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Television retailer QVC has made aggressive plans to keep shoppers watching — instead of mall-hopping — on Black Friday, an event it has traditionally ignored.
You may want to check Facebook and Twitter before heading to the mall the day after Thanksgiving.
The official kickoff for the holiday shopping season is more than a week away. But the nation's retailers, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc., are already starting to let shoppers know about their fat discounts in hopes of attracting big crowds.
Sears took "Christmas creep" one step further Wednesday, pitching its weekly sales as "Black Friday doorbuster" deals before Halloween.
Like their counterparts at the malls, online merchants finally got some relief with the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season, spurred by a bevy of deals and free shipping offers. But the stronger-than-expected bump in online sales Monday couldn't cancel out a lackluster November.
Consumer electronics have long been among the most popular holiday gifts, with fierce competition among shoppers for day-after-Thanksgiving deals on flat-screen TVs and laptop computers.
Shoppers, who had snapped their wallets shut since September, turned out in force Friday to grab early morning deals and hard-to-find items like Elmo Live and the "Wii Fit" exercise game, but many said worries about the economy have them focusing on fewer gifts and less expensive, more practical items.
Black Friday's retail shoppers hunting for holiday bargains won't be enough to stave off what's likely to become the next economic crisis. Malls from Michigan to Georgia are entering foreclosure, commercial victims of the same events poisoning the housing market.
Black Friday — which falls on the day after Thanksgiving and traditionally starts the holiday shopping period — received its name because it historically was the day when a surge of shoppers helped stores break into profitability for the full year.
Just in case massive markdowns aren't enough to convince shoppers to fork over cash for presents on Black Friday, some retailers are hoping to woo shoppers with freebies and coupons. Friday is the traditional start of the holiday shopping season, and it historically was when the surge of shoppers helped stores break into profitability for the full year.
WHAT'S HAPPENING: Retailers are pushing deeper price cuts for the day after Thanksgiving than they did a year ago, hoping to pull in shoppers who have stayed away from malls and stores since September when the financial meltdown intensified.
After pushing steep discounts throughout November that are usually reserved for the day after Thanksgiving, retailers from Kohl's to Toys "R" Us are offering even bigger cuts and promotions for Black Friday in a frantic bid to pull in shoppers.
The heck with that pumpkin pie, electronics retailer CompUSA is opening its doors on Thanksgiving night to give holiday shoppers a head-start on Black Friday madness.
Wal-Mart to keep stores open 24 hours to ease Black FridayLITTLE ROCK — Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) said Wednesday it will keep its stores open 24 hours and take new crowd-control measures Thanksgiving weekend after a temporary employee was trampled to death in a Black Friday rush last year.
With holiday sales projected to be down from last year retailers look to get off to a good start this Black Friday. The National Retail Federation projects that sales this holiday season will be down 3% from last year.
Black Friday Becomes Black NovemberBlack Friday has gone from a one-day event to a month-long parade of promotions this year, as retailers are making a dash for early holiday cash.
Target's Black Friday Bet: $3 AppliancesOlson, who's been tracking annual Black Friday deals from Wal-Mart, Target, Sears and other chain stores for the past six years, said Target's deals look "pretty aggressive" this year.
Calming the Black Friday Crowds A year after an unruly crowd trampled a worker to death at a Wal-Mart store, the nation's retailers are preparing for another Black Friday, the blockbuster shopping day after Thanksgiving.
Gadget sales decline during Black FridayFor the first time in at least seven years, consumer electronics sales fell from the previous year at the start of the holiday shopping season, analysts said, dashing hopes that the category would hold up despite the weak economy.
I was wondering what kind of fantastic deals everyone got on Black Friday.
Wal-Mart crowd unruly long before tramplingNEW YORK — He took his last breath on the floor at Wal-Mart, between the soda machines and a device that gives change for cans and plastic.
Cops: Crowd confrontation sparked Black Friday stampede at Wal-Mart on Long IslandA competitive, no-cutting-in-line conflict between two large groups of shoppers helped to spark the Black Friday stampede in which a Wal-Mart worker was trampled to death, Nassau police said Wednesday.
Wal-mart Black Friday horror--Father of the man who was trampled to death speaks.--
Black Friday Shopping Bill Would Protect Shoppers, StaffExcerpt: Seeking to avoid a repetition of the Black Friday tragedy in which a Wal-Mart employee was crushed to death as a throng of shoppers walked over him in their haste to buy holiday sale items, City Councilmember James Gennaro announced plans to protect store employees and s …
What's The Matter With Us?Excerpt: Whew, I am so glad to be human. I was listening to the news the other day about a herd of animals that trampled over one of its kind trying to get to some food. Even though the animal was lying there, dead, the others were determined to keep going for their target.
Our destructive love of stuff I like stuff as much as the next guy. My closet is stuffed with stuff, my shelves groan with stuff, boxes full of stuff jam my garage. I like stuff just fine. But I would not kill for it.
Consumerism Killed Wal-Mart Employee... What did Dr. Seuss' Grinch discover about consumerism?This week I have come to believe that we should honor the life of this Wal-Mart worker by thinking far more deeply about our genuinely corrupt relationship with consumerism.
Microsoft: Xbox 360 Routs PS3 in Record Black Friday SalesIt's a Microsoft press release, so handle with care, but the company's claiming it did more than admirably on Black Friday, it hit the ball out of the park.
$2M sought in store stampede--Also, short video interview of woman who was at the store when the tragedy happened.--
The Media Equation - Media and Retailers Both Built Black Friday - NYTimes.comThis weekend, news reports were full of finger-wagging over the death by trampling of a temporary worker, Jdimytai Damour, at a Wal-Mart store in Long Island on Friday.
The 21st Century Scrooge: American ExpressIt's interesting how the company concocts excuses to be a Scrooge, but truly has no data to support it. The best course of action? Cut up the plastic and business lines of credit with this 20th century dead weight and get creative.
Black Friday is the day we celebrate the tradition of the Three Wise Men, who got on their camels early in the morning and stampeded over anyone who got in their way. They did this so they could get better presents than anyone else to give to the Baby Jesus.
Sought: Wal-mart Shoppers Who Trampled NY workerJust to add to the holiday spirit, i thought i'd seed the link where black friday shoppers took bargain hunting to a whole new level in NY. The Wal-mart employee was told to open the doors for the sale and was greeted by a storm of angry shoppers.
Wal-Mart worker trampled to death :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: NationAmerican Shoppers: impatient (and apparently violent) consumer whores.
Holiday Online Retail Traffic: Walmart And Amazon Duked It OutAccording to Hitwise, U.S. visit numbers across all tracked retail categories declined for Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday 2008, with the exception of online-only shopping websites.
Wal-Mart Shoppers Trample Man to Death(NEW YORK) — Police say a Wal-Mart worker has died after being trampled by a throng of unruly shoppers shortly after the Long Island store opened Friday.
Mourning a Good Friend, and Trying to Make Sense of a StampedePicture of man killed at Walmart within article.
Wal-Mart worker dies in rush; two killed at toy storeA 34-year-old temporary employee was unlocking Wal-Mart's doors in Long Island when he was knocked down. A crowd had begun forming outside as early as 5 a.m. on Thursday.
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