Getting Ready for Black Friday Sales

| November 21, 2011 | Comments (0)

Black Friday sales can be a riot.. and often are

Black Friday – the day following Thanksgiving in the U.S. is approaching fast. This day marks the start of the Christmas shopping season and is the busiest shopping day of the year.

Over 152 million shoppers will visit stores on Nov. 25, up 10.1% from 138 million people last year, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation. This reflect a stronger economy.

Most of the major retailers plan to open extremely early, as early as 3 a.m. in some stores. In recent times though, stores such as Target, Kohls, Macy’s, and Best Buy have upped the ante, opening at midnight.

Walmart plans to open at 10:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving night and Toys ‘R’ Us at 9:00 p.m. At this rate Black Friday might eventually end up starting on the day before Thanksgiving.

During Black Friday, stores offer large discounts on their merchandise to give themselves a leg up on the competition. It launches customers into the Christmas season and many employers give their employees the day off.

“Cyber Monday” on the other hand, is the Monday following Thanksgiving, where many have traditionally gone online to find deals still available and redeem gift cards received at Thanksgiving. The volume of online ordering on Monday has risen rapidly in past years.

Despite the advertising, research shows that better prices are to be had after Black Friday, in the weeks leading to Christmas. So bear that in mind while out there shopping this year. Your patience is likely to be rewarded.  Also, make a budget and stick to it.

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Category: News and Opinion