by John Biers
Yahoo! Finance
The annual Black Friday shopping day has always been about finding the best deals, but this year retailers are preparing for a US consumer more zealously fixated than ever on getting value for their money.
Inflation has stabilized after dramatic price spikes during the Covid pandemic years, but consumers are still feeling the pinch — meaning bargain-hunting strategies such as grabbing early giveaways and waiting for last-minute steals are in vogue.
Compared with other years, holiday shoppers in 2024 are “even more preoccupied and very focused around value and discounts,” said Vivek Pandya, leading insights analyst at Adobe Digital Insights.