With financial stress mounting for many Americans, scoring deals may be all the more important during the holiday shopping rush.

Over the four-day stretch between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Americans are projected to spend more than $85 billion, up nearly 9% from 2025, according to a report released Wednesday by Bain & Company. And more than 90% of consumers plan to shop Black Friday, Cyber Monday or another major sales event, according to a survey conducted by the Boston-based management consulting firm.

While some people still crowd into stories in the wee hours of Black Friday to score deals, much of that shopping has moved online in recent years—but that hasn’t quelled the spending frenzy. Black Friday is likely to remain the leading sales day of the holiday season, according to Bain, while Cyber Monday, just a few days later, will likely crack into the top five sales days of 2026. 

“Black Friday and Cyber Monday are becoming increasingly important battlegrounds for retailers, especially as U.S. consumers prioritize value and deal-heavy shopping days,” Aaron Cheris, global head of retail at Bain, said in a statement. 

Consumers will have some other factors to contend with this holiday shopping season, namely the affordability crisis that’s squeezing their wallets. The latest consumer price index, released Wednesday, showed that inflation rose 3.7% in September on an annual basis, as soaring gas prices are trickling through the broader economy.

Bain expects holiday sales to top $1 trillion this year for the first time, but noted that more than half of consumers plan to change their holiday spending this year, citing higher prices as a main reason why.

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