Americans Prepare for a Thanksgiving Shopping Spree

As Thanksgiving weekend is only two weeks away, consumers and retailers in the United States are gearing up for what marks the beginning and the peak of the holiday shopping season. Last year, e-commerce sales alone amounted to $12.8 billion for the five-day period between Thanksgiving and the following Monday, known as Cyber Monday these day.

This year’s Thanksgiving weekend is set to shatter sales records once again as more and more Americans seem to see it as the perfect occasion to hunt for bargains ahead of Christmas. According to Nielsen data, 6 in 10 Americans plan to do some shopping on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, when most retailers offer special deals to kick off the holiday season. As our chart illustrates, the nationwide shopping spree is about to start early this year, with 49 percent of consumers planning to shop on Thanksgiving evening.