Though most retailers are offering holiday weekend discounts online, millions of people still enjoy shopping outings with friends or family on Black Friday.
Holiday gift-giving has shifted away from traditional store items. Services such as a spa day or golf lessons are replacing merchandise as holiday gifts. Those indulgences don’t show up in retail sales.
Plus, according to retailers’ data from last year, 80% of consumers plan to give at least one gift card this year, and 17.5% plan to give six or more. While consumers buy the cards before the holidays, retailers do not recognize the revenues until they are used. That’s why January sales activity has now become part of assessing total holiday sales.
The retail experience around the holidays has changed in recent years for two major reasons.
First, when household spending collapsed in the Great Recession, retailers began to fight for every shopper’s dollar. As a result, retailers roll out “Black Friday” deals well before Thanksgiving–if not before Halloween.
Second, the explosive growth of online retailing means consumers can order gifts anytime everywhere. Online shoppers can even get the same Black Friday discounts offered by brick-and-mortar stores, but without getting up at 4 a.m. to stand in line in the cold. That’s why e-commerce sales have captured a growing share of retail activity in the fourth quarter of each year for more than a decade.
Black Friday 2015 Sales And Deals: Walmart, Best Buy, Target And More
Black Friday 2015 Deals Or Duds, What To Expect
First, it’s important to keep in mind that all Black Friday deals aren’t always a bargain. An analysis by Nerd Wallet found 95 percent of the deals offered in Black Friday advertisements are repeats from other times in the year.
That’s not slowing most people down, however. A recent poll showed 76 percent of Americans said they plan to shop on Thanksgiving or Black Friday and will spend an average of 4.5 hours doing so. The average shopper will spend about $529 for holiday gifts this year, up from $440 in 2014.
Shipping is a big deal this Black Friday
Free shipping is a big draw for customers and it’s cropping up more and more as retailers are hoping more people go online to snap up those Black Friday bargains. Here’s a list of those offering free or reduced shipping this year:
- Apple – Free shipping, no minimum
- Best Buy – Free shipping, no minimum
- Dell – Free shipping, no minimum
- e-Bay – Free shipping on select items, including deals of the day
- Gander Mountain – Free shipping, no minimum
- Goody’s – Free shipping, no minimum
- hhgregg – Free shipping, no minimum
- Microsoft – Free shipping, no minimum
- Sports Authority – Free shipping, no minimum
- Target – Free shipping, no minimum
- Free shipping with minimum purchase
- Amazon – Free shipping with $35 minimum purchase
- American Eagle – Free shipping with $25 minimum purchase
- Barnes and Nobles – Free shipping with $25 minimum purchase
- Bass Pro Shop – Free shipping with $50 minimum purchase
- Bed Bath and Beyond – Free shipping with $49 minimum purchase
- Belk – Free shipping with $50 minimum purchase
- Cabela’s – Free shipping with $99 minimum purchase
- Hallmark – Free shipping with $50 minimum purchase
- Harbor Freight – Most items ship for $6.99
- Home Depot – Free shipping with $43 minimum purchase
- K-Mart – Free shipping with $49 minimum purchase
- Kohl’s – Free shipping with $75 minimum purchase
- Lowe’s – Free shipping with $19 minimum purchase
- Macy’s – Free shipping with $50 minimum purchase
- Office Depot and Office Max – Free shipping with $35 minimum purchase
- Old Navy – Free shipping with $50 minimum purchase
- Overstock – Free shipping and $50 minimum purchase
- Petco – Free shipping with $49 minimum purchase
- Sears – Free shipping with $49 minimum purchase
- Staples – Free shipping with $49 minimum purchase
- Toys R Us – Free shipping with $19 minimum purchase
- Walgreens – Free shipping with $35 minimum purchase
- Wal-Mart – Free shipping with $35 minimum purchase
- Other
- PetSmart – 99 cent shipping with no minimum purchase
Retailers closed on Thanksgiving
- Ace Hardware (locally owned stores closed)
- AT&T (customer service will remain open; retail stores will close)
- Barnes & Noble
- Bed Bath & Beyond
- Burlington
- Cabela’s
- Costco
- Crate and Barrel
- Dillard’s
- DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse
- GameStop
- Guitar Center
- H&M
- Harbor Freight
- Hobby Lobby
- Home Depot
- HomeGoods
- IKEA
- Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores
- Lowe’s
- Marshalls
- Mattress Firm
- Neiman Marcus
- Patagonia
- Petco
- PetSmart
- Pier 1 Imports
- Publix
- Saks Fifth Avenue
- Sam’s Club
- Staples
- T.J.Maxx
- True Value
- Von Maur
Hours for major retailers
Black Friday 2015 Store Sales Hours and Start Times
Walmart Black Friday 2015 Store Sales Hours – Open 24 Hours. Black Friday Sales start time begins at 6 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 26 on Thanksgiving Day.
