Key statistics
How Americans are shopping the 2026 holiday sales: who’s planning to shop, how much they’ll spend and what they end up regretting.
The sales season
71%
71% of Americans aged 18 to 64 plan to shop the Black Friday, Cyber Monday or Singles Day sales, up from an estimated 66% in 2025.
$488
The average shopper plans to spend $488 (median $300), down from an estimated $594 in 2025.
$71b
Americans aged 18 to 64 plan to spend about $71 billion in the sales, down from an estimated $81 billion in 2025.
81%
81% have shopped Black Friday, Cyber Monday or Singles Day sales at some point.
The hangover
55%
55% of sale shoppers have bought something on sale they later regretted, compared with an estimated 57% in 2025.
40%
Clothes and shoes (40%) and electronics (39%) are the most regretted sale buys.
71%
71% say Black Friday sales are good value, up from an estimated 68% in 2025.
19%
19% think retailers inflate prices before the sales so they can advertise bigger discounts.
Based on a Pollfish survey of 1,000 US adults aged 18 to 64, November 2026, compared with Finder surveys from 2022 and 2023. Figures for 2024 and 2025 are estimates.
Introduction
The headline
More Americans plan to shop the holiday sales this year, but they’re bringing smaller budgets. 71% plan to shop Black Friday, Cyber Monday or Singles Day, up from an estimated 66% in 2025, while the average planned spend has fallen to $488 from an estimated $594.
Most think the sales are good value, yet more than half (55%) have bought something on sale they wish they hadn’t, and nearly 1 in 5 suspect retailers inflate prices before slashing them.
Finder surveyed 1,000 US adults aged 18 to 64 in November 2026, just ahead of Black Friday, and compared the results with our 2022 and 2023 surveys. Finder’s 2026 Shopping Report follows the season in two parts:
- The sales season: who’s shopping Black Friday and how much they plan to spend, tracked from 2022 to 2026. More of us are shopping, but with smaller budgets.
- The hangover: whether the deals are worth it and what we regret afterwards. 55% of sale shoppers have a purchase they wish they could take back.
Part one: The sales season: who’s shopping and how much they’ll spend
More Americans plan to shop the holiday sales than at any point since 2022, but they’re planning smaller budgets.
Black Friday plans: 2022 to 2026
7 in 10 plan to shop the sales
71% of Americans aged 18 to 64 plan to shop the pre-holiday sales this year, such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Singles Day. That’s up from an estimated 66% in 2025.
Plan to shop the pre-holiday sales, 2022 to 2026
Part of that rise reflects a change in how we ran the survey this year, so treat it as a direction rather than an exact increase (see our methodology). What’s consistent is that a clear majority of working-age Americans shop the sales every year, with 81% having done so at some point.
Who’s shopping
Men (73%) are slightly more likely than women (70%) to shop the sales. Americans aged 45 to 64 are the most likely to take part in the holiday sales events (74%), while 18- to 24-year-olds are the least likely (65%).
The Northeast leads the regions (75%), with the South trailing (69%). No surprise, higher-income earners (households earning $100,000+) are most likely to shop (79%), compared with 70% of those earning under $100,000.
Plan to shop the pre-holiday sales, by group
| Group | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 (est.) | 2025 (est.) | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | 57% | 56% | 61% | 66% | 71% |
| Men | 59% | 56% | 62% | 67% | 73% |
| Women | 56% | 57% | 61% | 65% | 70% |
| Ages 18-24 | 75% | 69% | 68% | 66% | 65% |
| Ages 25-44 | 65% | 65% | 67% | 69% | 71% |
| Ages 45-64 | 42% | 41% | 52% | 63% | 74% |
| Northeast | 62% | 61% | 65% | 70% | 75% |
| Midwest | 55% | 55% | 61% | 67% | 74% |
| South | 58% | 55% | 60% | 64% | 69% |
| West | 54% | 56% | 61% | 65% | 70% |
Shoppers plan to spend $488 each
The average sale shopper plans to spend $488 this year, down from an estimated $594 in 2025.
Average planned spend per shopper, 2022 to 2026
More shoppers with smaller budgets adds up to less spending overall. Americans aged 18 to 64 plan to spend about $71 billion in the pre-holiday sales, down from an estimated $81 billion in 2025, even though the number of shoppers has grown to about 146 million from an estimated 136 million.
Estimated total pre-holiday sales spend, ages 18 to 64, 2022 to 2026
Who’s spending
Men plan to outspend women ($553 vs $420), a gap that has shown up in every Finder Black Friday survey that measured it since 2018, but men’s budgets have fallen further, from an estimated $700 in 2025.
Americans aged 25 to 44 ($507) and 45 to 64 ($510) plan to spend about the same, while 18- to 24-year-olds plan to spend $363. By region, the West ($504) and South ($503) lead, and the Midwest ($461) trails. Households earning $100,000 or more plan to spend $660, compared with $455 for those earning less.
