November 5, 2025
Does Walmart Need Two Black Friday Events?
Walmart is holding two “Black Friday Deal” events this year for the first time, in addition to its Cyber Monday events plans.
The events include:
- Walmart Black Friday Deals Event 1 (Nov. 14–16).
- Walmart Black Friday Deals Event 2 (Nov. 25–30).
- Cyber Monday (Dec. 1, online only).
Walmart+ members gain early access to the deals.
“For years, Walmart has owned Black Friday — and this year we’re proving why,” John Furner, president and CEO, Walmart U.S., said in a statement. “We’re dropping up to 60% off top brands and offering thousands of deals under $20, making it clear: nobody does low prices like we do. Just like our Thanksgiving Meal Basket we’re leading on convenience and rewriting what value looks like, helping customers have their best, brightest and most budget-friendly holiday yet.”
Last year, Walmart held a holiday sale on Nov. 11, but it was identified as more of a seasonal event rather than a Black Friday deal.
Headlines Suggest Cash-Strapped Consumers May Desire Extended Holiday Sales Periods: Enter Walmart
Among news sites calling out Walmart’s two Black Friday deals, the reasoning behind the move was attributed to consumers seeking higher discounts amid economic and inflationary concerns.
Retail Dive said, “Consumers are facing increased pressure on their wallets — exacerbated by the looming potential of impacts to food assistance — as some research suggests shoppers will pull back on holiday spend. Walmart could especially notice the sting of this, as the retailer captures over a quarter of SNAP grocery dollars.”
Axios said of Walmart’s “back-to-back” Black Friday sales, “The world’s largest retailer’s sales calendar often sets the pace for when other chains start dropping their own holiday deals…This holiday season is unfolding against a backdrop of tariff uncertainty and higher costs for imported goods.”
Among other retailers introducing early Black Friday-labeled deals this year, Best Buy introduced “holiday DoorBOOsters” on Oct. 31, Ulta Beauty introduced an “Early Black Friday Deals” promotion running from Oct. 26 through Nov. 22; and Lowe’s is running “Early Black Friday” deals from Oct. 30 to Nov. 26.
Holiday deals have been arriving earlier and earlier over the last decade. The shift accelerated with Amazon’s launch of a Prime Early Access Sale in mid-October 2022 that showcased a wide range of holiday deals — and led to similar promotions around that timeframe from Walmart, Target, Best Buy and others.
Retailers risk diluting the effect of promotions with so many sales, however. A new report from AlixPartners finds consumers are becoming increasingly numb to the nonstop stream of discounts and promotions, with their survey showing service and experience gaining in importance. AlixPartners stated, “Discounts no longer guarantee demand — brands relying on pricing games risk fatigue, lost credibility, and defection.”
BrainTrust
Jeff Sward
Founding Partner, Merchandising Metrics
Oliver Guy
Global Industry Architect, Microsoft Retail
Shep Hyken
Chief Amazement Officer, Shepard Presentations, LLC
Recent Discussions
Discussion Questions
Do you see more benefits than drawbacks to Walmart and other retailers holding more than one Black Friday deal event?
Do you agree that consumers are becoming increasingly numb to a steady flood of holiday promotions?
Poll
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Back Friday is no longer a day. It is a whole season. And it has been this way for some time. Walmart’s move reflects this. It is also a response to the heightened consumer focus on deals this holiday and the subsequent increase in competitive activity. They key to success is to have different deals and points of interest across each event, rather than both becoming a general free-for-all. The early access for Walmart+ members is sensible as it helps underline the value of Walmart’s program.
While consumers may be pulling back, and there is fatigue with onslaught of promotions, Walmart isn’t taking any chances. The term, “Black Friday”, may have lost some of its punch, but clearly Walmart still sees the value in positioning this as a second ‘Black Friday’. No doubt this will pull sales forward and shift vs. creating incremental sales, but by launching this second Black Friday, they’re not taking any chances. Getting the sales when you can is the name of the game.
The fatigue of the promo naming is there.
But shopping practicality may win out as “helpful”..
The USA is in an awkward time: people losing paychecks, sporadic pay for govt workers fired/rehired, SNAP benefits in hiatus, etc
Cutting consumers some slack on WHEN to buy might help. Walmart can be a food shopping trip or a multi category (incl holiday present trip).
Easing back on pressure may help in mindset AND in store congestion. (Images of fist fights on prior BF’s remerge this time of year).
