Only one week left until the shopping frenzy of “Black Friday” on November 28th, and many retailers have already kicked off their “Early Black Friday” promotions, offering pre-sale options to allow consumers to snag their desired items ahead of time.
Angelina, the manager of a skincare brand at a shopping center in Los Angeles County, mentioned that this year, their brand is offering a 30% discount on all products for Black Friday. She advised, “Based on past experiences, it’s really best not to wait until Black Friday itself. On that day, a large number of consumers will flood in and buy up many items, leading to quick stock shortages.”
“Therefore, we started accepting reservations about two weeks ago. Customers who pay now can also enjoy the Black Friday discount and pick up their purchases directly on Black Friday,” she explained.
In recent years, Black Friday promotions have been starting earlier and earlier, with some retailers even beginning their sales as early as October. Faced with a plethora of promotions, how should consumers choose? WalletHub, a personal finance website, analyzed over 3,100 offers and identified the retailers with the highest discounts across popular categories such as jewelry and appliances.
According to WalletHub analysts, the century-old American department store, JCPenney, stands out as the top choice for Black Friday shopping, offering an overall average discount of 74.1%. For instance, this year consumers can purchase a diamond engagement ring originally priced at $14,583 for just $3,999.
Apart from substantial discounts on jewelry and clothing, JCPenney also provides attractive deals on appliances, with an average discount of 57.6%.
Belk, another department store, ranks second in discount strength this year, offering an average discount of 77.7% on jewelry, far surpassing the average 42.2% discount at other stores. Clothing and appliances like refrigerators, microwaves, and vacuum cleaners are also popular categories to purchase at Belk.
Furthermore, Kohl’s offers an overall average discount of 45.39% this Black Friday period; Macy’s discounts average 44.46%; and home improvement retailer Home Depot discounts average at 35.63%.
Retail giants like Amazon, Target, Best Buy, and Walmart offer around a 29% overall average discount. However, the discount rate at Costco is lower at approximately 15.08%.
Based on WalletHub’s analysis, below are the retailers with the highest discounts in various product categories.
– Computers and phones: Walmart
– Clothing and accessories: Kohl’s
– Electronics: Kohl’s
– Consumer packaged goods: Belk
– Toys: JCPenney
– Appliances: JCPenney
– Furniture: Newegg
– Jewelry: Belk
In interviews with over a dozen individuals of different age groups and avid shoppers (some of whom engage in personal shopping as well), they suggested that to get the best value for their money, consumers should put more thought into their purchases, plan ahead, avoid impulsive buying or overspending on items not on their list, take advantage of pre-sale opportunities and early bird discounts, and start shopping early.
For example, Home Depot has already started its Black Friday appliance event, which will run until December 3rd. Appliances can enjoy discounts of up to 40%, with some offering additional discounts of up to $1,000.
Amazon’s “Black Friday week” promotion started on November 20th, covering multiple categories such as appliances, electronics, kitchenware, and household items, with some items offering up to 50% savings.
Walmart’s second round of Black Friday discounts will start from November 25th and run until the 30th. Online-exclusive deals will be available from the 25th to the 27th, with online and in-store deals synchronizing from the 28th to the 30th. Walmart+ premium members can enjoy five hours of early online shopping benefits starting at 7 p.m. ET on the 24th.
Best Buy’s official Black Friday promotion will commence on November 20th and continue until the 29th. Before this, the retailer has rolled out early bird discounts with new purchase discounts every Friday until Black Friday. Standout deals include Apple computers starting as low as $479, Apple Watch Ultra 2 at $599.99 (a $200 saving), and Samsung’s 65-inch TV at $999.99, saving $1,000.
JCPenney’s Black Friday promotion will last from November 21st to the 30th. Notably, their popular “5, 9, 1, 5” surprise draw event will return on Black Friday: shoppers lining up at the store at 5 a.m., 9 a.m., 1 p.m., and 5 p.m. have a chance to win surprise gifts, including exclusive JCPenney Snoopy crystal snow globes.
Macy’s early bird promotions for Black Friday run from November 14th to the 22nd, with Black Friday week promotions from the 23rd to the 30th. ◇