Average planned spend per shopper, by group
| Group | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 (est.) | 2025 (est.) | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | $599 | $804 | $699 | $594 | $488 |
| Men | $769 | $993 | $846 | $700 | $553 |
| Women | $422 | $620 | $553 | $487 | $420 |
| Ages 18-24 | $513 | $675 | $571 | $467 | $363 |
| Ages 25-44 | $702 | $936 | $793 | $650 | $507 |
| Ages 45-64 | $480 | $656 | $607 | $558 | $510 |
| Northeast | $570 | $886 | $752 | $617 | $482 |
| Midwest | $688 | $744 | $649 | $555 | $461 |
| South | $563 | $697 | $632 | $568 | $503 |
| West | $618 | $980 | $821 | $663 | $504 |
$553
average planned spend for men, down from an estimated $700 in 2025
$420
average planned spend for women, down from an estimated $487 in 2025
"You wouldn’t want to learn that a loved one went into debt to afford gifts for the holidays, right? Remember that mentality. Using credit cards for holiday shopping is tempting, especially with promotions, sales and cashback rewards. But if you can’t pay off the balance right away, carrying a balance into the new year means paying interest, which can make those ‘deals’ cost much more over time.
“And one more thing: we’ve all been guilty of hoarding cash-back rewards for the perfect purchase — the holidays are the perfect time to cash those in."
The 2026 sales calendar
Black Friday takes its name from the day after Thanksgiving, when retailers traditionally kick off the holiday shopping season. In 2026, Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 26.
Black Friday
Fri, Nov 27
Cyber Monday
Mon, Nov 30
Travel Tuesday
Tue, Dec 1
Early-bird deals now start well before the day itself, with many retailers running Black Friday promotions throughout November.
Part two: The hangover: are the deals worth it, and what do we regret?
Most Americans think the sales are good value, but more than half have bought something on sale they wish they hadn’t.
Are the deals worth it?
A combined 71% of Americans think Black Friday sales offer good value, up from an estimated 68% in 2025. But only 39% give an unqualified yes (an estimated 37% in 2025), and another 31% say the deals are good but not always worth the hassle.
Do you think Black Friday sales offer good value?
Nearly 1 in 5 (19%) believe retailers inflate prices before the sales so they can advertise bigger discounts, little changed from an estimated 20% in 2025. Another 10% say the products they want aren’t discounted much or at all.
Skepticism rises with age: 20% of those aged 45 to 64 think prices are inflated, compared with 11% of 18- to 24-year-olds. Younger shoppers are the most convinced the deals are worth it, with 79% of 18- to 24-year-olds saying the sales are good value, up from an estimated 74% in 2025.
Say Black Friday sales are good value (net), by group
| Group | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 (est.) | 2025 (est.) | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | 72% | 64% | 66% | 68% | 71% |
| Men | 74% | 67% | 69% | 71% | 73% |
| Women | 70% | 62% | 64% | 66% | 68% |
| Ages 18-24 | 83% | 63% | 68% | 74% | 79% |
| Ages 25-44 | 77% | 71% | 70% | 70% | 69% |
| Ages 45-64 | 62% | 57% | 61% | 65% | 69% |
| Northeast | 72% | 69% | 69% | 70% | 70% |
| Midwest | 69% | 66% | 66% | 66% | 66% |
| South | 72% | 62% | 66% | 69% | 73% |
| West | 74% | 62% | 66% | 69% | 72% |
Buyer’s remorse
55% have regretted a sale purchase
55% of sale shoppers have bought something on sale that they later regretted, compared with an estimated 57% in 2025.
Have bought something on sale they later regretted, 2022 to 2026
Who regrets it most
Women (55%) and men (54%) are about equally likely to have a regretted sale purchase. Regret is highest among 45- to 64-year-olds (59%) and lowest among 18- to 24-year-olds (49%). Midwesterners are the most likely to have regrets (60%).
Have regretted a sale purchase, by group
| Group | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 (est.) | 2025 (est.) | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | 64% | 61% | 59% | 57% | 55% |
| Men | 66% | 57% | 56% | 55% | 54% |
| Women | 63% | 65% | 62% | 59% | 55% |
| Ages 18-24 | 73% | 64% | 59% | 54% | 49% |
| Ages 25-44 | 62% | 61% | 58% | 55% | 53% |
| Ages 45-64 | 62% | 58% | 58% | 59% | 59% |
| Northeast | 70% | 57% | 55% | 53% | 51% |
| Midwest | 63% | 66% | 64% | 62% | 60% |
| South | 61% | 60% | 58% | 57% | 55% |
| West | 69% | 60% | 58% | 55% | 52% |
The most regretted sale buys
Clothes and shoes (40%) and electronics (39%) top the list of regretted sale purchases, followed by toys and games (25%), beauty and personal care (20%) and food and drink (18%).
Which product categories did you regret buying on sale?
Men’s regrets skew toward electronics (48% vs 33% of women). Women more often regret clothes and shoes (43% vs 35%) and beauty products (29% vs 7%).
The bottom line
Americans are still showing up for the holiday sales, and in bigger numbers, but they’re bringing smaller budgets. With more than half of sale shoppers nursing a purchase they regret, the best deal this Black Friday is the one you planned for: a list, a budget and a quick check of the return policy before you hit buy.
What can I do to be cool?
Hi Patrick,
Thanks for getting in touch! You are cool in your own unique way. Don’t feel like you have to try hard to please everyone.:) You do you! :)
Cheers,
Nikki