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| Black Friday 2018: Hitting the Stores, and the Sites, on Thanksgiving | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Here we are again: Mildly annoyed by the obvious consumerism, but totally in love with the deals. It must be Black Friday. | Here we are again: Mildly annoyed by the obvious consumerism, but totally in love with the deals. It must be Black Friday. |
| The Friday after Thanksgiving is still the official start of the holiday shopping season, but things are changing. For one thing, even Thanksgiving itself isn’t sacred — shoppers head outside or online to get an early start before the turkey is even cold. And instead of lining up at the crack of dawn after sleeping off their feasts, more people are shopping on their phones. In fact, if you follow the advice of our friends at Wirecutter, you’ll stay home and shop in your P.J.s. | The Friday after Thanksgiving is still the official start of the holiday shopping season, but things are changing. For one thing, even Thanksgiving itself isn’t sacred — shoppers head outside or online to get an early start before the turkey is even cold. And instead of lining up at the crack of dawn after sleeping off their feasts, more people are shopping on their phones. In fact, if you follow the advice of our friends at Wirecutter, you’ll stay home and shop in your P.J.s. |
| Shoppers won’t want for time this year: The gap between Thanksgiving and Christmas — 32 days if you don’t count the holidays themselves — is long (next year it will be just 26 days). That means procrastinators get more time to put things off and retailers get one more shot at luring you in. (On the flip side, Hanukkah seems to coming be super early, no?) | Shoppers won’t want for time this year: The gap between Thanksgiving and Christmas — 32 days if you don’t count the holidays themselves — is long (next year it will be just 26 days). That means procrastinators get more time to put things off and retailers get one more shot at luring you in. (On the flip side, Hanukkah seems to coming be super early, no?) |
| We’ll be covering it all here, with reporters weighing in on lots of topics, like how the Toys ‘R’ Us bankruptcy has created a big opening for other retailers, and how the United States compares with China’s own made-up shopping holiday. | We’ll be covering it all here, with reporters weighing in on lots of topics, like how the Toys ‘R’ Us bankruptcy has created a big opening for other retailers, and how the United States compares with China’s own made-up shopping holiday. |
| For many shoppers, Black Friday actually begins right in the middle of Thanksgiving dinner. | For many shoppers, Black Friday actually begins right in the middle of Thanksgiving dinner. |
| Even on this, the second coldest Thanksgiving in New York City history, and the coldest since 1901, revelers still took to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and shoppers still lined up for Black Friday deals (or at least paid someone to do it). | Even on this, the second coldest Thanksgiving in New York City history, and the coldest since 1901, revelers still took to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and shoppers still lined up for Black Friday deals (or at least paid someone to do it). |
| Walmart took the lead competing head-on with Thanksgiving dinner by throwing in-store parties with free food. Calling it a way to “pump up customers,” the company expected to be handing out 4 million free Kuerig coffees and 2 million Christmas-themed cookies starting at 4 p.m. In-store Black Friday deals began at 6 p.m., but it wasn’t customers’ first crack at them: The chain began offering holiday bargains on Nov. 8. | Walmart took the lead competing head-on with Thanksgiving dinner by throwing in-store parties with free food. Calling it a way to “pump up customers,” the company expected to be handing out 4 million free Kuerig coffees and 2 million Christmas-themed cookies starting at 4 p.m. In-store Black Friday deals began at 6 p.m., but it wasn’t customers’ first crack at them: The chain began offering holiday bargains on Nov. 8. |
| Target opened its doors at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving (same with Kohl’s). In announcing its Black Friday plans, Target admonished customers to “head to the store after dinner.” | Target opened its doors at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving (same with Kohl’s). In announcing its Black Friday plans, Target admonished customers to “head to the store after dinner.” |
| Not every store is after the Thanksgiving early bird. | Not every store is after the Thanksgiving early bird. |
| The outdoor retailer REI stuck with its own Black Friday tradition and remained closed on Thanksgiving, calling it #OptOutside. When the campaign started four years ago, the company focused on consumerist culture excesses, but this year the company focused their anti-shopping campaign on the dangers of screen time. | The outdoor retailer REI stuck with its own Black Friday tradition and remained closed on Thanksgiving, calling it #OptOutside. When the campaign started four years ago, the company focused on consumerist culture excesses, but this year the company focused their anti-shopping campaign on the dangers of screen time. |
