For years, Black Friday has been treated like a massive national holiday centered around finding the best deals, waiting in long lines at 3 a.m., and buying heaps of luxury items. However, for many, Black Friday 2025 did not provide that rush of adrenaline, causing Americans to wonder: Is Black Friday the same holiday of the past?
This year, U.S. consumers spent a record-breaking $11.7 billion online on Nov. 28—the highest spending ever recorded. However, while it may seem that Black Friday is still the sensationalized holiday of the past, the numbers at first glance are deceiving.
While the total amount of money spent increased, the total number of items purchased decreased from the previous years’ retail reports. Many families and North High students reported having their carts having higher prices than last year, despite purchasing fewer items.
“I didn’t buy as many things as I hoped,” junior Ella Friedrich said. “The sales were good, but not anything too crazy.”
This decrease in items purchased could have been derived from a variety of factors. Inflation has surged prices from the early 2020s, making 40% off price tags feel less of a deal than previously. Additionally, Black Friday has evolved from a one-day holiday to a month-long event.
Many retailers now begin advertising early Black Friday sales as soon as the start of November, causing sales to be more spread out throughout the month. These early sales are often almost identical to real sales, leading to a surge of shopping through the entire holiday season.
For 2025, a reported total of $44.8 billion was spent over the entirety of the Thanksgiving weekend, with Cyber Monday the highest day of spending, reflecting an increase in online sales and a decrease in in-person shopping. An estimated $250 billion is predicted to be spent over the entire 2025 holiday season.
The urgency of Black Friday has seemed to dissipate as 3 a.m. line-ups in front of stores are no longer the norm. However, in-person shopping is still prevalent and worth it for some, allowing shoppers to try on clothes and sometimes providing even better sales than the early online ones.
“Alo and Aritzia had really good in-store sales,” junior Sofia Mourtil said. “Although the lines were long, it was definitely still worth it to go.”
While online shopping has steadily increased over the past years due to the increase in access to technology, early online sales, and increased concerns for in-store mobs, 2025 reached an all-time high due to the prevalence of AI tools and assistants.
AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude are able to search thousands of retailers to compare prices for consumers. Additionally, users are able to receive real-time notifications from AI assistants of price drops, predictions of when prices are likely to drop or increase, and new sales and coupon codes.
“I shopped online from sales that started before the actual day,” sophmore Shira Khoda said. “I was going to go to the mall on Black Friday but the parking lot was so insane that we didn’t end up going inside.”
Consumers were not the only ones turning to AI. Many retailers have integrated AI into their online shopping websites to personalize the shopping experience of every shopper. AI algorithms are able to suggest items shoppers are more likely to buy based on prior purchases and searches, leading to more successful purchases.
The numbers prove that Black Friday isn’t dying, but the traditions surrounding it are undoubtedly changing. While physical stores don’t seem to be closing anytime soon, higher base prices, early sales throughout November, and AI shopping suggest that Black Friday is no longer about buying everything in sight but about strategic shopping.
Black Friday may never return to its former glory, but the question of whether this change is for the better is still up for debate. Either way, the future of Black Friday is in the hands of the shoppers.
