Cyber Monday vs. Black Friday: Which shopping holiday has the best deals?

The supreme shopping weekend is almost here.

A record 183.4 million people are planning to shop in stores and online between Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday in 2024, up from the previous record of 182 million in 2023, according to an annual National Retail Federation survey.

Black Friday still reigns supreme, the survey found, with 131.7 million people (72%), reporting plans to do shopping that day. That's followed by Cyber Monday, when 39% of respondents, or 72.3 million people, plan to shop.

The top reason shoppers are still so dedicated to cashing in on the official shopping holidays is deals that are "too good to pass up," said 57% of people, followed by a love for tradition, according to 28% of respondents.

With so many millions planning to do the bulk of their shopping over about four days, it begs the question: Is one day better than the other to shop sales? Which shopping holiday comes out on top in the matchup of Black Friday versus Cyber Monday? Here's what to know.

What is Black Friday? When is Black Friday 2024?

Black Friday happens the day after Thanksgiving, which is Thursday, Nov. 28 this year, meaning the shopping holiday falls on Friday, Nov. 29.

It is believed to have earned the title "Black Friday" in the 1950s when Philadelphia police coined the term to describe the chaos they observed thanks to suburban shoppers flooding the city, USA TODAY previously reported.

By 1961, the name stuck in Philly but didn't go nationwide until the late 1980s, when retailers seized the opportunity to re-frame the day as something more positive, concocting the analogy of stores going from being "in the red" (experiencing financial deficit) until the explosion of sales on the day after Thanksgiving, bringing them back into "the black" (being profitable).

What to know about Black Friday 2024: Where and when to shop sales

What is Cyber Monday? When is Cyber Monday 2024?

Cyber Monday takes place the first Monday after Thanksgiving. This year, it will fall on Monday, Dec. 2.

It originated as something of a response or complement to Black Friday, eventually becoming equally lucrative for retailers. The official term was coined by the National Retail Federation in 2005, when the organization noticed an influx in online shopping the Monday after Thanksgiving as people returned to work and used their − at the time − faster internet connections in the office versus at home to start on their holiday lists.

Like with Black Friday, retailers cashed in on this by making it a full-fledged sales event, this time focusing on online shopping and sales.

What to know about Cyber Monday 2024: Where and when to shop sales

Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday: Which is better?

Once upon a time, Black Friday and Cyber Monday were two distinct events, especially when brick-and-mortar shops and in-store flash sales were more popular.

Between online shopping becoming the year-round favored method of deal-hunting for many consumers and the now-popular practice among retailers of cashing in by extending the shopping holidays into multi-day events, however, the two have become more or less enmeshed. And, the COVID-19 pandemic likely managed to push some of the last in-store holdouts to the digital space.

The shopping holidays now often segue straight into each other with no real break, like Amazon's Black Friday Week, which ends Nov. 29 and bleeds directly into its Cyber Monday sale from Nov. 29 to Dec. 2. While the deals are labeled as being part of two different events, they function as one long sale.

In some cases, the same sales may simply roll over into the "new" holiday promotion and be rebranded. In other cases, stores may choose to save certain sale types for one day or the other, so while Black Friday and Cyber Monday may have become more or less the same thing, make sure you pay attention to the official sale dates on those items you really want.

Deals expected to get better through Cyber Monday

There's a reason Black Friday and Cyber Monday have managed to hold onto their massive sway over consumers: Some deals really are too good to pass up.

According to data compiled by Adobe Analytics, for the first 24 days of this season (Nov. 1 to Nov. 24), discounts for electronics peaked at 10.9% (off listed price) but is expected to hit 30% on Cyber Monday.

Black Friday is set to have the biggest discounts for televisions at 24% vs. a typical sale price of 10.8% off the listed price, whereas Saturday is expected to have the best bargains for computers at 23% (vs. 11.8%).

Cyber Monday is also set to have the best deals for apparel at 23% (vs. 10.3%).

Adobe also forecasted that Cyber Week, defined as the 5-day period that includes Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, is expected to drive $40.6 billion in online spending, up 7% from last year. This surge accounts for 16.9% of the overall online holiday shopping.

Cyber Monday alone is expected to drive a record $13.2 billion in sales (up 6.1% year-over-year), followed by Black Friday at $10.8 billion (up 9.9%) and Thanksgiving Day itself at $6.1 billion (up 8.7%).

Top Black Friday Deals

With a rising preference for online shopping, retailers have begun rolling out "Black Friday" deals earlier and making them run longer, giving customers more time to cash in. You can already find price cuts at a number of retailers, including Best Buy, Amazon, Walmart, Staples, BJ's Wholesale Club and Target. Some of the biggest deals, however, are usually reserved for the day of.

Amazon’s Black Friday Week started on Nov. 21, and will run through Friday, Nov. 29. Deals include up to 55% on select Amazon devices, including Amazon Fire Smart TVs, Kindles, Ring doorbells and Beats headphones. There's also up to 50% on denim for the family from Levi’s and apparel from OROLAY, along with thousands of other deals.

Walmart launched its online early Black Friday deals on Nov. 11, offering up to 70% off everything from cookware and beauty products to toys and clothing.

Top Cyber Monday deals

Like Black Friday, Cyber Monday has expanded its domain past a single day.

The biggest deals from retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Target and Walmart are often reserved for Cyber Monday itself, but are also often available for at least two days, if not a full "Cyber Week."

Amazon's Cyber Monday event kicks off before the day proper, beginning on Friday, Nov. 29 and running through Monday, Dec. 2. As usual, the sales run the gamut, including up to 50% off on tech including JBL headphones and Eufy security cameras, 55% off Zinus mattresses, 40% on select vacuums Bissell and Tineco and 20% of Stanley drinkware.

Target's Cyber Monday event usually begins the Sunday after Thanksgiving and extends into Cyber Monday, meaning this year it will likely begin on Sunday, Dec. 1 and last through Monday, Dec. 2. Target's sales include the Apple AirPods Pro 2 for $189.99, the Keurig K-Mini for $59.99, the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4k for $24.99 and the Apple Watch SE for as low as $199.99.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Black Friday or Cyber Monday? Which day has better holiday deals?