past.
Some retailers offered concurrent in-store and online deals for an entire month. Others, like Walmart and Target, offered several Black Friday events throughout November. Doing so eliminated the need to line up on the big day.
2021 brings new twists and turnsWith the pandemic still ongoing in 2021, but not at the same stage as it was in 2020, everyone had a hard time predicting how the biggest shopping day of the year would go.
While most retailers remained closed on Thanksgiving Day, there were some unique outcomes of the 2021 Cyber Week (due to supply chain issues and inflation).
Cart totals were higher: Up 13.9% from 2020 (a result of larger purchases and higher prices).
Discounts were weaker: For example, electronics were -12% vs -27% in 2020.
There were more out-of-stock messages than ever before: +258% compared to Nov. 2019.
Source: Adobe Analytics
2022 sees inflation enter the pictureIn 2022, the decision for stores to stay closed on Thanksgiving Day appeared to be a permanent one for many retailers. Target shared that it would always keep its stores closed on Turkey Day. Additionally, Walmart's CEO stated that keeping stores open on Thanksgiving is "a thing of the past."
While supply chain issues were not as prevalent in 2022, inflation had a large impact on Black Friday prices. Despite the higher prices, online Black Friday spending in the U.S. hit a record high ($9.12 billion). Mobile shopping also saw an increase, driving the majority of sales at 51% overall (up from 46%).
Source: Adobe Analytics
During the Black Friday season of 2023, more people started talking about the “Black Friday creep.” Many stores stated that their Black Friday sales would start several days before Thanksgiving. Others, like Walmart, offered Black Friday prices during a series of savings events throughout the month.
Spreading out the savings didn’t seem to decrease how much shoppers spent. Black Friday spending hit $9.8 billion in 2024, which was up 7.5% from the year before. Overall, Cyber Week spending (the period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday) brought in a combined $38 billion, which was a 7.8% increase.
Source: Adobe Analytics
2024 continued the “Black Friday creep”In 2024, Black Friday was at the very end of November, giving shoppers fewer days to shop for the holidays. To compensate, retailers started their sales even earlier. Some of them began as early as October, while others hosted a series of sales throughout November.
Spreading out the sales didn’t hurt spending during Cyber Week, as the spending amount was up 8.2% year over year for a total of $41.1 billion.
Meanwhile, Black Friday continued to grow as a global shopping event in 2024. Global sales increased 7% YoY, according to SalesForce and the U.S. actually ranked 8th for the highest Black Friday shopping intent.
Source: Adobe
Black Friday statisticsYou’re probably starting to get a sense of how big Black Friday is. As we answer the question, "What is Black Friday?" it's helpful to look at some figures. Check out these statistics to get a real sense of its massive size.
Black Friday shopping and spending2024: Cyber Week continued to break spending records in 2024, with a record-breaking $41.1 billion spent during this time. Black Friday, specifically, was up 10.2% year over year with $10.8 billion spent. (Source: Adobe)
2023: This year continued the trend of breaking spending records on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Shoppers spent $9.8 billion on Black Friday and a hefty $12.4 billion on Cyber Monday. Having the sales start earlier than ever before didn’t stop customers from spending on these big days. (Source: Adobe Analytics)
2022: Black Friday and Cyber Monday both broke spending records. With shoppers spending $9.12 billion and $11.3 billion, respectively. While sales started early in the season, many shoppers waited until Cyber Week to ensure they were getting the best discount. Shoppers were wise to wait because discounts were up in 2022. Adobe Analytics shared that on Cyber Monday, electronic discounts peaked at 25% off the listed price (vs. 8% in 2021).
2021: Supply chain challenges had shoppers filling their carts earlier than usual. Shoppers started seeking deals in October, and many were done with their shopping before December rolled around. From Nov. 1 to Nov. 29, consumers spent $109.8 billion online. This was up 11.9% compared to 2020.
