One of the hottest Black Friday items was a giant box of mac and cheese

Forget the low-cost furniture and discounts on game console systems — shoppers this Black Friday wanted to get their snack on.

Walmart $WMT offered what was certainly one of the most unusual gift options this year, and it turned out to be one of the most popular. The retailer offered a 65-inch novelty box of Kraft Mac & Cheese, shaped like a big screen TV, but filled with 65 boxes of the cheesy, carb-loaded side dish. The ludicrously large offering was priced at just $19.37, which was a nod to the year of the product's debut. That amounted to a roughly 75% discount on the product's regular price.

"Harnessing cutting-edge flavor technology, this box delivers over 4,000 perfectly calibrated noodles, tuned for maximum cheesiness," the box read.

The giant box went on sale at midnight on Black Friday and was sold out within seconds, something that's not uncommon for hot Black Friday deals — but something that still infuriated some shoppers, who took to social media to complain about how quickly the deal vanished.

Still, that grumbling didn't stop people from spending their money on other things on Black Friday. The unofficial shopping holiday hit a new record this year, with retail sales increasing 4.1% over last year despite ongoing economic concerns and inflation fears. Online shoppers spent 9.1% more, coughing up $11.8 billion, according to Adobe $ADBE Analytics.

One caveat to those higher numbers: They don't account for inflation, which resulted in higher prices at retail. Actual spending by consumers could be flat compared to last year. The 2025 holiday season is underlining the current K-shaped economy, where higher earners are spending more as their portfolios increase and home valuations remain high, while people who earn less are spending less and instead focusing on necessities.