For multiple Black Friday events to work successfully and not cannibalize one another, appropriate merchandising is necessary. For example, if Event 1 focuses on electronics and Event 2 focuses on toys, then Walmart will have appropriately segmented its customers while ensuring targeted, appropriate marketing. However, if Event 2 is just the leftovers from Event 1, with subpar marketing and merchandising support, then it’s doomed to fail.
Does WalMart – i.e. an EDLP retailer – need (even) one Black Friday? The answer is likely yes – if for no other reason than it’s expected (and yes, even a disounter can sell for less) – but I agree with the premise that the world is in promotion overload.
Why not give customers two days to celebrate deeper discounts? (Rhetorical question!) As the article implies, some customers will enjoy spreading out the purchase over two days (or longer) rather than being forced to buy everything at once. And for some, it’s a second chance to purchase what they may not have bought the first time around. I can’t see the downside.
Black Friday ain’t what it used to be. The deals aren’t as sharp, and as others have noted, the time period gets longer and longer. Remember door busters and long line ups in the Store to cash in on a real and very substantial deal….(now those were the days). Maybe we need “pitch black day” within this ever lengthening less exciting weeks of sale.
Walmart can host as many Black Friday “events” as it wants, and retailers can play around with dates as much as they want, but to consumers Black Friday is, and will alawys be, the day after Thanksgiving. Now, if Walmart wants to spread it out, go for it, but no retailer can forget the importance of the day itself. All we are doing with Black Friday event after event is confusing consumers.
Is 2025 any different?… when paychecks are sporadic and putting everything on cc (or BNPL) at once could be stressful? Costs are on everyone’s mind… not to mention household budgets upended for medical insurance changes. If there was a year to test 2 BF time periods, this might be the year.
Running two Black Friday events gives shoppers flexibility and gives Walmart more opportunities to capture spend. It also keeps the brand top of mind longer, catching that second wave of buyers driven by FOMO or fresh paychecks.
Retailers could consider implementing a tiered discount system throughout the holiday season, offering gradual price reductions instead of multiple Black Friday events. Additionally, they might focus on enhancing their online shopping experiences to accommodate the growing preference for digital purchases. Another strategy could involve exclusive loyalty programs, providing members with early access or special discounts to encourage repeat business.
Maintaining brand consistency is crucial for Whole Foods Market, as it reinforces customer trust and loyalty. Any misalignment between the expanded assortment and the company’s core values could lead to confusion and dilute the brand identity. Ensuring that new products align with the brand’s promise of quality and sustainability is essential to preserving its reputation.
As a Brit, I find this story interesting. Fifteen years ago, Black Friday was barely noticed in the UK, but it has become increasingly prominent, possibly due to Amazon.
What started as a single day now spans a weekend or even an entire week at some retailers, who spread out deals to manage demand and compete for sales earlier. Some shops launch sales before others to capture customers’ attention first. Offering multiple Black Friday events can tempt consumers, though there’s no guarantee discounts will be repeated.
The abundance of promotions may lead to consumer fatigue; some retailers are known for constant sales, like DFS, a UK furniture store whose business model relies on perpetual promotions – I have heard comedians joke that they would like to live until the end of the DFS sale.
Ultimately, retailers must decide whether to be associated with continual discounts or with occasional, standout deals.
Black Friday is it’s own mini-season. It’s an umbrella for almost 2 months of promotional mayhem throughout the market. So I don’t see how Walmart can stand out with 2 “BF” events. Black Friday used to mean “DOORBUSTERS!” and a day/weekened of intense promotions and shopping. Nowdays it’s not quite at the “meh” level, but it certainly doesn’t have the intensity it used to. It can be a useful headline to introduce a promotion, but then it’s all about content…product and pricing and creating urgency.
I just read a headline that said layoffs in October were the worst they have been in 20 years. SNAP $$$ are in limbo. Those two issues probably hit the core of Walmart shoppers pretty hard. So I think this moment is about a lot more than adding a BF event. I have no doubt that Walmart will be doing all kinds of competitive backflips to address the market, but adding a BF headline to an event is not the energizer it used to be.
Walmart’s decision to deploy two distinct Black Friday events is a classic double-edged sword, and your analysis highlights the critical tension perfectly.
✅ The Case for “Yes” (Short-Term Win): I agree this move successfully caters to the immediate pressure for staggered spending, allowing budget-conscious consumers (as the article notes) to spread out costs. Ultimately, Black Friday has evolved into a strategic promotional anchor used simply to capture cash and lock in market share before the December rush, which this calendar successfully achieves.
