RWRetailWire
Back to Discussions
DISCUSSION

Black Friday creeps back towards Halloween

Written by Tom Ryan

While many are fretting about Black Friday slipping into Thanksgiving Day, a few major chains are drawing it back toward Halloween.

On Friday (Halloween), Walmart put out a press release noting that on Nov. 1 it would be offering deals typically reserved for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. More 20,000 rollbacks on items arrive in groceries and popular brands such as Disney's "Frozen," Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Samsung, and Dell. On Nov. 3, its 24-hour holiday cyber savings event will take place.

"Helping families deliver an amazing Christmas doesn't start on Black Friday, it starts now," said Duncan Mac Naughton, chief merchandising officer, Walmart U.S. "As soon as they put away their Halloween costumes, our customers start prepping for Thanksgiving, buying Christmas trees and shopping for gifts. They want the best deals now and we're here for them today, next week and throughout the season."

[Image: Santa-O-Lantern]

Deals arriving Nov. 3 on Walmart.com include:

  • Sony 48" LED HDTV for $348, was $448
  • Nintendo 2DS Handheld Video Game System for $79, was $129
  • Barbie Dreamhouse for $120, was $148.82 and
  • Nextbook 7.85" tablet with 8GB memory for $49, was $99

A short commercial posted on Walmart's website and YouTube showcases Christmas's quick follow from Halloween.

On Oct. 30, Amazon likewise put out a statement declaring Nov. 1 "the official start of the holiday shopping season on Amazon, as the company kicks off Black Friday early with its Countdown to Black Friday Deals Week event."

Amazon will be offering two Deals of the Day every day, from Nov. 1 through Dec. 22. In addition, through Black Friday weekend, Amazon will be offering more than 15,000 "Lightning Deals", including new early access deals for Prime members. Deals in coming weeks include savings of 40 percent or more on select Star Wars toys, Mickey and Minnie, Crayola and Disney Princess toys; $150 off the Canon EOS Rebel T5i DSLR; and discounts of more than 50 percent off Analon cookware sets.

This past weekend's Sunday circulars included an 80-page "The Great Big Christmas Book" from Toys "R" Us and a 60-page "Wish For" holiday savings book, although neither mentioned Black Friday.

Deal site operators noted that the promised early Black Friday savings from Walmart and Amazon weren't up to Black Friday's levels. But they also believed retailers were looking to encourage holiday shopping well before Black Friday, when steep discounts are pervasive.

"Black Friday is not a day anymore," Mark LoCastro of DealNews, an online coupon site, told the New York Post. "Black Friday is a season."

Discussion Thread0