While consumers spent less on Cyber Monday in 2021 than they did in 2020, this day was still the biggest shopping day of the year. Shoppers spent $10.7 billion on Cyber Monday 2021, which was 1.4% down from $10.8 billion in 2020. (Source: Adobe Analytics)
2020: Due in part to the pandemic, Thanksgiving and Black Friday brought in $14.13 billion in online sales. That’s $9.03 billion spent on Black Friday and $5.1 billion spent on Thanksgiving. It was a 19% increase over 2019. (Source: Adobe Analytics)
2019: Thanksgiving and Black Friday in 2019 raked in $11.9 billion in online sales (with $7.5 billion spent on Black Friday and $4.4 billion spent on Thanksgiving). That’s a 20.2% increase over 2018. (Source: Adobe Analytics)
2018: For Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday in 2018, shoppers spent $9.9 billion in online sales. That’s $6.2 billion spent on Black Friday and $3.7 billion spent on Thanksgiving, which was a 19.7% increase over 2017. (Source: Adobe Analytics)
Black Friday online vs. in stores2024: Mobile shopping dominated Black Friday and Cyber Week in 2024. On Cyber Monday alone, 57% of online sales came through a mobile device, which was up 13.3% year over year (a total of $7.6 billion). (Source: Adobe)
2023: In the world of online Black Friday shopping, mobile shopping overtook desktop again in 2023. During this period, 59% of sales came from smartphones. This was up from 55% in 2022. Additionally, shoppers continued to use curbside pickup less, with it being utilized for only 12.7% of online orders during Cyber Week. This was down from 14.8% in 2022. (Source: Adobe Analytics)
2022: During this year, there was a drop in curbside pickup (from 21% in 2021 to 13% in 2022). Meanwhile, mobile shopping increased in 2022, with 55% of sales coming in via smartphone, compared to 51% the previous year.
2021: This year saw the buy online pick up in store option being used in 18% of all Cyber Monday online orders. This was down from 20% in 2020. (Source: Adobe Analytics)
2020: In 2020, 100 million consumers shopped online (up 8% from 2019). Meanwhile, there was a huge drop in in-person Black Friday shopping – 58.7 million hit the stores on Black Friday (down 37% from 2019). On Thanksgiving Day, the drop in in-person shopping was even more pronounced, due to major retailers being closed. Foot traffic dropped 55% compared to 2019. (Source: NRF 2020 data))
2019: The option to buy online and pick up in the store saw a 43% year-over-year increase during Thanksgiving Weekend in 2019. (Source: Adobe Analytics)
2018: In 2018, the buy online pick up in store option saw a 50% year-over-year increase during Thanksgiving weekend. (Source: Adobe Analytics)
Top Black Friday products2024: There was no shortage of popular products on Black Friday 2024. Of course, old favorites like TVs, smartwatches, wireless headphones, KitchenAid mixers and video game consoles were popular. As for toys, toys ranging from slime kits and LEGO sets to the Bluey Ultimate Lights and Sounds Playhouse were hot items. (Source: Adobe)
2023: Black Friday this year saw several items on the list of top sellers. Popular toys came from brands like Hot Wheels, Disney, Barbie and LEGO. Video game consoles like the Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 were extremely popular among gamers. Other hot products included skincare gift sets, small kitchen appliances, TVs, smartwatches and Bluetooth headphones. (Source: Adobe Analytics)
2022: Spending on toys set new records this year. The top toys included Pokémon cards, LEGO, Hot Wheels, Disney Encanto, LOL Surprise dolls, Cocomelon and Hatchimals. In addition to electronics and computers, spending was up on books, jewelry, appliances and sporting goods.
Which stores participate in Black Friday?Almost every store participates in Black Friday. However, you tend to find the best deals at a handful of stores, including Amazon, Best Buy, Home Depot, Kohl’s, Macy’s, Target and Walmart.
What is the difference between Black Friday and Cyber Monday?People who ask, "What is Black Friday?" often also want to know "What is Cyber Monday?" Traditionally, Black Friday was an in-store shopping event, while Cyber Monday was reserved for online deals. However, the lines have blurred at many retailers, as many Black Friday sales now bleed into Cyber Monday. Some stores still keep these two savings events distinct, though.
About the Author
Shannon is a writer and savvy shopper who has been helping consumers save big with BlackFriday.com since 2015. After working as an attorney for several years, she decided to follow her passion for creating content that educates, entertains and helps shoppers around the country find the best deals.
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