Record low temperatures didn't freeze Americans out of holiday deals this Black Friday.
U.S. shoppers spent $1.75 billion online, up 28.6 percent from 2017, on Thanksgiving by 5 p.m, Reuters reports via Adobe Analytics. They also lined up at department stores, signaling a promising start to the holiday shopping season driven by a strong economy and rising wages.
San Francisco led the way with 2.3 million online transactions on Thursday, dwarfing the next highest order totals in New York and Dallas, Reuters says. Nationwide, Americans are expected to spend 4.3 to 4.8 percent more throughout the rest of November and December than 2017's holiday season, The National Retail Federation predicts.
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An estimated 116 million people are expected to shop online or in stores on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, per Vox. Many retailers offer deals in the days before Black Friday, but it remains one of the biggest shopping days of the year, both online and in brick-and-mortar shops. Some stores, like Target and Best Buy, are offering free shipping to compete with online retail giants like Amazon, since thousands of shoppers plan to shop online on Black Friday to avoid packed stores.
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