Walmart November 1 Sale, Black Friday Is Coming Early This Year
The Walmart November 1 sale means Black Friday deals are coming a whole lot earlier this year. Walmart and Target are starting their mega deals promotions for the holiday season on November 1. Both of the major discount retailers have spruced up their stores, enhanced their marketing efforts, and are now offering steep discounts ahead of the traditional kick-off of the Christmas shopping season.
Walmart will begin offering special price cuts, or “rollbacks” on thousands of popular, holiday must-have items beginning on November 1 and lasting for at least 90 days, KCCI reports.
It may be Halloween, but Walmart will quickly start the holidays up with a November 1 sale https://t.co/hOhaYpzslj pic.twitter.com/TkCKUYsk8y
— CNET (@CNET) October 31, 2015
Target has not reportedly provided specific details about its pre-Black Friday sale, but the retailer’s holiday plans include matching online prices with at least two dozen of its top online competitors.
During the Christmas shopping season, Black Friday has traditionally be known as the biggest shopping day of the year. In recent years, special deals and doorbusters have been offered on Thanksgiving evening, taking a big bite out of the dollars spent during the early morning hours the following day.
Approximately 20 percent of the annual sales in the retail industry occur in the last two months of the year, USA Today reports.
Macy’s is starting Black Friday on Thanksgiving for the third consecutive year https://t.co/SWm51cImwd pic.twitter.com/vV6vVVxSAb
— Huffington Post (@HuffingtonPost) October 29, 2015
The move illustrates how important the holiday shopping season is to retailers. It’s a roughly two-month period that accounts, on average, for 20 percent of the retail industry’s annual sales. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.) is keeping its doors closed on Black Friday 2015. The co-op business is promoting an #OptOutside campaign to get American outdoors, hiking, and enjoying nature that day instead of engaging in consumerism.
Both Walmart and Target are reportedly ramping up their holiday shopping and Black Friday plans this year after feeling “battered” by the economy. Christmas decorations and wrapping paper began appearing in store aisles before Halloween, apparently holiday shopping deals will emerge the day after trick-or-treating this year.
On Sunday, Walmart is reportedly going to discount a multitude of items, including traditional under the Christmas tree favorites. Shoppers can expect to find deals on toys and electronics in particular. The iPad Mini 2 will reportedly be reduced in price from $268 to $199 and a 48-inch RCA smart television has been discounted from $319.99 to $299.99.
Wal-Mart and Target plan deep discounts for holiday shopping – https://t.co/SbRrhUUUyu RT @jose_garde
— gorka sainz (@GorkaSainzt) October 30, 2015
An increased emphasis on online sales and Christmas deals is reportedly at the top of the priority list for Walmart. Before Black Friday and after the big box retailer will reportedly offer 15 percent more rollbacks on its website. The number of holiday season price rollbacks in store will reportedly be roughly the same as last year.
Walmart is also planning to change its Christmas shopping deals strategy this year. Instead of hosting quick flash sales, the retailer’s holiday plans include offering more discounts and specials which last throughout the season with a price-match guarantee.
“We will not be beat on pricing this holiday season,” said Steve Bratspies, chief merchandise officer for Walmart, said. “That is our commitment to our customers. That’s the promise of our brand.”
Enhanced and expedient in-store pickup options for online orders are also a part of the holiday plans for the retailers. The move was reportedly enacted to cater to the mounting mobile shopping and online shopping demands of the customers.
The Walmart app will permit customers to “check in” from the app as they enter their local store — alerting the clerks at the pickup counter that they are in the building and begin preparing their order.
Target is going to offer curbside pickup for online orders. The move is in conjunction with the Curbside app. The new mobile purchasing process will permit customers to shop online and then retrieve their items without ever leaving their car at 121 stores. The service begins November 1 and was previously only available at 21 stores.
“[We’re] really making sure that we can reach as many of our guests as possible,” Target CEO Brian Cornell said. “And letting the guest know exactly when [an order] will be delivered. That, we think, is a really important step for us.”
To quickly ship orders to both customers and stores, Walmart has opened up new fulfillment centers in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Indiana. Target now has 460 stores which also double as shipping warehouses, last year they had 100 such centers.
[Image via Shutterstock.com]