❌ The Case for “No” (Long-Term Risk): However, I share your skepticism about the true benefit of staggering the dates within the same pay cycle (November). True spending relief would likely require events in genuinely separate months. Furthermore, extending the discount timeline so aggressively risks a greater dilution effect (as AlixPartners warned). By front-loading sales, Walmart impacts normal shopping periods, pulling demand forward and potentially creating a sales trough in the periods following the deal events.
Note: Point of view is mine , Language and formal presentation were polished with assistance from Gemini
Launching multiple Black Friday events helps Walmart solidify its low-cost leadership positioning. Customers feel extra grateful to save money for 2025 Thanksgiving and holiday festivities.
Pulsing out Black Friday promotions is strategically shrewd. Walmart stays competitive during the busiest sales season of the year, and smooths out supply chain pressure, store traffic and product availability instead of concentrating its efforts in late November.
Promotion fatigue matters here. When an EDLP leader needs promotional fireworks to compete, it validates that the market has trained customers to wait for discounts rather than trust everyday pricing. The pessimist would say that Walmart isn’t strengthening its position; it’s admitting it lost the pricing trust game and now has to compete on the same promotional battlefield as everyone else.
The optimist counters that Walmart is simply being strategically pragmatic – using promotions as high-visibility traffic drivers while the EDLP infrastructure continues doing the retention work year-round. Two events give them an extended share of voice when customers are most attentive, without abandoning the pricing fundamentals that built their dominance. Only time will tell which narrative proves correct.
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Back Friday is no longer a day. It is a whole season. And it has been this way for some time. Walmart’s move reflects this. It is also a response to the heightened consumer focus on deals this holiday and the subsequent increase in competitive activity. They key to success is to have different deals and points of interest across each event, rather than both becoming a general free-for-all. The early access for Walmart+ members is sensible as it helps underline the value of Walmart’s program.
While consumers may be pulling back, and there is fatigue with onslaught of promotions, Walmart isn’t taking any chances. The term, “Black Friday”, may have lost some of its punch, but clearly Walmart still sees the value in positioning this as a second ‘Black Friday’. No doubt this will pull sales forward and shift vs. creating incremental sales, but by launching this second Black Friday, they’re not taking any chances. Getting the sales when you can is the name of the game.
The fatigue of the promo naming is there.
But shopping practicality may win out as “helpful”..
The USA is in an awkward time: people losing paychecks, sporadic pay for govt workers fired/rehired, SNAP benefits in hiatus, etc
Cutting consumers some slack on WHEN to buy might help. Walmart can be a food shopping trip or a multi category (incl holiday present trip).
Easing back on pressure may help in mindset AND in store congestion. (Images of fist fights on prior BF’s remerge this time of year).
For multiple Black Friday events to work successfully and not cannibalize one another, appropriate merchandising is necessary. For example, if Event 1 focuses on electronics and Event 2 focuses on toys, then Walmart will have appropriately segmented its customers while ensuring targeted, appropriate marketing. However, if Event 2 is just the leftovers from Event 1, with subpar marketing and merchandising support, then it’s doomed to fail.
Does WalMart – i.e. an EDLP retailer – need (even) one Black Friday? The answer is likely yes – if for no other reason than it’s expected (and yes, even a disounter can sell for less) – but I agree with the premise that the world is in promotion overload.
Why not give customers two days to celebrate deeper discounts? (Rhetorical question!) As the article implies, some customers will enjoy spreading out the purchase over two days (or longer) rather than being forced to buy everything at once. And for some, it’s a second chance to purchase what they may not have bought the first time around. I can’t see the downside.
Black Friday ain’t what it used to be. The deals aren’t as sharp, and as others have noted, the time period gets longer and longer. Remember door busters and long line ups in the Store to cash in on a real and very substantial deal….(now those were the days). Maybe we need “pitch black day” within this ever lengthening less exciting weeks of sale.
Walmart can host as many Black Friday “events” as it wants, and retailers can play around with dates as much as they want, but to consumers Black Friday is, and will alawys be, the day after Thanksgiving. Now, if Walmart wants to spread it out, go for it, but no retailer can forget the importance of the day itself. All we are doing with Black Friday event after event is confusing consumers.
Is 2025 any different?… when paychecks are sporadic and putting everything on cc (or BNPL) at once could be stressful? Costs are on everyone’s mind… not to mention household budgets upended for medical insurance changes. If there was a year to test 2 BF time periods, this might be the year.
