No two years are the same, and 2020 sets itself apart from the last ones in so many ways. It has been the year of major changes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and ‘different’ is one of the terms to describe many of the things happening lately as well as the near future. Black Friday is, as expected, different this year, and while the sale event has changed over the years, this time it does so more than ever.
Black Friday has moved from a one-day sale event to deals offered throughout an entire week or spread out over several weeks in the last years. In 2020, as many major retailers have announced, the big sale event will be divided into several smaller events, with some of the biggest players in the retail market offering significant price drops even as early as October.
While this year’s Black Friday is not canceled, the event and its organizers will come with new approaches in order to provide interested shoppers with discounts while still embracing the best safety practices.
What We Know So Far
The last few weeks have brought forth announcements from several major retailers in the U.S. regarding their Black Friday 2020 plans, and we can notice a few similar steps that many of them have taken. It thus comes as no surprise that online deals will reign supreme and that shopping in stores involves safety and social distancing rules that workers and customers are required to follow.
Black Friday is officially on November 27 this year, given that the sale event is held the day after Thanksgiving, but some retailers have already revealed that they will roll out Black Friday deals earlier. According to the latest news and announcements, the sale events of this fall will be divided into several smaller ones, with variations from one retailer to another:
- Macy’s – the retailer will provide customers with Black Friday specials from November 24 to November 28.
- Sam’s Club – the warehouse club has revealed its plans for this holiday shopping season, and it includes several sale events: November Instant Savings (October 28 – 29), November Savings Event (November 7 – 15), Thanksgiving/Black Friday sale (November 20 – 29), and Cyber Monday Online – Only Savings Event.
- Target – even if, according to the information provided on the retailer’s official website, the official date for this year’s Black Friday is November 27, the retailer will provide Black Friday-like deals throughout the entire month of November.
- Walmart – unlike the retailer’s previous Black Friday editions, the 2020 event will be divided into three separate events: event 1 (November 2 – 7), event 2 (November 11 – 14), and event 3 (November 25 – 27).
While some retailers were closed on Thanksgiving in previous years, this year, more of them have decided to keep their stores closed on this day to allow employees to spend the holiday with their families, have enough time to get their stores ready for the big event and support social distancing. The first two reasons are not new as they were the ones that made retailers remain closed on Thanksgiving in the past, but this year’s pandemic has led to the third reason, which is most probably the main one behind these decisions.
More and more retailers have focused on providing shoppers with the possibility to purchase their products online, and thus new apps or new app features have been developed. For example, in order to ensure contact-free shopping, Sam’s Club has updated its app with the Scan & Go feature. Curbside pickup services are now part of the offers of many major retailers, which, combined with online shopping, helps support social distancing.
What to Expect
Considering that there will be more online Black Friday purchases than in previous years, and thus shoppers will want to know the deals early so that they can make their wish list or fill their online shopping carts, we can expect to see Black Friday ads and scans earlier this year.
What’s more, since this is not the year for crowded stores, “in-store only” deals are unlikely to be part of Black Friday 2020. This means that if you have a few items in mind, keeping an eye on the Black Friday ads and flyers is the thing to do.
Plus, make sure that once you’ve found the products you’re interested in with their new price attached, add them to your shopping cart so that when the deals will go live, you can order them immediately. Stocks will vanish soon; therefore, fast action is key.
Some retailers have already announced the product categories that will benefit from this year’s Black Friday deals, and we can thus expect discounts on smartphones, laptops, tablets, but also fashion items, household products, and even groceries. For example, the Lenovo Yoga C940 offered by Best Buy can be purchased for $1,199 instead of $1,599, and discounts of up to $150 will apply to various items at Dell, according to the Dell Black Friday Sneak Peek.
As we’ve seen in previous Black Friday editions, select deals will be available around specific times, and it is likely for some retailers to embrace the same approach this year as well, especially since online shopping will dominate. Therefore, pay attention to the retailers you’re interested in and their ads to make sure that you’re among the ones who do get to take advantage of the deals offered.
To sum up, Black Friday 2020 will include ads and flyers that will probably be released earlier than in the last years, more days of sales, as some of the most important retailers have already announced, curbside pickup services, as well as more online deals.
The product categories that will be discounted are likely to remain mostly the same. Black Friday is thus probably, again, the best time to stock up on the products you want without paying the full price. We can also expect to see different types of deals available, from flat discounts to BOGO offers. Coupons offering $10 off $25 orders, for example, are also likely to be part of this year’s Black Friday deals. Free shipping on select orders and even free gifts might be included in the big sale event as well.