People have already starting to plan out Black Friday strategies. However, Walmart wants to give shoppers a slight advantage, by kicking off the festivities a day early.
Walmart just announced a few Thursday night sales, in order to entice shoppers out of that turkey stupor. The shopping will officially kick off on Thursday, November 22 at 8:00 p.m.
As we all know, short supplies have been a major problem in the past. Instead of fighting for the last iPad, Walmart is launching the one-hour guarantee, which will take place between 10:00 and 11:00 p.m. local time on November 22. That basically means that if you are in the store and in the queue line during that time, you will be guaranteed the sale price on one of the following items:
- Apple iPad 2 16GB with WiFi: $399 plus get a $75 Walmart Gift Card
- Emerson 32-inch 720p LCD TV: $148
- LG Blu-ray Player: $38
To get the guarantee, you’ll need to pay for the item — with the sale price, of course. Walmart will then have that purchase shipped to the store, where the customer can pick up the item anytime before Christmas. Just know that only those specific items will be part of the guarantee.
“We know it’s frustrating for customers to shop on Black Friday and not get the items they want,” said Duncan Mac Naughton, chief merchandising and marketing officer, Walmart U.S. “This year, for the first time ever, customers that shop during Walmart’s one-hour event will be guaranteed to have three of the most popular items under their tree at a great low price.”
The company plans to kick off in-store specials at 8:00 p.m., followed by its big electronics event at 10:00 p.m. A few of the goodies that will be up for grabs include a 43-inch Samsung 720p HDTV for $378, an HP 15.6-inch laptop for $279, and the Nook Color 8GB Tablet for $99.
Walmart says that its ad match guarantee will also be in place during the sale period. This allows shoppers to match the price of any local competitor’s printed ad for the identical price in the store, right at the register.
The retailer is also planning several other Black Friday promotions online, in stores and via the Walmart Mobile app.
Of course, many employees, families and shoppers are not happy with the decision to interrupt holiday festivities with the sale frenzy. Target, in particular, is receiving a lot of criticism. This is the second year that an online petition has been started, to keep the retailer from opening its door on the eve of Thanksgiving.