U.S. consumers are expected to turn out in record numbers during this year's Black Friday shopping season, yet many feel squeezed by rising prices, weaker discounts, and the lingering impact of tariffs and inflation.
The U.S. National Retail Federation (NRF) forecasts the biggest turnout ever for the five-day period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, with an estimated 186.9 million shoppers, up from 183.4 million last year.
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US faces record Black Friday turnout despite shoppers feeling squeeze
US faces record Black Friday turnout despite shoppers feeling squeeze
US faces record Black Friday turnout despite shoppers feeling squeeze
US faces record Black Friday turnout despite shoppers feeling squeeze
NRF data also show that retail sales in November and December are expected to surpass 1 trillion U.S. dollars for the first time, rising between 3.7 percent and 4.2 percent year on year -- though growth is slower than last year.
To meet sales targets, retailers have launched early promotions. Walmart's Black Friday deals began on Nov 14 and will run in stages through Dec 1. Amazon started its Black Friday week of promotions on Nov 20, while Macy's opened a dedicated Black Friday shopping website. Despite the extended promotions, actual discounts may fall short of previous years due to tariffs and other factors, raising the effective cost for shoppers.
"I'm really experiencing sticker shock right now. When I see the prices, just for milk alone, eggs, just butter, even, like my cheat dessert of Häagen-Dazs ice cream is a dollar more than it used to be. I know they're expecting this mad flood of, like black Friday shopping, but it's just not gonna happen. Everybody's conserving their funds," said Camille, a consumer.
Wells Fargo projects that holiday-season sales will rise 3.5 percent to 4 percent compared with the same period of last year, but after factoring in inflation, most of the increase is likely due to higher prices rather than more items being purchased.
Consumers believe that the rising prices are linked to tariffs, which have placed a heavy burden on ordinary Americans, especially low-income groups.
"Everything seems to be going up in price. I think anybody with common sense would know why these things are going up. The tariffs which are really taxes that are going up and it's burdening the population," said Dennis, a consumer.
"I hope this gets better eventually. People are not getting paid well enough to afford the life. So, that's my hope. I'm sure everybody else hopes the same thing," said Karina, another consumer.
US faces record Black Friday turnout despite shoppers feeling squeeze
US faces record Black Friday turnout despite shoppers feeling squeeze
US faces record Black Friday turnout despite shoppers feeling squeeze
US faces record Black Friday turnout despite shoppers feeling squeeze
