Record number of shoppers expected to gobble up deals from Kentucky retailers this Thanksgiving weekend
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Nov. 19, 2024) — Throughout the Commonwealth, Kentucky retailers are gearing up for a busy five-day Thanksgiving holiday shopping weekend.
According to a newly released National Retail Federation (NRF) survey, a record 183.4 million Americans are planning to shop in-store and online from Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 28) through Cyber Monday (Dec. 2) — a figure that has increased by more than 10% since 2019.
“Kentucky’s hard-working retailers big and small have been planning all year long for this busy shopping weekend,” said Kentucky Retail Federation (KRF) president Tod Griffin. “Even though we see consumers shopping earlier, Thanksgiving weekend still marks the official start of the holiday season for many.”
Over the five-day holiday weekend, 72% of survey respondents said that they plan to shop on Black Friday (with nearly two-thirds of them expected to specifically shop in stores that day); and almost 40% shared that they anticipate making purchases on Cyber Monday.
The top three reasons cited for shopping during the Thanksgiving holiday included: 1) significant savings from special deals (57%), 2) tradition among family/friends (28%), and 3) Thanksgiving signaling the time to begin holiday shopping (24%).
Conducted Nov. 1-7, the NRF survey polled 8,135 adult consumers about their holiday shopping plans.
Earlier this year, NRF forecast that 2024 holiday spending is also expected to reach record levels during November and December — increasing as much as 3.5% from last year, for a total of $989 billion.
“We encourage shoppers to support their local retailers this holiday season and to please be patient with store staff members as they work to meet significantly increased customer demand this time of year,” added Griffin. “And when buying online from e-commerce retailers, remember that there are six fewer calendar days between Black Friday and Christmas Eve this year, so take into account extra shipping days so your orders arrive in time for gift giving.”
The Kentucky Retail Federation is a non-profit trade association representing more than 6,000 diverse members across the Commonwealth — from department and drug stores to hardware, apparel and building supply retailers.
For more information about the KRF, please visit kyretail.com.
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About the Kentucky Retail Federation
The Kentucky Retail Federation is the “Voice of Retailing” throughout the Commonwealth, representing retailers of all types and sizes since 1939. From Main Street to the mall, retailers enhance Kentucky’s communities and provide a better quality of life for Kentuckians everywhere. Kentucky’s retail industry supports 556,000 jobs and pays more than $9.3 billion in wages annually. Retailers collect over $2.8 billion in state sales tax and pay millions in other taxes to state and local governments.
