Black Friday has not disappeared, but it has changed so much that it feels less special and less extreme than it used to.
From one day to a “season”
- What was once a single chaotic day with doorbuster lines at 5 a.m. has stretched into a multi‑day or even multi‑week promotion window, from early November through Cyber Monday.
- Because discounts are spread out, there is less urgency to shop on that one Friday, so the day itself feels less magical or unique.
Shift to online and “everyday deals”
- A large share of Black Friday spending has moved online, with U.S. e‑commerce sales on Black Friday hitting around $11–12 billion and growing year over year, so people see fewer dramatic in‑store scenes even though spending is high.
- Retailers now run similar‑level discounts at multiple times of the year, so Black Friday no longer stands out as the only moment for big bargains.
Weaker “wow” deals and inflation
- Many retailers are offering similar percentage discounts to previous years, but starting prices have risen with inflation, so deals feel less impressive or “fake.”
- Commentators and shoppers frequently describe today’s Black Friday offers as “lackluster,” with fewer true doorbusters and more routine percentage‑off sales.
Changing in‑store experience
- Some big chains stopped the extreme overnight openings and Thanksgiving‑day store hours, which reduced the spectacle of people camping outside or rushing in at once.
- Crowds still show up, but more controlled store operations and safety concerns have dialed back the wild, chaotic scenes that defined Black Friday news coverage in the 2000s and early 2010s.
What Black Friday is now
- Black Friday today is essentially the peak of a longer holiday discount period, with strong overall sales but fewer dramatic doorbusters and more emphasis on online shopping and AI‑assisted deal hunting.
- To most people, it feels like “what happened” is that the once‑unique, once‑crazy day got diluted into just another part of a long, mostly online sale season.
