As retailers prepare to open their doors this year earlier than ever for Black Friday, will you be ready to grab the best deals?
Do a Google search of Black Friday 2011 and five different websites dedicated to Black Friday will pop up within the first six hits that appear on the screen, without having to scroll down.
As one of the most popular, yet unofficial, holidays of the year Black Friday has seen positive progress and numbers with total sales up 0.3% over 2009 according to CNN, coupled with a customer traffic increase of 2.2%
This year Black Friday will be in full swing at 12 a.m. on Nov. 25th, with many major retailers opening their doors earlier than ever before. This will be the first year that Target and Macy’s will open and midnight for shoppers to take advantage of their deals as early as possible.
Stores, including Walmart, are taking a different approach. After a 5 year hiatus, the retail chain is bringing back its layaway system for the holiday season after reports of petitions and Facebook pages popped up urging Walmart to bring it back.
Others like Macy’s have “leaked” their top BF specials in order to increase the hype.
According to an article in the Washington post, “The service will be available from Oct. 17 to Dec. 16 for purchases of toys and electronics. As in the previous program, shoppers must pay 10 percent of the cost upfront. Each product on layaway must cost at least $15, and the minimum purchase required is $50. However, Wal-Mart has added a one-time $5 service charge and a $10 cancellation fee.”
But with all these store preparations, consumer reports are still suggesting people don’t give in to the hype of just one retailer over another, or believe that shopping in store on the 25th will warrant the best deal.
Consumerreports.org, a non-profit organization, suggests that shoppers do all their research online and on paper before venturing off into stores to check if websites are offering deals that are just as good as, or better, than deals being offered in store. They also recommend consumers check out a store’s QR codes first and sign up for email alerts for last minute deals or coupons.
Many of the sites that shoppers can check out post the same articles on specials and store hours, and the majorities also feature an option that allows people to go on and post information about sales they have heard about or post questions about possible sales.
Sites like Blackfriday.gottadeal.com have sale specials listed by categories such as digital cameras, cell phones, or computers.
Here’s a map of major retailers opening early on Black Friday in the Capital region.
The Monday After 
Posted on November 14, 2011
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