Black Friday 2024 was November 29. Amazon’s published Black Friday Week schedule ran November 21–29, 2024. Both dates are historical: the surveys and retailer schedule discussed here describe plans and offers for the 2024 holiday season, not current deals.
When was Black Friday 2024, and when did Amazon’s sale run?
Black Friday fell on Friday, November 29, 2024. Amazon’s official guide scheduled Black Friday Week from November 21 through November 29. The guide listed categories including electronics, home, beauty, fashion and toys, and described deal notifications through Alexa. It was a retailer’s promotional guide, not an independent comparison of prices or proof that an advertised offer was the best available.
How many people planned to shop over Thanksgiving weekend?
A November 2024 National Retail Federation (NRF) and Prosper Insights & Analytics survey estimated that 183.4 million people planned to shop from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday. Of those, 131.7 million—72%—planned to shop on Black Friday. These are survey estimates of intended behavior, not counts of people who ultimately shopped or final sales results.
The survey questioned 8,135 adults from November 1–7, 2024, and reported a margin of error of plus or minus 1.1 percentage points. NRF also reported that Black Friday remained the most popular planned shopping day in the five-day period, even as shopping increasingly began earlier.
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What did shoppers plan to spend and buy?
NRF’s October 2024 holiday survey found that consumers planned to spend an average of $902 per person for the season, including $641 on gifts. These were planned amounts, not confirmed spending. The survey questioned 8,191 adults from October 1–7, 2024, with a reported margin of error of plus or minus 1.1 percentage points.
| Finding | 2024 survey result |
|---|---|
| Average planned holiday spending per person | $902 |
| Planned gift spending per person | $641 |
| Planned to browse and buy before November | 45% |
| Planned to make holiday purchases online | 57% |
When asked what they wanted as gifts, respondents most often named gift cards, followed by clothing and accessories, books and other media, and personal care or beauty items. Amazon’s guide also highlighted electronics, home goods and toys; those are categories in the retailer’s guide, not a ranking of consumers’ most-requested gifts.
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| Requested gift category | Share of respondents |
|---|---|
| Gift cards | 53% |
| Clothing and accessories | 49% |
| Books and other media | 28% |
| Personal care or beauty items | 25% |
All figures in the tables are from NRF’s 2024 U.S. holiday-planning survey; percentages describe respondents’ plans or requests, not completed purchases.
Were shoppers looking for deals beyond gifts?
Boston Consulting Group’s October 2024 study reported that 59% of participating consumers used holiday sales to stock up on essentials, and that clothing and electronics were preferred categories. The study covered 10,153 respondents across the United States, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Poland and Switzerland; its global results were weighted. Those findings describe a multi-country study and should not be read as U.S.-only results.
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Was online or in-store shopping the better choice?
NRF’s October survey found online was the top planned holiday-shopping destination, with 57% intending to make holiday purchases online. That does not mean online was best for every shopper or product. The November survey separately found Black Friday was the most popular planned shopping day during Thanksgiving weekend. Taken together, the reports show both early shopping and continued interest in the holiday weekend; they do not establish which channel delivered better prices.
- Compare the actual offer. Judge an advertised discount against the item’s price and the amount you are willing to pay, rather than treating a sale label as proof of savings. The Amazon guide does not independently establish that its offers were the best available.
- Include delivery in the decision. Check shipping cost, delivery timing and whether the item can arrive when needed. BCG’s study discusses free-shipping expectations across its nine-country sample, but that result is not a U.S.-only measure.
- Choose the channel that fits the item. Online shopping may suit a product whose specifications are clear; a store visit can matter when seeing, trying or collecting an item promptly is important. These are practical trade-offs, not survey findings.
- Set a spending limit before browsing. NRF’s $902 average was a reported plan, not a recommended budget. Use your own available funds and gift list to decide what you can spend.
What the 2024 reports say about timing
NRF found that 45% planned to browse and buy before November, while its later Thanksgiving-weekend survey still found substantial intended participation on Black Friday. Katherine Cullen, NRF vice president of industry and consumer insights, said in October 2024 that retailers were preparing earlier deals and inventory to meet consumer needs during a shorter period between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The survey findings support planning ahead as a pattern of intended behavior; they do not guarantee that a particular product was in stock or that an early offer represented the season’s lowest price.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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