Shoppers across the nation flocked to malls and major retailers Friday in search of "Black Friday" deals. About 158 million people were expected to shop in stores or online between Thursday and the end of the day Monday, according to the National Retail Federation.
Why it matters: Retailers hope a desire to return to holiday traditions will translate to big spending during the annual post-Thanksgiving sales events, even in the face of supply chain issues and rising prices due to inflation, as Axios' Hope King reported.
In Photos
Lines formed at check out of a Nike Factory Store early in the morning at the Outlet Shoppes at El Paso. Photo: PAUL RATJE/AFP via Getty Images
Holiday decorations filled the cart of a shopper at a New Jersey Walmart. Photo: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Crowds gathered outside a Foot Locker store on Black Friday in New York City's Herald Square. Photo: David 'Dee' Delgado/Bloomberg via Getty Images
It was shopping in shorts weather for deal-seekers in Naples, Florida. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images