Bargain-hunting Americans clicked their way through Thanksgiving, spending 5% 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, the traditional Black Friday bargain-chasing at major retailers felt subdued compared to bygone years, when throngs of people stood in line on a post-Thanksgiving morning.
And 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 labour market is softening. “I’m being much more careful,” said Grace Curbelo, 67, of New Rochelle, New York, who was shopping 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.”
Overall online spending on Thanksgiving Thursday rose 5.3% year-on-year to $6.4bn (about R109.5bn), according to Adobe Analytics, which vets e-commerce transactions online, covering more than 1-trillion visits to US 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.
About an hour before dawn in the -1°C cold, Quantavius Shorter, 40, a diesel engine mechanic from Atlanta, was one of the first of only a dozen people waiting in line at 5:59am at the local Walmart in Atlanta’s Gresham Park neighbourhood.
Shorter bought a Roku 1 flatscreen smart TV for $298, a perfect discount for his smaller Christmas budget. “This is usually $500. I’m here early because I expected it to sell out,” he said.
US retail sales increased less than expected in September, in part due to elevated prices. President Donald Trump’s tariffs have contributed to this trend, adding roughly 4.9 percentage points to retail prices, according to the nonprofit Tax Foundation.
“What we’re seeing is that certainly consumers are more cautious,” said Massimo Basei, chief commercial officer of Danish jewellery giant Pandora, predicting fierce competition.
With unemployment near a four-year high, shoppers have also become more selective. US 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% of Americans — those earning at least $250,000 (R4.3m) annually — accounted for about 48% of all consumer spending in the second quarter of 2025, a steady increase from about 35% of spending in the mid-1990s, according to Moody’s Analytics.
Reuters
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