What science reveals about the Black Friday shopping frenzy

The day after Thanksgiving has transformed from a simple holiday aftermath into a full-blown cultural and economic phenomenon. Its name, “Black Friday,” didn’t originate in a corporate boardroom but on the crowded streets of 1960s Philadelphia. Police officers used the term to describe the chaotic traffic jams and crowded sidewalks that marked the start of the holiday shopping season. It was a name born of congestion and chaos.

Yet, retailers later ingeniously reframed it. For them, Black Friday came to signify the pivotal moment their accounting books shifted from the “red” of loss to the profitable “black.” This transformation from a day of logistical headaches to a celebrated retail bonanza captures the essence of the event: a carefully orchestrated frenzy. Today, that frenzy is defined by deep discounts, doorbuster deals, and a palpable sense of urgency.

But what drives this collective behavior? Beneath the surface of chaotic news reports and record-breaking sales figures, a body of research offers a quieter, more systematic look into the psychology at play. By examining consumer motivations, emotional triggers, and decision-making, these studies deconstruct the Black Friday experience, revealing a complex interplay of pleasure-seeking, goal achievement, and the powerful fear of missing out.

Psychology of Selling

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The Search for a Pleasurable Experience

A primary question for researchers is what distinguishes those who brave the crowds from those who stay home. In a 2015 paper titled “The motives, characteristics and experiences of US Black Friday shoppers,” researchers Hyun Ju Kwon and Thomas M. Brinthaupt set out to explore the motivations and experiences of Black Friday consumers.

Their research question focused on identifying differences between shoppers and non-shoppers and understanding what makes for a positive Black Friday experience. To investigate this, they surveyed 142 university students, some of whom had shopped on the most recent Black Friday and some who had not. The survey measured what are known as hedonic shopping motivations, which are reasons for shopping related to pleasure, emotion, and sensory experience.

These motivations were broken down into categories: adventure (shopping for stimulation), gratification (shopping to relieve stress or as a treat), role (enjoyment from buying for others), value (the thrill of finding bargains), social (shopping to bond with friends and family), and idea (shopping to keep up with trends).

The results showed a distinct pattern. Compared to those who did not shop on Black Friday, participants who did scored significantly higher on several hedonic motivations. Specifically, Black Friday shoppers reported higher levels of motivation related to adventure, gratification, and keeping up with new ideas. The study suggests that these shoppers are particularly drawn to pleasurable shopping emotions, and the holiday event may be especially effective at creating and satisfying them.

The researchers also found that a positive experience was connected to behavior. Shoppers who reported more positive feelings also tended to shop longer and visit more stores. Positive experiences were also connected to future intentions; those who had a good time were much more likely to say they planned to shop on Black Friday again the next year.

Goal Blockage and the Emotional Response

Beyond general motivations, other researchers have examined the specific emotional reactions that occur during the shopping event itself. A 2018 study, “Consumer Emotions on Black Friday: Antecedents and Consequence,” by Sharron J. Lennon and her colleagues, aimed to identify what triggers emotions on Black Friday and how those emotions influence a shopper’s overall evaluation of the day.

The team designed an online experiment to test how shoppers react when their goals are met or blocked. They presented 339 participants with one of three fictional scenarios. In each scenario, the participant imagined waking up early to get a 70% discount on cashmere sweaters. The outcomes, however, were different.

In the “Doorbuster” scenario, the shopper successfully purchased the sweaters at the discounted price. This represented goal attainment. In the “Stockout” scenario, the sweaters were sold out by the time the shopper arrived. In the “Wait in Line” scenario, the shopper got the sweaters but missed the 7 a.m. deadline for the deal because the checkout line was too long. These last two scenarios represented goal blockage.

After reading their assigned scenario, participants rated the extent to which they felt a wide range of positive and negative emotions. The analysis revealed that goal attainment, getting the deal, was linked to positive emotions like happiness and excitement. Both goal blockage scenarios were linked to negative emotions like anger and frustration.

An interesting finding emerged when comparing the two goal blockage scenarios. The “Wait in Line” situation produced significantly more intense negative emotions than the “Stockout” situation. The researchers suggest this could be because finding an item sold out is a common expectation, while missing a deal after waiting in line might feel more unjust or unfair.

The study also showed that prior experience shapes expectations. People with more positive past experiences on Black Friday tended to have higher expectations for getting deals. These higher expectations, in turn, were linked to stronger emotional reactions to both success and failure. When shoppers had high expectations, getting a deal felt better, and missing one felt worse.

However, when it came to the overall evaluation of the Black Friday experience, only positive emotions showed a significant link. The negative emotions prompted by goal blockage did not, in their model, appear to lower the participants’ overall positive assessment of the shopping day.

In-Store Enjoyment vs. Online Convenience

The landscape of holiday shopping has been reshaped by the internet, with Cyber Monday emerging as a digital counterpart to Black Friday. In a 2013 paper, “Black Friday and Cyber Monday: Understanding consumer intentions on two major shopping days,” researchers Esther Swilley and Ronald E. Goldsmith explored how consumers view these two distinct shopping events.

They wanted to understand the differences in attitudes and intentions for shopping in a mall on Black Friday versus shopping online on Cyber Monday. The researchers surveyed 225 consumers, asking them to rate both shopping days on measures of convenience, perceived usefulness, and enjoyment.

The findings highlighted a clear trade-off. Participants rated Cyber Monday as significantly more convenient than Black Friday. At the same time, they rated Black Friday as a more enjoyable experience. Both days were considered equally useful for accomplishing holiday shopping goals.

The analysis then revealed how these factors connect to form a positive attitude. For both days, a sense of convenience was linked to higher perceptions of usefulness and enjoyment. These perceptions of usefulness and enjoyment were then linked to a more positive attitude toward shopping on that day.

Despite Black Friday being rated as more enjoyable, participants reported a stronger intention to shop on Cyber Monday. The researchers suggest this is because the perceived convenience and usefulness of online shopping ultimately had a stronger influence on their plans. Consumers appear to use the two days to meet different needs: Black Friday for the enjoyable, social experience and Cyber Monday for the efficient convenience of online purchasing.

The Broader Psychological Forces

A 2024 review paper by Yihe Huang, “A Review on the Cause of Black Friday Consumerism,” synthesizes existing work and highlights several overarching psychological principles that retailers leverage on Black Friday. The paper describes how marketing strategies are designed to tap into innate human tendencies.

One of these is the scarcity mentality. Limited-time offers and “doorbuster” deals with limited stock create a sense of urgency, which can magnify the perceived value of a product. This connects directly to another concept: Fear of Missing Out (FOMO). By framing deals as a unique and fleeting opportunity, retailers can trigger an anxiety that others might be getting a rewarding experience that one is absent from.

The review also points to the role of social comparison. In an age of social media, people are constantly exposed to the purchases and lifestyles of others. Black Friday provides a stage for acquiring coveted items at a discount, allowing consumers to align their possessions with those they see displayed by their peers.

Together, these studies paint a multi-faceted portrait of the Black Friday shopper. The decision to participate is not driven simply by a desire for low prices. It is also a search for positive feelings, an emotional response to achieving a goal, and a calculated choice between the enjoyment of a traditional experience and the convenience of a modern one. The phenomenon persists because it taps into a complex web of motivations, emotions, and psychological triggers that go well beyond the price tag.