Best Buy Black Friday 2015 Store Sales Hours – Black Friday Sales start time begins at 5 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 26 on Thanksgiving Day.
Target Black Friday 2015 Store Sales Hours – Target’s Black Friday Sales start time begins at 6 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 26 onThanksgiving Day. (Target is also beginning many of its Black Friday promotions five days early, with 10 days of deals on electronics, toys and apparel in stores and online starting Nov. 22.)
Kmart Black Friday 2015 Store Sales Hours – Kmart’s Black Friday Deals start time is at 7 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 26 on Thanksgiving Day
Sears Black Friday 2015 Store Sales Hours – Black Friday Sales start time begins at 6 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 26 on Thanksgiving Day.
Kohl’s Black Friday 2015 Store Sales Hours – Black Friday Sales start time begins at 6 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 26 on Thanksgiving Day.
J.C. Penney Black Friday 2015 Store Sales Hours – J.C. Penny’s will open its doors for Black Friday Deals starting at 3 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 26 on Thanksgiving Day
Macy’s Black Friday 2015 Store Sales Hours – Macy’s Black Friday Deals start time is at 6 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 26 on Thanksgiving Day
Belk Black Friday 2015 Store Sales Hours – Belk will open its doors for Black Friday Deals starting at 6 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 26 on Thanksgiving Day
Belk Black Friday 2015 Store Sales Hours – Belk will open its doors for Black Friday Deals starting at 6 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 26 on Thanksgiving Day
Office Depot Black Friday 2015 Store Sales Hours – Office Depot will open its doors for Black Friday Deals starting at 6 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 26 on Thanksgiving Day
Staples Black Friday 2015 Store Sales Hours – Staples will open its doors for Black Friday Deals starting at 6 a.m., Friday, Nov. 27 on Black Friday
Toys R Us Black Friday 2015 Store Sales Hours – Toys R Us will open its doors for Black Friday Deals starting at 5 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 26 on Thanksgiving Day
Sam’s Club Black Friday 2015 Store Sales Hours – Staples will open its doors for Black Friday Deals starting at 7 a.m., Friday, Nov. 27 on Black Friday
Walgreens Black Friday 2015 Store Sales Hours – Walgreens will open its doors for Black Friday Deals starting at 8 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 27, on Thanksgiving Day
Best deals
BestBlackFriday.com compared the Thanksgiving/Black Friday offerings to identify the best deals. Here you go:
Walmart:
1. Fitbit Flex Wristband for $59 (save $40)
2. Roku 32″ Class Smart HDTV for $125
3. Apple iPad Mini 2 for $199 (save $69)
4. Roku Special Edition Streaming Media Player for $25
Target:
1. Xbox One Gears of War Bundle with a $60 Target Gift Card for $299.99 ($50 savings)
2. Guitar Hero Live (PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii U) for $59 ($40 savings)
3. Westinghouse 55″ 1080p LED HDTV for $249.99 (save $350)
4. Nikon CoolPix L340 20 MP Digital Camera for $99.99 (save $130)
Kohl’s:
1. Westinghouse 32″ LED HDTV for $99.99 (save $100)
2. Samsung 40″ HD 1080p LED Smart TV for $319.99 (save $210) + Earn $90 in Kohl’s Cash
3. Sony PlayStation 4 Uncharted Bundle or the Microsoft Xbox One The Lego Movie Bundle for $299.99 (save $50 on each) + $75 in Kohl’s Cash. You can go here or here to see the deals.
4. Canon EOS Rebel T5 Digital Camera for $399.99 (save $400)
