Photos show Black Friday crowds at retailers across the US even as more shoppers move online

• Even as online Black Friday shopping increases, people still formed lines at stores across the US.
• Crowds descended on stores like Best Buy and shopping centers like the American Dream mall.
• Target attracted in-person Black Friday shoppers with exclusive in-store Taylor Swift merchandise.

The ease of online shopping and the disruption of in-person events at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic have continued to impact attendance at Black Friday doorbuster sales, but shoppers still turned out at stores in large numbers this year.

In 2023, Black Friday online shopping hit a record high with a total of $9.8 billion spent — a 7.5% increase from 2022, according to an Adobe report.

Even so, shopping in person the day after Thanksgiving hasn’t completely died out. Of the 131.7 million people expected to shop on Black Friday in 2024, 65% said they planned to shop at stores in person, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey.

Retailers like Target also drew customers to brick-and-mortar locations by releasing exclusive Taylor Swift merchandise in-store on Black Friday before making it available online the following day.

Take a look at Black Friday crowds across the US.