Black Friday has been the biggest Shopping day for many years already, and in recent years, retailers supplemented this by starting sales on Thursday night. Walmart is taking this to another level by offering parties in its stores on Thanksgiving in hopes to bring in more sales. These events are designed to appeal to those who celebrate Thanksgiving earlier and want to get energized before the major sales begin.

The Parties and Sales

According to Walmart, the new events will take place in retail stores on Thanksgiving Day, November 22, between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. At the event, there will be free cookies and coffee to provide the energy you need to enjoy a night of shopping. When the parties end at 6 p.m., they will be immediately followed by Black Friday deals starting in stores. The online Black Friday deals from Walmart will start earlier than they have ever begun in the past, at 10 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, November 21. According to Walmart chief merchandising officer Steve Bratspies, this is a move that will let those on the East Coast start their shopping earlier.

More on Walmart Sales

Walmart is anticipating having its best holiday season ever. To accommodate this, the retailer will feature new technology that helps streamline the shopping process. This will include mobile checkouts and maps, both of which should help shoppers get in and out quickly and painlessly. Walmart hopes its heavy discounts on iPhones, Google Home devices, wireless headphones, and kids’ bikes will bring shoppers into stores. There will also be 18 unique Black Friday deals on the website by midnight Thursday.

What About Other Retailers?

Macy’s, Kohl’s, and Target all plan on starting their Black Friday shopping in stores at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, an hour before Walmart opens their stores for shopping and their parties. J.C. Penney will be starting even earlier, at 2 p.m. Amazon remains the largest rival of Walmart, which is hoping to bring in additional sales by offering free shipping for all customers for a limited time this holiday season, regardless of whether they are Prime members. Target also temporarily lifted its barriers to free shipping, offering free two-day shipping for all digital orders bought between November 1 and December 22. Walmart is still offering free two-day shipping on orders over $35.

A Deloitte consumer survey found that 44% of people indicated they will start shopping for the holidays on Black Friday, while 53% will wait until Cyber Monday. As such, all retailers, both online and in brick-and-mortar locations, should get ready for plenty of sales this time of year.

Source:

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/07/walmart-to-hold-thanksgiving-parties-start-black-friday-deals-early.html

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