When is Black Friday 2024? What to know and when to act

On November 14, 2024By Littum

Black Friday is coming up, and Arizona residents have a chance to save big on popular items, especially if you want to get some holiday shopping done.

From electronics to appliances to clothing and personal care items, many major US retailers will have sales for holiday shoppers.

Black Friday sale in the U.S. reached $9.5 billion by 2023. Shoppers should expect the same from sales in 2024 and should plan for a lot of foot traffic at retailers offering big sales, such as Target, Walmart, Kohl’s and Macy’s.

Here’s when Black Friday 2024 is, some history behind the shopping holiday and other useful info.

When is Black Friday 2024?

Black Friday is always the day after Thanksgiving. This year, that day falls on November 29.

What is the best time to shop on Black Friday?

It’s smart to have a plan of action for your trips to stores across Arizona, that way you can not only get the best sales, but do your best to stay away from massive crowds of shoppers.

Time Magazine analyzed Google trends in 2025, which showed that visitor traffic in stores was lowest between 02.00 and 06.00, with the crowd starting to increase around

Foot traffic peaks between 14:00 and 16:00 which would be a good time to avoid shopping if you want to avoid crowds.

The best way to avoid large Black Friday crowds might be to get up early and shop early, even if you’re still full from your Thanksgiving feast the day before.

When was the first Black Friday?

In the 1950s, Philadelphia police used the term to describe the chaos that ensued the day after Thanksgiving, when throngs of suburban shoppers flooded the city before the Army-Navy football game, held the Saturday after the holiday each year.

Philadelphia police could not take the day off and had to work extra long shifts to handle the crowds and traffic. Shoplifters took advantage of the stores and stole countless items, adding to the headache.

By 1961, the name “Black Friday” had caught on in Philadelphia, although it had a negative connotation.

Sometime in the late 1980s, retailers wanted to find a way to reinvent Black Friday and make it something that reflected positively on them and their customers. By the mid-1980s, the term “Black Friday” was in common use across the country.

Expect lots of traffic, both on the road and in the shops

Data tells us that Black Friday causes huge increases in traffic, both by foot and by car.

According to Google Consumer Trends, store traffic increased by 65% on Black Friday compared to an average weekend day in November.

There are also more cars on the roads, leading to an increase in accidents. According to Progressive, Black Friday saw a roughly 34% increase in car crashes compared to any other day of the year from 2010 to 2014.

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