Running two Black Friday events gives shoppers flexibility and gives Walmart more opportunities to capture spend. It also keeps the brand top of mind longer, catching that second wave of buyers driven by FOMO or fresh paychecks.
Retailers could consider implementing a tiered discount system throughout the holiday season, offering gradual price reductions instead of multiple Black Friday events. Additionally, they might focus on enhancing their online shopping experiences to accommodate the growing preference for digital purchases. Another strategy could involve exclusive loyalty programs, providing members with early access or special discounts to encourage repeat business.
Maintaining brand consistency is crucial for Whole Foods Market, as it reinforces customer trust and loyalty. Any misalignment between the expanded assortment and the company’s core values could lead to confusion and dilute the brand identity. Ensuring that new products align with the brand’s promise of quality and sustainability is essential to preserving its reputation.
As a Brit, I find this story interesting. Fifteen years ago, Black Friday was barely noticed in the UK, but it has become increasingly prominent, possibly due to Amazon.
What started as a single day now spans a weekend or even an entire week at some retailers, who spread out deals to manage demand and compete for sales earlier. Some shops launch sales before others to capture customers’ attention first. Offering multiple Black Friday events can tempt consumers, though there’s no guarantee discounts will be repeated.
The abundance of promotions may lead to consumer fatigue; some retailers are known for constant sales, like DFS, a UK furniture store whose business model relies on perpetual promotions – I have heard comedians joke that they would like to live until the end of the DFS sale.
Ultimately, retailers must decide whether to be associated with continual discounts or with occasional, standout deals.
Black Friday is it’s own mini-season. It’s an umbrella for almost 2 months of promotional mayhem throughout the market. So I don’t see how Walmart can stand out with 2 “BF” events. Black Friday used to mean “DOORBUSTERS!” and a day/weekened of intense promotions and shopping. Nowdays it’s not quite at the “meh” level, but it certainly doesn’t have the intensity it used to. It can be a useful headline to introduce a promotion, but then it’s all about content…product and pricing and creating urgency.
I just read a headline that said layoffs in October were the worst they have been in 20 years. SNAP $$$ are in limbo. Those two issues probably hit the core of Walmart shoppers pretty hard. So I think this moment is about a lot more than adding a BF event. I have no doubt that Walmart will be doing all kinds of competitive backflips to address the market, but adding a BF headline to an event is not the energizer it used to be.
Walmart’s decision to deploy two distinct Black Friday events is a classic double-edged sword, and your analysis highlights the critical tension perfectly.
✅ The Case for “Yes” (Short-Term Win): I agree this move successfully caters to the immediate pressure for staggered spending, allowing budget-conscious consumers (as the article notes) to spread out costs. Ultimately, Black Friday has evolved into a strategic promotional anchor used simply to capture cash and lock in market share before the December rush, which this calendar successfully achieves.
❌ The Case for “No” (Long-Term Risk): However, I share your skepticism about the true benefit of staggering the dates within the same pay cycle (November). True spending relief would likely require events in genuinely separate months. Furthermore, extending the discount timeline so aggressively risks a greater dilution effect (as AlixPartners warned). By front-loading sales, Walmart impacts normal shopping periods, pulling demand forward and potentially creating a sales trough in the periods following the deal events.
Note: Point of view is mine , Language and formal presentation were polished with assistance from Gemini
Launching multiple Black Friday events helps Walmart solidify its low-cost leadership positioning. Customers feel extra grateful to save money for 2025 Thanksgiving and holiday festivities.
Pulsing out Black Friday promotions is strategically shrewd. Walmart stays competitive during the busiest sales season of the year, and smooths out supply chain pressure, store traffic and product availability instead of concentrating its efforts in late November.
Promotion fatigue matters here. When an EDLP leader needs promotional fireworks to compete, it validates that the market has trained customers to wait for discounts rather than trust everyday pricing. The pessimist would say that Walmart isn’t strengthening its position; it’s admitting it lost the pricing trust game and now has to compete on the same promotional battlefield as everyone else.
The optimist counters that Walmart is simply being strategically pragmatic – using promotions as high-visibility traffic drivers while the EDLP infrastructure continues doing the retention work year-round. Two events give them an extended share of voice when customers are most attentive, without abandoning the pricing fundamentals that built their dominance. Only time will tell which narrative proves correct.