Holiday shopping month long sale season may dilute the impact of Black Friday retailers hype up what they claim are the best deals.

Retailers’ full-year sales can be boosted by about 20% during the November-December gift-buying months combined.

A trade group for the retail industry, the National Retail Federation, expects holiday sales to increase 4% this year (not adjusted for inflation), slower than the 5.4% increase in 2022.

Compared to Black Friday, Grey Friday is more like Thanksgiving. In this year’s Black Friday, the power has been diluted again. There is no longer a sense of urgency or excitement.

In the past, if shoppers wanted to take advantage of those discounts, they had to wake up early and set up camp outside their favorite stores, so that they could be among the first in to pick up so-called “doorbuster” specials, the extra-juicy discounts that were offered only for a limited time to attract early Black Friday shoppers.

Since online shopping gained popularity, this shopping bonanza has undergone a noticeable evolution, especially among younger consumers.

The quest for value still exists, but online shopping has changed the game so that one needs to take the time to do their research online and maybe venture into stores to find the best deal. The convenience of online value hunting has made value hunting easier,” Cohen explained.

Black Friday sales are not expected to be more aggressive than last year, according to Cohen.

As a result of this shift in sentiment about Black Friday, retailers have extended the one-day deal blitz into a weeklong or even monthlong event in order to jumpstart holiday shopping earlier amid concerns about consumers’ spending abilities as prices rise, student loan repayments resume, and interest and mortgage rates increase.