Nearly 200 Million Shoppers Expected To Hit Stores Thanksgiving Weekend

Authored by Jill McLaughlin via The Epoch Times,

Retail experts predict that 187 million people will shop between Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday, based on a consumer survey released on Nov. 20.

The survey by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights and Analytics showed this year’s prediction topping last year’s, when 183.4 million people were expected. Federation data from December 2024 show that 197 million actually turned out.

“The holidays are an important part of many consumers’ budgets, and that trend is especially true this season,” Katherine Cullen, the federation’s vice president of industry and consumer insights, said in a statement.

Gifts from the 1960s are making a comeback this season, as toy buyers are expected to focus on Lego, Barbie, Hot Wheels, and dolls. These vintage classics will be the top toys for consumers this year, according to the survey.

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is still the most popular day to shop; 70 percent of shoppers plan to seek out discounts that day.

The second biggest retail day is expected on Cyber Monday; 40 percent of consumers surveyed said they planned to buy online on Dec. 1.

Another big shopping day is expected on Nov. 29, when 67 million people are expected to shop local and support small businesses, according to the survey.

“Many Americans consider shopping to be an important part of their Thanksgiving holiday and one of the best ways to get deals on gifts,” Phil Rist, Prosper Insights and Analytics executive vice president of strategy, said in a statement.

More than half of those surveyed who are planning to take advantage of the sales say it was because the deals “are too good to pass up,” Rist said.

Shopping has started early for nearly 60 percent of consumers, according to the survey.

Shoppers are expecting to spend an average of $890 on gifts and other seasonal items. Families with kids plan to spend $33 more on average on gifts, the survey revealed.

The retail federation’s survey asked 8,000 adult consumers about their holiday shopping plans. It was conducted from Oct. 31 to Nov. 6 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.1 percentage points.

Long exposure photo with people shopping on Black Friday at a mall in Hanover, Md., on Nov. 29, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Another survey by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) released on Nov. 17 predicts Americans will spend $127 billion on Thanksgiving weekend—an increase of $2 billion from last year.

“Younger generations are steadily growing in their spending power, and we expect to see that reflected during Thanksgiving Weekend,” ICSC President Tom McGee said. “Every year there’s a question about whether the long holiday weekend still matters. And every year, the answer from consumers is the same: It does.”

Nearly two-thirds of shoppers surveyed by ICSC said they plan to do all or most of their seasonal purchasing between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, including 76 percent of Gen Z shoppers and 71 percent of millennials.

Eighty percent of Thanksgiving weekend shoppers plan to visit a retail center during the holiday, according to the organization’s survey.

The ICSC survey was conducted online from Nov. 10 to Nov. 12 and is a demographically representative sample of 1,015 respondents, according to the organization.