Thanksgiving Weekend Draws Record Shopping Crowd

Stores and retail e-commerce sites alike were bustling throughout the five-day holiday weekend from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, the annual consumer survey by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics concludes. A record 202.9 million consumers shopped during the period, up from 197 million shoppers last year and surpassing the previous record of 200.4 million set in 2023. The total also exceeds NRF’s initial expectations of 186.9 million shoppers over the holiday weekend.

“Thanksgiving weekend is an important time for families and friends to come together, and holiday shopping plays a key role in that shared experience,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “This year’s record turnout reflects a highly engaged consumer who is focused on value, responds to compelling promotions, and seizes upon the opportunity to make the winter holidays special and meaningful.”

Consumers turned out both in-store and online throughout the five days. A total of 129.5 million consumers shopped in-store, up 3% from 126 million in 2024. Online saw 134.9 million shoppers, up 9% from 124.3 million last year.

The top shopping destinations during Thanksgiving weekend were supermarkets (47%) and online (45%). Other popular options included department stores (40%), clothing stores (37%) and discount stores (30%).

Nearly all (96%) of those shopping over the weekend made a holiday-related purchase, spending $337.86 on average on items like gifts, holiday apparel, decorations and other seasonal purchases. This is up from $315.56 last year and is the highest figure since 2019’s record of $361.90. Approximately 67% ($225.74) was spent on gifts this past weekend.

The top gifts purchased during this period were clothing and accessories (51%), followed by toys (32%). Books and other media (28%) saw an increase from 22% last year and surpassed gift cards (26%) as the third most popular gift purchased during the weekend.

Click here for more from the survey, which is based on the responses of just under 3100 adult consumers fielded Nov. 26 – Nov. 30 with a margin of error of plus or minus 1.8 percentage points.