Name: Black Friday sales launch amid economic uncertainty
Uploaded: 2025-11-25T10:06:48.356Z
Duration: 2 min 55 s
Description: Inflation and recession fears reshape U.S. Black Friday shopping as many prioritise essentials over holiday splurges.

Inflation and recession fears reshape U.S. Black Friday shopping as many prioritise essentials over holiday splurges.

St. Petersburg

Black Friday has launched in the United States, signaling the beginning of the holiday shopping season with retailers offering significant sales events. This year, economic pressures such as inflation, increased living costs, and uncertainty over tariffs and a potential recession are influencing consumer behavior, leading many to prioritize essential purchases and be more cautious with spending.

Despite these challenges, experts forecast a record 187 million shoppers between Thursday and Monday, an increase from the previous year. Many consumers are expected to use credit cards for purchases, with some incurring debt to buy gifts, while the White House has indicated that improvements in the cost of living may not be felt until 2026.

Black Friday sales launch amid economic uncertainty

So it is that time of year again. Prepare for chaos, for queues that line up from the early hours, and two words you cannot escape here in the US, Black Friday. Quick bit of background for you. It all starts here on Thanksgiving, also known by some as Turkey Day. Massive holiday here in the United States, always falls on the fourth Thursday of November. Black Friday is the day after. Many people are still off work, so they go shopping. There's people escaping the home where they have been with their family members. For the retailers, it is the unofficial start of the crucial holiday shopping season, the period that decides whether they finish the year in profit. There are a handful of categories that are highly seasonal and really make or break their year based on Q4. There are sectors like toys, sectors like jewelry, for instance. But things are a bit different here in the US this year, where people have got a lot to worry about. Inflation is a top concern for so many people. In addition to that, many are just struggling with the sheer cost of living. There is also the constant fear that a recession could be on the way. And for many people, there is the real prospect that health care premiums could be about to shoot up. And this is all before we get to the T word, not Thanksgiving, tariffs. Maybe the children will have $2 instead of $30. Those tariffs, often shifting, rarely fixed, with shoppers expecting to be more deliberate and strategic, prioritising essentials over big purchases. So everything from artificial Christmas trees to some of the toys that we might be buying our kids, including the food that we're going to be putting on the table, all of these things are impacted by trade policy. Black Friday has actually extended over the last few years. In fact, some of the big retailers, like Amazon, no longer run it for just a day. Black Friday runs all week. And then after Black Friday, Cyber Monday's up next, as retailers try to squeeze every last penny out of customers. Experts are expecting a record 187 million people to shop between Thursday and Monday. That is an increase of 3 million on last year. There are consumers who are struggling and are going to be pulling back. But when you look at the macro picture, the economy is still relatively healthy. No prediction on how much is likely to be spent. Lots expected to go on credit cards, though. Many get into debt this time of year because they want to make others happy. There's the premise that there are benefits to taking on the debt if I'm acknowledging my friends and family. Americans should start to feel improvements to the cost of living from the start of 2026, says the White House. So a happier new year for some. Well, it certainly feels a long way from this point in late November. But we are getting into the season of giving, whether Americans can afford it or not. Phil Lavelle, Al Jazeera, St. Petersburg, Florida.

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