If you woke up on November 29 last year wondering why your inbox was already a graveyard of "Final Hour" alerts, you weren't alone. Black Friday 2024 fell on November 29, marking one of the latest possible dates for the shopping event. This wasn't just a quirk of the calendar. It was a logistical nightmare for retailers and a test of patience for anyone waiting on a new OLED TV.
Most people think Black Friday is just the day after Thanksgiving. Technically, that’s true. But in 2024, the "day" basically became a month-long marathon that peaked on that final Friday of November. Because Thanksgiving landed so late—November 28—retailers panicked. They had five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas compared to the previous year. That’s a massive chunk of revenue potentially lost to the calendar.
The 2024 Calendar Crunch
The date of Black Friday is tethered to Thanksgiving, which always lands on the fourth Thursday of November. In 2024, that happened to be the 28th. This pushed Black Friday to the 29th.
Why does this matter? Honestly, it’s all about the "Golden Quarter." Retailers like Walmart, Target, and Amazon rely on the window between late November and late December to pull their annual profits into the black. When that window shrinks, the pressure mounts. In 2024, we saw "Black Friday" deals starting as early as late October. Brands were trying to lure you into spending before you’d even bought a pumpkin for Halloween.
Vivek Pandya, a lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights, noted that this shift forced a change in how we shop. We didn't just wait for the 29th. We nibbled at deals for weeks. By the time the actual day arrived, many of us had already finished half our lists.
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Record-Breaking Numbers on November 29
Even with the early starts, Black Friday 2024 was a monster. U.S. consumers spent a staggering $10.8 billion online on that single Friday. That is a 10.2% jump from 2023.
It’s kinda wild when you think about it. Despite inflation concerns and people complaining about "deal fatigue," we still showed up. But we didn't show up in person as much. While foot traffic at malls was okay, the real action was on our phones. Over 55% of those online sales happened via mobile devices. We were buying air fryers and LEGO sets from our couches while the turkey was still digesting.
The "Lipstick Effect" was also in full swing. This is an economic theory suggesting that when times are tight, people splurge on small luxuries instead of big-ticket items. In 2024, health and beauty products saw a massive 18% year-over-year growth. People might have skipped the $2,000 fridge, but they definitely bought the $50 serum.
Where the Term Actually Came From
There is a common myth that "Black Friday" comes from accounting—the day stores finally move from the "red" (loss) to the "black" (profit).
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That’s mostly a PR spin from the 1980s.
The real story is grittier. Philadelphia police officers in the 1950s and 60s coined the term to describe the absolute chaos that happened the day after Thanksgiving. Between the crowds coming for holiday shopping and the fans flooding in for the Army-Navy football game, the city became a gridlocked mess. The cops hated it. They called it "Black Friday" because it was a dark, exhausting day of traffic and shoplifting.
Retailers tried to rename it "Big Friday" to make it sound more festive, but it didn't stick. Eventually, they just embraced the "into the black" narrative to make the name feel less like a warning and more like a celebration.
Shopping Trends That Defined the Day
Every year has its "it" items. In 2024, it was all about the kitchen and the wrist.
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- Coffee & Espresso Machines: Sales in this category surged by nearly 1,000% at some retailers.
- Apple Ecosystem: AirPods, iPads, and Apple Watches remained the most searched-for terms throughout the week.
- AI Assistants: This was the year of the bot. Adobe found that shoppers who used AI tools to find deals were 38% more likely to actually buy something.
We also saw a massive spike in "Buy Now, Pay Later" (BNPL) services. People spent about $747 million using these installments on Black Friday alone. It’s a sign that while we want the stuff, we’re increasingly wary of paying for it all at once.
What You Should Do for Next Time
Black Friday 2024 proved that the date on the calendar is almost irrelevant now. If you want the best deals, you can't just wait for the Friday after Thanksgiving.
Track the "October Creep." Major retailers now launch "Prime-style" events in October to lock in your budget early. Use price trackers like CamelCamelCamel or Honey to see if that "Black Friday Deal" is actually the lowest price the item has seen all year. Often, the mid-November prices are identical to the Friday morning doorbusters.
Audit your mobile apps. Since over half of the sales are mobile, retailers are putting their best, "app-only" discounts inside their software to get your data. If you’re hunting for a specific high-end item, download the brand’s app a week early.
Focus on the Monday. Even though Black Friday hit $10.8 billion, Cyber Monday still outperformed it with $13.3 billion in sales. If you missed out on the 29th, the following Monday is usually better for pure tech and software.
The era of camping outside a Best Buy in a tent is mostly over. Black Friday is now a digital tug-of-war between your willpower and a very sophisticated algorithm. Knowing the date is just the first step; knowing the game is how you actually save money.