“So one has to wonder: Is this really becoming a question of marginal returns on the tremendous effort that retailers have to put in to promote Black Friday?”.
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Walmart has not officially released the Black Friday sale flyer on its website, only on its app, in an attempt to entice shoppers to download it, but we’ve got you covered.
Target has also announced its Black Friday deals, while outdoor retailer REI is giving its employees Black Friday off. Because our job is pretty simple: “To give the customer what they want”, Wal-Mart U.S. CEO Greg Foran said.
“We will not be beat on pricing this holiday season”, said Steve Bratspies, chief merchandise officer for Walmart USA on a call with reporters Thursday.
“It’s about deals, it’s about availability and it’s about simplicity”.
Based upon the leaked press release (which apparently has already been taken down), Walmart’s Black Friday sales start at 12:01 a.m. PST on Thanksgiving morning online and at 6 p.m. Thanksgiving Day in-stores. “They know their best opportunity to make smarter purchases happen when they can compare all the deals from all the Black Friday ads versus settling for what retailers offer in select early sales”. Best Buy is opening at 5 p.m. on the holiday, the same time as previous year, while Target and Macy’s will open at 6 p.m., and Toys R Us at 5 p.m.
For those who don’t know, Walmart announced they’d be testing a new strategy this year for Black Friday. The discounts will be available in stores starting at 6 p.m. that day, the company said in a statement.
If you define doorbuster deals as insanely limited stock, long lines, varied times to line up and disappointment then yes, Walmart Black Friday doorbuster deals are dead. The holiday shopping season is critical to retailers, accounting for about 20 percent of annual retail sales.
Closed on Thanksgiving. Opens at 9 a.m. on Black Friday. But still, experts say it’s important for retailers to get customers in store.
“Having mobile friendly devices or applications having the technology when people walk into the store to open your smartphone and you can see specials”. Many are also making it just as easy for customers to skip a store trip altogether by making the same deals available online.
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“Frankly, it surprised me that there were so many that were opening early over the last couple of years“, O’Shea said.
