6 in 10 Employees Will Shop Black Friday Weekend Deals During Work Hours

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are renowned for offering some of the year’s most significant sales. In November 2024, ResumeTemplates.com conducted a survey of 1,780 U.S. full-time workers to assess how these deals might impact workplace productivity.

Key findings:

• 84% of workers who plan to shop Black Friday sales (or 59% of workers overall) will do so during work hours
• 3 in 10 workers who wouldn’t otherwise be working remotely will opt for work from home to more easily be able to shop sales
• Workers will block off their calendars, cancel meetings, and delay deadlines to prioritize shopping
• Inflation and future tariffs drive workers to shop Black Friday deals more this year
• 1 in 8 workers will spend more than a week’s pay on Black Friday Deals

60% of Employees Will Shop Black Friday Sales While At Work

Based on the results of this survey, 70% of full-time workers plan to shop Black Friday deals, 84% of whom will shop during work hours.

More specifically, about 12% plan to spend less than an hour browsing deals, while the largest group, 43%, expects to spend between 1 to 3 hours. Another 21% anticipate spending 4 to 6 hours shopping, 4% plan to spend 7 to 9 hours, and 2% admit they’ll devote 10 or more hours to hunting for bargains. Only 16% of workers said they won’t shop during work hours at all.

Workers will block off their calendars, cancel meetings, and delay deadlines to prioritize shopping

Workers will find creative ways to prioritize researching and snagging deals. Between Monday, November 25, and Monday, December 2, nearly half of workers (47%) say they plan to extend their lunch or break times to shop. Another 32% say they plan to block off time on their calendars, while 25% anticipate delaying responses to work emails or messages to focus on shopping.

Some workers say they plan to take more drastic measures—18% expect to reschedule assignments, 15% admit they plan to shop during meetings, and 4% say they will cancel meetings altogether to make time for Black Friday and Cyber Monday purchases.

Skipping work entirely is also part of some plans. While 18% of shoppers say they will definitely call in sick to maximize shopping time, another 16% say they might.

Remote work offers another solution for maximizing shopping opportunities. Among workers who don’t typically work remotely, 31% say they plan to switch to working from home so will be in a better position to shop.

“Employees should not use company equipment for personal purposes or company time for shopping,” says ResumeTemplates’ Chief Career Strategist Julia Toothacre. “That said, many do because Black Friday offers some of the best deals. Even if they’re shopping on their phones, it’s still happening during work hours. Recognizing this, many companies give their employees time off around this big holiday shopping weekend. They know that productivity will be low anyway because many people take the day off and other businesses are closed, limiting communication to contacts and clients.”

4 in 10 admit productivity will decline this week due to shopping habits

Regarding productivity, 33% of shoppers surveyed expect to be a little less productive at work, while 9% anticipate being a lot less productive. The majority, 58%, believe their productivity will remain unchanged during these shopping events.

“Companies should anticipate distractions on Black Friday in particular. Whether it’s due to shopping or frustration over missing time with family or kids who have the day off, employees are unlikely to be fully focused. To boost productivity during this time, companies should consider giving employees the day off to rest and return refreshed on Monday,” says Toothacre.

Inflation and Tariffs Drive More Black Friday Shopping This Year

Workers will use various methods to cover their purchases: 72% plan to use credit cards, 50% will use debit cards, 29% will pay with cash, and 14% plan to use buy now, pay later services like Afterpay or Klarna.

Nearly one-third (32%) of workers who plan to shop say they will do so more extensively this year than previous years. Among those increasing their spending, 31% attribute it to inflation, and 17% cite Trump’s planned tariffs.

A small but notable group—14%—describe some of their planned shopping as “doom spending,” reflecting purchases made out of frustration or pessimism.

When it comes to total spending, of workers who are shopping these deals, 12% plan to spend more than a week’s pay on Black Friday deals. Overall, 38% of respondents plan to spend less than $500, 33% expect to spend between $501 and $1,000, 15% plan to spend between $1,001 and $1,500, 7% say they will spend between $1,501 and $2,000, and 4% each expect to spend either $2,001 to $2,500 or more than $2,500.

Methodology: ResumeTemplates.com commissioned and launched this survey via Pollfish on November 20, 2024. In total, 1,780 U.S. full-time workers were surveyed. Media inquiries can be directed to [email protected].