“For many American families, holiday shopping is an essential part of the budget. They plan for it and save for it,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay.
The previous record was in 2023 when 200.4 million people shopped.
Black Friday remained the busiest shopping day of the long weekend, attracting 80.3 million in-store shoppers and 85.7 million online.
Numbers were down slightly from last year’s 169 million Friday shoppers due in part to companies offering Black Friday deals days or weeks before the event, Shay said.
Some of those who did venture out were lured by giveaways as opposed to sales, with big box retailers like Target handing out door prizes to entice customers.
“They better be good prizes,” said John Nesbit, who, with his wife Virginia, camped out at the Beavercreek Target store Thanksgiving night to claim one of the gift totes handed out to the first 100 customers on Black Friday.
Traffic picked up for Small Business Saturday nationally, according to the NRF, with 62.7 million people visiting a local store, up from 61 million in 2024.
But for area small business owners, Saturday was a letdown.
“It definitely was a bit slower than everyone would have liked,” said Nikki Stargel, general manager of Salar Dayton and president of the Oregon District Business Association.
The threat of bad weather Saturday dampened some of the expected foot traffic, she said, but the real culprit was the noon kickoff of the Ohio State-Michigan game.
“Retail businesses didn’t have lines out the door or anything,” Stargel said. “Those with TVs showing the game had crowds.”
Emily Mendenhall, owner of Lily’s Dayton, 329 E. 5th St., ended up closing early Saturday due to lack of business.
Mendenhall said that while Saturday was discouraging, she sees the rest of the holiday shopping season going well.
“I think more and more people are looking more and more to have an experience,” Mendenhall said.
Lily’s Dayton and other Oregon District small businesses are collaborating to offer special events - like a perfume pop-up on Sunday and a baked potato pop-up on Dec. 22 - to draw shoppers looking for unique gifts and experiences.
The U.S. Small Business Administration is expected to release Small Business Saturday numbers this week.
Cyber Monday was the second most popular day for shopping, according to the NRF, with 75.9 million customers, up from 64.4 million in 2024. Mobile devices were the preferred method of online shopping.
The NRF projects holiday shopping sales to top the $1 trillion mark for the first time.
“We still believe we’re on track to meet that forecast,” Shay said.
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