Retailers Announce Stretched Black Friday Plans

Retailers are kicking off Black Friday earlier and stretching it into a month-long “Black November,” with some promotions starting around Halloween and running through Cyber Monday on Dec. 1. Walmart announced a three-event Black Friday plan — Nov. 14–16; online Nov. 25–27 and in-store Nov. 28–30; and an online Cyber Monday event on Dec. 1 — and is offering Walmart+ members five hours of early online access ahead of each event (early access on Nov. 13, Nov. 24 and Nov. 30). Other national retailers including Best Buy, Amazon, Costco and Sam’s Club are using multi-stage, digital-first strategies with weekly doorbusters and extended online promotions. Previewed bargains include steep discounts on big-ticket items such as a 98-inch TCL TV for $998, Dyson vacuums, Keurig products, thousands of gifts under $20 and up to 60% off major brands. Industry data from Pixability/YouTube show shoppers began researching gifts and products as early as October, which retailers are leveraging by front-loading promotions and encouraging early purchases.