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Black Friday jumps the gun online
Black Friday jumps the gun online
Stores seem to have scaled back on how early they’ll open on Black Friday or, more accurately, on Thanksgiving.
But they’ve redoubled efforts to grab consumer dollars. Ads for the big box stores’ Black Friday deals went out early in November, giving shoppers weeks to plan and, in some cases, buy early. Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Sears and others sent out early ads online so consumers didn’t have to wait for circulars in their Thanksgiving Day newspapers. Wait, there are still newspapers?
Target, for instance, issued emails and online notices that it would have some Black Friday deals available on Wednesday, including special exclusive deals for holders of its Red Card credit and debit cards.
Sears was offering discounts of 10-15 percent as early as Wednesday with a Black Friday code online. And Walmart planned to open its online sales of Black Friday items at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Wilmorite announced that Eastview Mall, The Mall at Greece Ridge Center, and Marketplace Mall will be closed on Thanksgiving but open at 7 a.m. on Friday. Special online newsletters for each mall announce holiday events, including the new photo opportunity with Santa for pets at Eastview Mall, taking place Sunday from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
WalletHub, the online financial advisor, meanwhile, found that 14 percent of items on sale on Black Friday offer no discount compared to their pre-Black Friday price. Best categories for bargains, WalletHub said, include jewelry; books, movies and music; and consumer packaged goods, a category that includes food, light bulbs and cleaning products or, basically, things you use up.
Consumers will spend approximately $1,000 each during the holiday season, says the National Retail Federation.
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