The most shopped-for items or brands during Black Friday aren’t that hard to guess. You could probably rattle off five without seeing a crumb of data — just based on vibes alone.
TVs, Apple products, and Roombas probably came to mind, and those were top of mind for Mashable readers on Black Friday itself, too. All three of those categories ranked in the top 25 most popular items at two of the biggest Black Friday retailers: Amazon and Walmart. Other expected synchronicities included non-iRobot robot vacuums and laptops.
Beneath that, however, lies one retailer-specific trend: People are more likely to ball out at Amazon while Walmart draws the bargain hunters.
Apple stuff aside, Amazon’s most sought-after TVs included pricier premium TVs (specifically the 2021 and 2022 versions of LG’s flagship gaming TV, the C1 and C2) while readers shopping at Walmart went for cheap mid-size TVs, like Samsung’s cheap entry-level series or onn.’s budget-friendly QLED model.
Even the iRobot stans were split. All three versions of the smartest Roomba (the j7+ alone, the self-emptying j7+, and the self-emptying and mopping Combo j7+) topped Amazon’s list, while Walmart’s most popular was the cheapest self-emptying Roomba, the i1+. Mashable readers were also down to drop over $1,000 on Roborock’s most expensive robot vac.
Whether you use this information to map out a game plan for next year or simply for people-watching purposes, here are the items Mashable readers cared about most on Black Friday. Bonus: The ⚡ signifies that an item is still at its Black Friday price. Just saying.
Most popular items at Amazon on Black Friday
Honorable mentions in the top 25 that don’t fall under the top three categories: DJI’s Mavic Mini Combo(opens in a new tab) and FPV Combo(opens in a new tab) drones, Apple gift cards(opens in a new tab), and the 13.3-inch Samsung Galaxy Book Pro(opens in a new tab).
Most popular items at Walmart on Black Friday
Honorable mentions in the top 25 that don’t fall under the top three categories: The HP LED projector with an 86-inch screen included(opens in a new tab) and, of all things, tires.
