The Weekender: Turkey, Tech and the Price Tag of Gratitude

Suppose Thanksgiving is America’s annual CFO meeting, one part nostalgia, two parts spreadsheet.

In that case, it’s also a perfect mirror for how the digital economy has re-wired the way we eat, shop and schlep to Grandma’s house. The menu is still familiar, but the receipts are doing their own little end-zone dance.

A holiday 89% of Americans say they celebrate hasn’t exactly gone frugal in the internet age; it’s just gotten smarter.

Grocery chains wage loss-leader wars on turkeys. Shoppers toggle between private-label and premium pies with a thumb. Travelers chase cheaper gas and flexible tickets, even as hotels quietly notch new highs. And the perennial dashboard question, “Are we there yet?” now includes a line item for surge pricing.

Consider this your fast, funny field guide to what’s changed since the dial-up era, and what the tabs look like today.

1) The dinner tab, then versus now.

In 2000, the American Farm Bureau’s classic feast for 10 cost $32.37. In 2024, the same basket averaged $58.08, down 5% from 2023, but still about 19% higher than five years ago. (As of early November, the 2025 tally isn’t out yet.)

2) Grocers turn the bird into a billboard.

Price wars mean you can now feed 10 for less than $40 if you shop the promos. Walmart’s 2025 holiday basket clocks in at $39.92, roughly $4 per person, while 2024 saw multiple retailers aiming for $5-or-less per head deals to win foot traffic and app installs.

3) Sides are winning, and sober curious is showing up at the table.

Turkey still leads, but Instacart data shows non-alcoholic drink purchases rose 157% in the week leading up to Thanksgiving from 2019 to 2023. Meanwhile, the generational split is real. Generation Z ranks mac and cheese high; baby boomers stay loyal to stuffing.

4) Pies are increasingly “pre-made.”

Rolling pins are optional. Instacart’s holiday analysis shows heavy interest in ready-made pies and state-by-state quirks (Wyoming, West Virginia and New Mexico top the buy-it-baked list). Even turkey orders now peak four days before the holiday, as digital planning meets thaw physics.

5) Private label graduated to the main table.

In 2025 research, 65% of consumers said they’re comfortable serving store brands for Thanksgiving; only 5% said they’ll prioritize name brands. That’s a multiyear habit reshaped by inflation, savvy shoppers and better private-label quality.

6) Travel volume has swelled back to near records.

AAA called 80 million Thanksgiving travelers in 2024, setting a new record for the number of travelers over the extended holiday weekend and anchored by about 71.7 million drivers, higher than the previous high in 2019, a total of 70.6 million. It’s the annual reminder that the busiest kitchen is actually Interstate 95.

7) Gas prices for a trip to Grandma’s, then versus now.

Assume a 300-mile round-trip and a middle-of-the-road 25 mpg. In 2000, regular gasoline averaged $1.51 per gallon during Thanksgiving week, putting your fuel at about $18. In 2024, it was $3.04 per gallon, about $36.50 for the same drive. (For context, 2022 was the priciest Thanksgiving at the pump since AAA began tracking, at $3.67 per gallon.)

8) Airfares, then versus now.

The U.S. average domestic annual fare was $339 in 2000 (nominal). In 2024, the annual average was $384, down a touch from 2023 in real (inflation-adjusted) terms, even as optional fees have proliferated. Seats are a bit pricier in dollars, but competition and capacity kept a lid on it.

9) Hotel rates, then versus now.

In 2000, the U.S. average daily rate (ADR) was $85.19. By 2024, national ADR was about $159, a near doubling that reflects post-pandemic demand and pricing power (with plenty of regional variance if you wander into wine country).

Bonus turkey tech: For the procrastinators, Butterball’s Cook From Frozen Whole Turkey debuted in 2024 to spare your sink from cold-water bath gymnastics. Convenient? Yes. Culinary magic? Debatable. But the convenience economy has officially hit the main course.

Happy feasting and may your ROI (return on indulgence) be robust.

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