| — Nellie Bowles | — Nellie Bowles |
| A retail report from the Adobe Analytics firm said that online shoppers seeking Thanksgiving Day deals had shelled out $1.75 billion as of 5 p.m. — a more than 28 percent increase over last year. | |
| By the time Black Friday actually begins, Adobe said it expected online sales to have hit $3.7 billion. The company tracks transactions from 80 of the country’s top 100 online retailers. | |
| And many of those online shoppers aren’t heading to their desks or even grabbing their laptops. According to Adobe, more than half of online shoppers were making purchases on their mobile devices. Such sales didn’t top the 50 percent mark last year, the company said. | |
| — Zach Wichter | |
| There are three reasons that Black Friday is so popular, and two of them are the deals, according to Tulin Erdem, a marketing professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business. | There are three reasons that Black Friday is so popular, and two of them are the deals, according to Tulin Erdem, a marketing professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business. |
| “The economic savings, feeling good about yourself having found a good deal, being a shrewd consumer,” she said, all add up to one key factor. Plus, because so many stores offer Black Friday sales, it’s easier to find discounts without having to search as hard as you might during the rest of the year. | “The economic savings, feeling good about yourself having found a good deal, being a shrewd consumer,” she said, all add up to one key factor. Plus, because so many stores offer Black Friday sales, it’s easier to find discounts without having to search as hard as you might during the rest of the year. |
| But, Dr. Erdem said, another reason Black Friday remains so popular is tradition. | But, Dr. Erdem said, another reason Black Friday remains so popular is tradition. |
| “It still has its appeal because of this ritualistic aspect,” she said. “It’s like going to a big important baseball game or Super Bowl as an American family.” | “It still has its appeal because of this ritualistic aspect,” she said. “It’s like going to a big important baseball game or Super Bowl as an American family.” |
| [See how one family spent their Black Friday last year.] | [See how one family spent their Black Friday last year.] |
| Consider that the National Retail Federation surveyed 7,516 consumers about their shopping plans this year, and 26 percent of those who planned to shop on Black Friday said it was because of tradition. An additional 23 percent said they would shop because it’s just something to do. (As far as we know, nobody was asked whether they’re shopping just to get away from family members.) | Consider that the National Retail Federation surveyed 7,516 consumers about their shopping plans this year, and 26 percent of those who planned to shop on Black Friday said it was because of tradition. An additional 23 percent said they would shop because it’s just something to do. (As far as we know, nobody was asked whether they’re shopping just to get away from family members.) |
| Of course Black Friday is just the start of things. If retailers don’t start discounting before Thanksgiving — and most seem to — they are certainly using the holiday shopping season to push merchandise at every turn. The biggest discounts tend to come on “Super Saturday” — the last Saturday before Christmas, said Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners, a retail analysis firm. | Of course Black Friday is just the start of things. If retailers don’t start discounting before Thanksgiving — and most seem to — they are certainly using the holiday shopping season to push merchandise at every turn. The biggest discounts tend to come on “Super Saturday” — the last Saturday before Christmas, said Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners, a retail analysis firm. |
| But Black Friday does matter. Consumers surveyed by the retail federation said they planned to shop more on Black Friday than on any other day of the Thanksgiving weekend. | But Black Friday does matter. Consumers surveyed by the retail federation said they planned to shop more on Black Friday than on any other day of the Thanksgiving weekend. |
| And Black Friday maintains cultural cache, especially for “new Americans,” said Mr. Johnson, as recent immigrants are more likely to take part. “That’s how you learn to be an American consumer, by showing up and shopping on Black Friday.” | And Black Friday maintains cultural cache, especially for “new Americans,” said Mr. Johnson, as recent immigrants are more likely to take part. “That’s how you learn to be an American consumer, by showing up and shopping on Black Friday.” |
| — Zach Wichter | — Zach Wichter |