Black Friday Begins Today
As November draws to a close, today starts that time of special shopping sprees. Mad dashes in and out of stores, cashiers throwing out their backs lifting cart-fulls of goods, binge spending to frantic limits… it’s official: Black Friday is back.
Black Friday is known to be a good day for phone upgrades, new TV’s, and purchasing new technology. Walmart, Target, Macy’s, and the Amazon online marketplace are just a few of the many stores that have already released their ad deals two weeks prior to the traditional Black Friday sale.
“Amid the coronavirus, retailers are extending sales like in 2020,” USA Today said. “Walmart also unveiled its Black Friday deals Monday with its sale starting online Nov. 22 and four hours earlier for members of Walmart+, its membership program.”
Over 20 pages of advertisements were posted on the Walmart website, advertising Black Friday sales ahead of time including: an Apple Watch Series 3 GPS for $109 (was $199), and a size upgrade to 42mm for $139 (was $229).
“This is the ad that in years past would be considered the ‘official’ Black Friday ad, but in these changing times the sale is different from what most shoppers remember,” journalist for WCPO John Matarese said. “But unlike last year, when millions of people overloaded Walmart’s website at 8 p.m. Thanksgiving night, the big sale will begin Monday evening and run all week.”
On Nov 12, 2020, the Playstation 5 (PS5) gaming console was released in Australia, Japan, Canada, Mexico, South Korea, and the United States. Due to a global chip shortage, this prevented Sony from producing more to match the wide-reaching demand. This caused many consumers to purchase the console and resell it for thousands of dollars on eBay and second hand sites.
“The situation looks set to continue for a while, so we’re left having to keep an eye on PS5 restocks,” Creative Bloq said. “[They] don’t tend to last long (as an example, Target’s July 30 restock in the US sold out in 13 minutes).”
Walmart will be having a stock of PS5’s while supplies last. Walmart early access members will be able to shop the item early starting on Nov. 22. According to Creative Bloq, stores such as: Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Target, Gamestop, and Newegg will also be carrying the popular gaming console.
Similarly, the Xbox Series S will also be on sale for $499 at Walmart while they are in stock. Available games for Nintendo, Xbox, and Playstation 5 can be purchased for $14 to $39 at Walmart. Some of these games include: “Grand Theft Auto V”, “Madden 22”, “Just Dance 2022”, and “Spider-Man Miles Morales”.
Though Target won’t be offering a Playstation 5 or Xbox Series S, consumers can purchase the Beats Solo3 wireless and or on-ear headphones for $99 (was $199) and Adele’s deluxe CD, 30, for $11.99 (was $35.99) including three exclusive bonus tracks. In addition, they are also offering a ‘Buy 2, get 1 free’ deal on all music, movies, and books. Whether it’s by Ariana Grande, Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Adele, or Taylor Swift’s new Red (Taylor’s Version), every album is eligible for this deal.
Despite being an online marketplace, Amazon will also be offering massive sales starting on Nov. 25 and lead straight into Cyber Monday.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday is the perfect time for consumers to purchase new electronics as the prices can drop by hundreds, or even thousands.
Need a new TV? Amazon is offering up to 33% off on Samsung TV’s: prices ranging from $400 to $10,000 depending on the size. In addition, the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K is available to purchase for 50% off.
“Amazon doesn’t have a traditional ‘newspaper circular,’ but the company’s press release has detailed some of the biggest deals to expect,” CNET said. “More importantly, Amazon already has a Black Friday deals section live on its site where it’s running a long list of discounts, including discounts up to 50% on Amazon devices like the Fire TV Stick 4K.”
Be on the lookout for these devices that may go on sale throughout this week: Apple products, laptops, larger appliances, earbuds, etc.
Need help looking for sales? Here’s a list of several ad scans for Black Friday: Keep in mind that the start days vary for each store and the stores themselves may be closed on Thanksgiving Day. Be sure to follow COVID-19 guidelines and safety practices to have the most successful Black Friday weekend.
