Mall Of America In Minnesota Releases Startling Black Friday Numbers

Whether you're someone who loves to "shop 'til you drop" or not, I'm sure you're well aware of the term "Black Friday", which has been around a lot longer than Cyber Monday and all the other shopping and spending terms that are now around.

The term "Black Friday" actually originated in 1869, when a plot to corner the gold market triggered a financial crisis, but it was later applied to the day after Thanksgiving in Philadelphia in the 1950s and 1960s to describe the chaos of shoppers.

Retailers later adopted the name in the 1980s to signify the start of their most profitable sales period of the year, when they moved from being "in the red" to "in the black".

When it comes to shopping in the United States, there's no bigger place to shop than the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, which is 5.6 million square feet of shopping and entertainment.

So, how Black Friday goes at the Mall of America can be a good gauge of how strong the holiday shopping season will be each year, and this year's numbers have been released.

Mall Of America Releases 2025 "Black Friday" Sales Statistics

According to the Mall of America, this year's Black Friday was not only strong, but it was one for the record books. It boasts that more than 235,000 people visited the Mall on Black Friday, making it the busiest Black Friday on record in the Mall’s history.

From Wednesday, November 26, through Sunday, November 30, over 500,000 guests traveled from throughout the United States and beyond to experience the shopping tradition at Mall of America. Beyond shopping, visitors also spent money on all the mall has to offer, including restaurants, the amusement park, and more.

Mall of America Black Friday weekend highlights include:

• Black Friday traffic increased 8.5% compared to 2024, and was up nearly 2% compared to 2019, the previous single-day attendance record.
• Shorter hours, stronger turnout: Despite operating for three fewer hours than the previous record Black Friday in 2019 (when the Mall was open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.), this year’s 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. schedule produced record-breaking results.
• Guests began lining up as early as 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day at the North Entrance to be among the first to experience Black Friday at MOA.
• Guests stayed longer: Average dwell time on Black Friday reached nearly three hours, surpassing the Mall’s year-round average.
• A powerful start: More than 14,000 guests entered the Mall within the first hour of opening on Black Friday.
• Retailers saw standout performance: Over 30% of MOA tenant survey respondents reported their Mall of America store was the top-performing location company-wide on Black Friday. Additionally, nearly 20% reported their MOA store ranked within their top five.

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The Mall of America now looks to maintain that Black Friday momentum throughout the 2025 holiday shopping season.