New York CNN –
For many people, Black Friday marks a day of relaxation after family and friends gather for a traditional turkey dinner the night before. However, there will be no peace for serious bargain hunters.
The day after Thanksgiving traditionally marks the start of the Christmas shopping rush. On Black Friday, retailers tout what they say are the best deals of the season on popular gift items like clothing, electronics and toys. But this year, retailers have clearly ditched that plan and rolled out Black Friday-like deals weeks before the big day.
According to industry observers, what this means for bargain hunters is that some of the best deals have either already flowed through, potentially blunting the impact of Black Friday, or they will be staggered after Black Friday to entice shoppers to keep buying more until Christmas.
This is important because the November-December months when gifts are purchased can together account for around 20%, or a significant portion, of retail sales for the full year.
The National Retail Federation, a retail trade group, is forecasting a 4% increase in holiday sales this year (not adjusted for inflation), slower than the 5.4% increase in 2022.
“Black Friday [is] more like Gray Friday. The dilution of Black Friday’s power has begun again this year. Gone is the sense of urgency and excitement. But the pursuit of value is still there,” said Marschall Cohen, chief retail industry analyst at research firm Circana.
Previously, if shoppers wanted to snag these discounts, they had to get up at the crack of dawn and camp out in front of their favorite store to be among the first to load the cart with so-called “doorbuster” specials, the extra-juicy discounts , which are being offered for a limited time to attract the early Black Friday crowds.
So if you slept, you lost.
In recent years, however This shopping bonanza has undergone noticeable evolution as online shopping has become more popular, particularly among younger consumers who couldn’t particularly care about doorbuster promotions.
“The pursuit of value is still there, but online shopping is now about doing homework online and maybe going to stores. “Online has made the search for value more convenient,” Cohen said.
Yuki Iwamura/AFP/Getty Images
This year, retailers rolled out early Black Friday-like deals weeks ahead of the annual shopping bonanza on the day after Thanksgiving.
Retailers have responded to this changing sentiment around Black Friday by expanding the one-day bargain promotion into a week-long or even month-long event, hoping to boost holiday shopping sooner amid concerns about consumers’ ability to buy amid the overhang Rising prices, a new start Student loan repayments and higher interest and mortgage rates.
There’s currently a tug-of-war between retailers and consumers, said Adam Davis, CEO of Wells Fargo. Compared to last year, when stores were overwhelmed with excess Christmas goods and therefore slashed prices to sell them out, retailers are in a much better situation with their inventory this year.
“With tighter inventory, retailers may not need to advertise as much. This means retailers can be more methodical in their promotions and advertise less,” he said. This also allows retailers to improve their profit margins in the important year-end quarter.
At the same time, retailers know that consumers are now anticipating strong holiday sales. If they skimp on it, they will lose the sale. “Consumers have learned to buy an offer, and if they don’t get the offer today, someone else will have an offer for them tomorrow,” Cohen said.
Cohen doesn’t expect Black Friday sales to be any more aggressive than last year.
“There will be discounts, door openers will appear in some places, but the value of the discounts will be more like 25% to 30%,” he said. “Retailers have learned to sell out rather than sell, meaning it is better to sell out at higher prices than to have to discount and lose money trying to sell all the goods.”
Expect the best bargains, 40% to 70% off, on things like clothes, shoes and even some Lego sets, said Julie Ramhold, consumer analyst and senior writer at shopping comparison site DealNews.
“It’s a longer shopping season because retailers introduced early Black Friday deals back in October. This can be beneficial for consumers who want to save and stay within their budget,” she said. “But it can also lead to sales fatigue for some buyers. You get so used to seeing everything on offer that at some point your brain starts to stop believing it or goes numb.”
Elsewhere, she advised against buying toys on Black Friday unless you absolutely have to get the hottest toy of the year, which could sell out super quickly if you wait.
“Just before Christmas you could see discounts of 50 to 70%. “So December is a good time for toys, but not if you don’t want to risk something selling out,” Ramhold said.
Charlie Riedel/AP
Shoppers can expect tempting deals on TVs, laptops and iPhones on Black Friday.
Black Friday promises good bargains on gadgets like TVs, laptops and iPhones, especially the iPhone 15s and the new Apple Watch Series 9.
“There are some surprisingly good deals on the iPhone 15s. repeatedrepeatedtoreturnedreturnedreturnedagain. That’s a surprise to me,” she said.
Walmart’s first round of early Black Friday deals included a house-brand 50-inch TV for $148. “It sold out in no time,” she said. “I’m also seeing Chromebooks for $99 and budget laptops for around $200.”
If you’re looking for bling, it might be better to wait. “Avoid buying jewelry around Black Friday. The better deals come in late January when retailers start preparing for Valentine’s Day,” Ramhold said.
Other purchases worth waiting for include furniture and home accessories. “President’s Day is better for furniture and mattress deals,” she said. maintainedbeblack continually continually