Black Friday Deals In Amarillo? They’re Happening Right Now.
Oh the evolution of Black Friday. When I was growing up, it was all about actually opening stores crazy early on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Stores opening their doors at 5 am with unbeatable deals inside. Lines that went 100 people deep in some places. The excitement of getting exactly what you wanted.
It was a strategic event, one where you had to go through all the ads and determine which store was going to knock the most off your Christmas gift list for the lowest price possible. It was one of my dad's favorite things to do when it came to the holidays.
As the years progressed, so did Black Friday. Some stores started opening at midnight on that Friday, and some started opening their doors at 10 pm on Thanksgiving to gain an edge. It worked so well, that an opening war started. Before you knew it, stores were opening at 4 pm on Thanksgiving, making people decide whether Thanksgiving dinner or shopping for great deals was more important.
Now, Black Friday is essentially dead. Not the sales, just the day itself it seems. All the major retailers have decided that with the amount of online shopping going on, they could start these deals a week before Black Friday and maybe make a little extra money. That worked as well.
Now, it's to the point where the second the calendar strikes November, the Black Friday deals are off and rolling. This year is no different. So with all that said, let's catch you up on the few retailers that have already started rolling out some Black Friday deals, or at least have announced when the fun kicks off.
WALMART
Going with a clever marketing campaign, Walmart brought back three of the main stars from the teen flick "Mean Girls" to help promote their sale. It's a catchy promo for sure, especially for those who grew up when the movie was everything anyone talked about. Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried, and Lacey Chabert reprise their roles from the movie, but in a more "adult" manner. In the commercial, they are essentially doing nothing but pimping out Walmart's Black Friday sale beginning on November 8th.
Now this is a bit of a two-tiered sale. Online, you'll be able to save tons of money on big-ticket items such as TVs, like a 50" TV for only $148, or smaller items such as Levi's jeans that normally run about $24 for just $15 a pair. The savings begin on November 8th at Walmart, but online only. You won't be able to get these savings in-store until November 10th.
Not to be outdone, they'll kick off a completely different Black Friday sale online on November 22nd, the day before Thanksgiving, with the savings happening in-store on November 24th.
TARGET
While Walmart has decided to wait to kick off their Black Friday deals, Target has gone the opposite route and is daring you to get a very early jump on your holiday shopping. The big-time rival to Walmart has already kicked off the savings on hundreds of items, and just like Walmart, some are big ticket items, and some are smaller items.
Now it appears that they've limited this sale to online only as a look at their website and Black Friday deals all seem to show "when purchased online", so my guess is they aren't quite ready to flood their stores with the mass amount of people just yet. I mean, they're probably still hiring that holiday help.
Currently, you can save hundreds of dollars on electronics and find some toys as high as 50% off already on the Target website. I'd say it's worth a look.
BEST BUY
Always one of the most popular Black Friday sales. It's the one my dad had a tendency to stand outside in the freezing Colorado air for. When you have two boys, they have a propensity to ask for electronics this, electronics that. There was no way to afford all those things without hitting up the Black Friday sales at Best Buy.
Well, there's no need to sit in that early morning cool air any longer. In fact, you don't even need to wait for the day after Thanksgiving, because Best Buy has followed Target's lead and gotten a crazy early jump on those sales. Laptops marked down by over $500 in some cases. I even saw a high-end Sony TV marked down by a whopping $1100 if you're a big baller.
Many of the deals you can find on Best Buy's website right now are 50% off their asking price, so it's a chance to get yourself stocked up early on those electronic items on the wish lists. I'm sure they'll run another sale on or around Black Friday, but hey, why wait when the prices are already slashed?
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Gallery Credit: Jennnifer Billock