Black Friday Starts Now for Savvy Shoppers
Black Friday bargains, but hate the idea of pre-dawn lines, surly shoppers, and the risk of bodily harm just to score a bargain Blu-ray player or Xbox console, major U.S. retailers have an alternative: Why not shop early? Some pre-Black Friday sales start Saturday, Nov. 7. Start brewing the coffee now.
The early sales from JCPenney, Sears, Target, and Wal-Mart are designed to drive traffic to brick-and-mortar stores and retail websites--and possibly entice consumers to start their holiday shopping a little early. Some big box retailers, including Best Buy and Wal-Mart, offered pre-Black Friday loss-leaders last year too.
If you'd rather not leave the house, Kmart's "Better than Black Friday" online extravaganza kicked off today, and runs every Friday through Nov. 20.
" 'Black Friday' has become a buzzword. People associate it with really good deals," says Michael Brim, founder and president of BFAds, a site that sends subscribers email messages about Black Friday bargains.
At a typical pre-Black Friday sale, such as Sears' "Black Friday Now" event that starts Saturday, Nov. 7 at 7 a.m., retailers trot out "maybe two or three Black Friday store-busters," Brim says.
This year's best tech bargain? According to BFAds, Wal-Mart is effectively selling an Xbox 360 Arcade console for just $100. While the advertised price is $199, the retailer is giving away a $100 gift card with each Xbox 360 Arcade purchase. "Consoles have a minimum advertised price," says Brim. "Retailers can't advertise anything lower than that."
Black Friday is just a few weeks away, but you may have noticed that some hot deals are already available.
Some retailers are slashing prices early for an entire month of shopping incentives.
Instead of waiting until the day after Thanksgiving, businesses are looking for a much earlier boost in sales, according to Tampa Bay Business Journal editor Alexis Muellner.
"There is tremendous pressure on retailers to try and at least do better than last year," said Muellner. "Which, as you know, is not going to take much to move the needle because last year was such a down year."
But the shaky economy is shaking the nerves of some customers.
Vera Almstedt says she plans to keep her pocketbook closed this holiday season.
"I'm not doing as much as I would," said Almstedt. "I usually buy the boys more things, but I'm not going to
She's not alone.
She's not alone.
According to the National Retail Federation, the average shopper is expected to spend $682 on holiday-related shopping, down three-percent from last year.
The Strasburg Children store will have no Black Friday deals, and holiday inventory has been drastically reduced to keep from marking clothing down, according to manager Sherry Spacht.
"This year we won't have any on clearance," said Spacht. "We will be done with our holiday
by the end of November."
It's another new strategy to save retailers from another dismal year, and get shoppers to start bargain shopping now.
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