Five smart tips to save money on Black Friday and holiday shopping
Discover five expert tips to stretch your budget and score the best deals this Black Friday and holiday season.
Consumers nationwide Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, will take part in an economic blackout through Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, with organizers of the “Mass Blackout” protest targeting major retailers like Walmart, Amazon and Target, and restaurants like Starbucks and McDonald’s. Americans are also urged to avoid travel, stop watching TV and movies on streaming, and to skip work.
The mass economic shutdown, arising from a coalition of grassroots organizations including 50501, Indivisible and Blackout the System. Organizers of the economic blackouts are demanding an “end to corporate rule and political corruption” with the removal of “fascist” President Donald Trump and his administration, according to a news release on TheMassBlackout.com.
Americans are asked not to shop in-store or online on Black Friday 2025 and Cyber Monday 2025, avoid travel, restaurants and normal consumer behavior, as well as call out of work or skip work, cancel subscription services, stop all streaming services, and only use Instagram, Facebook, X and TikTok for intentional, non-entertainment reasons.
The economic blackout, using #MassBlackout on social media, isn’t about Republican vs. Democrat, and instead “people vs. power,” organizers say. Shopping is OK at locally owned businesses on Small Business Saturday, which is Nov. 29. Instead of “feeding big corporations,” organizers urge Americans to donate to Feeding America, or other charitable organizations.
Here’s what New Jersey shoppers should know.
Economic blackout 2025; when does ‘Mass Blackout’ start?
The economic blackout protest, dubbed “The Mass Blackout” by organizers including 50501, Indivisible, and Blackout the System, starts Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. The protest continues through Black Friday (Nov. 28) and Cyber Monday (Dec. 1), and ends on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025.
The protest coincides with “Black Friday Cyber Week Blackout, a campaign launched by The People’s Union USA from Nov. 28 through Dec. 5. The organizer, John Schwarz, was behind prior DEI-related economic blackouts earlier in 2025.
What is included in ‘Mass Blackout’ protest? What to know
During the “Mass Blackout,” between Nov. 25 and Dec. 2, Americans are asked to not spend any money or shop at major retailers on Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, like Walmart, Target, Costco and Amazon, skip major coffeehouses like Starbucks and Dunkin’, forgo restaurants, like McDonald’s new “Grinch” meal for a day, and cancel streaming on Netflix, Hulu, or Peacock.
All consumer-driven activity, such as flights and travel on Thanksgiving and through the next eight days — Uber and Lyft rides included — should be avoided. Organizers say staying home reduces labor demand and amplifies visibility.
Organizers ask people to only use social media intentionally, such as to organize and spread the message by using #MassBlackout, #MBO, #MB, #BlockParty, and #BlackoutForDemocracy.
Why be part of an economic boycott?
Organizers of “The Mass Blackout” 2025 urges Americans to put away their wallets and not spend money during the busiest and most profitable shopping week of the year: Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It’s not symbolic, Isaiah Rucker Jr., founder of Blackout the System said; rather, Americans are “living under a political system captured by special interests, where billionaires and corporations write the rules.”
Organizers cited the Trump administration’s pause on anti-corruption enforcement, which they say gave corporations “a free pass to bribe, cheat, and exploit. Big businesses are funding authoritarian candidates, organizers claim, walking back civil rights, labor protections, diversity and democracy.” Many economic protests in 2025 focused on companies rolling back their DEI programs, including Target.
How to shop on Black Friday during boycott
Consumers are urged to shop at local businesses for their Thanksgiving necessities (farmer’s markets, locally owned grocery stores, deli or markets) by using cash only. Shop at small businesses on Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday for Christmas and holiday gifts.
Do economic blackouts work?
It’s tough to gauge the impact of economic boycotts, but organizers say that if five million Americans stop working for 48 hours, billions would be lost in economic input, supply chains would be delayed, and production slowed and shipments disrupted. After 72 hours, there would be billions withheld in consumer activity and immediate losses across food, transportation and entertainment.
The three-day “Economic Blackout 2.0,” organized by The People’s Union USA between Good Friday and Easter 2025, had “some potential impact” on sales for large retailers including Target, Walmart and Amazon, according to a USA TODAY report.
What if I can’t take off work?
Not everyone can afford to take off work and skip a paycheck. Organizers say participates can instead cancel their subscriptions, halt spending, log off entertainment platforms, share the “Mass Blackout” campaign, or donate to charity.
Lori Comstock is a New Jersey-based journalist with the Mid-Atlantic Connect Team.
