Is Black Friday Still Happening?

Is Black Friday Still Happening?

Black Friday is an event that many people look forward to. It’s the chance to get a jumpstart on their holiday shopping. It’s a tradition that’s been in place for years.
Because of all the changes that 2020 has brought on, this has caused the cancellations of many traditional events.

It’s made people wonder if there will still be a Black Friday sales. With the holiday sale looming within the next couple of months, consumers are wanting to make their plans so they’ll know how they can get the best deals.

The fever pitch for Black Friday builds and lasts for days with sales often extending through until Cyber Monday hits. Because of the changes that Covid has forced people to adapt to, this event won’t be the same.

It will still take place, but many people aren’t going to be happy with the new shopping protocols that will be enforced. Many stores will be counting the number of people that enter the store.

When the safety limit is met, these stores will then prohibit other shoppers from entering until prior shoppers have left the building. There will be extra precautions in place and limits placed on how shopping can be safely conducted.

Most stores will require those who shop without medical exemptions to wear a face mask or some type of face covering as suggested by the CDC. You’ll still be able to enjoy the shopping event, but customers won’t have the same access to goods as in prior years.

For example, in previous Black Friday shopping events, customers were allowed to enter dressing rooms if they wanted to see if a particular clothing item would fit them before they bought it.

Now, thanks to the virus, customers won’t be allowed to try on clothing in the stores. For people who do buy clothing or other wearable items, these items won’t be allowed to be returned to the store.

This has caused many people to be more wary of shopping for clothing. The same date for Black Friday will be observed at most retailers. But the hours will look different. Instead of beginning on Thanksgiving evening or beginning at midnight, Black Friday will open the day of the event and will most likely close earlier on the day of for in-person store shopping.

Because of the changes the virus has caused in the way shopping is done, many stores realize that customers are hesitant to shop at the store. So they’ve amped up their online deals and offered more perks for buying from home.

When you’re shopping on Black Friday, whether it’s at the store or online, just make sure that you’re actually getting a bargain. Some stores will have items listed at a regular price alongside sales items.

Black Friday Shopping Strategies to Get the Best Deals

Retailers have had an uphill battle since the pandemic started. Many saw a sudden surge in sales as people stocked up or made significant changes to their home life and had to buy other supplies.

Other retailers saw sales dry up to the point they ended up out of business. Those that held on are still having a difficult time because the profits they’ve managed to make aren’t covering the overhead.

Because of how businesses have been affected, you can expect that Black Friday this year is going to be filled with both great as well as not so great offers. Bigger retailers like Walmart and Amazon are going to be able to afford to offer steep savings.

Smaller businesses won’t be able to offer this same option. Many people are turning to strictly online ordering for this shopping holiday. You might be pretty savvy with online shopping by now or you might be someone who’s not really sure how you can get the best savings.

There are some strategies that you can use to make sure you get the best deals. You’ll want make sure those you buy from are legit. Sometimes scammers will set up shop on larger retail platforms that allow third party sales and the merchandise ends up not being as stated or damaged.

Check out every seller by their ratings, by customer feedback and by what they’ve sold prior to the sales event. Buying from brand new sellers may require extra caution. If you can’t find anything about the store or seller you’re thinking of buying from, just run a quick check for the site name and see if anything negative comes up.

Your first strategy is to make sure you have a little more money than you expect to spend because there will always be deals that are too good to leave on the table. You might as well take those while you can save money.

When the sales event hits, always target electronics and toys first. These are the two categories that sell out of stock the quickest. You’ll want to pay close attention to things like game bundles with items like the Xbox, which has an upcoming release.

These are going to fly out of stock quickly. Also watch out for the Nintendo Switch. Game consoles always make the top 5 most sold items on Black Friday. Pay attention to the sales on things like iPads and smart phones.

If you want something like that, shop that category as soon as the sale goes live. Apple products like the Apple Watch are one of the main contenders for selling out because when they go on sale, you can expect a decent savings. You’ll also want to watch items like tablets, doorbell cameras, virtual assistant devices, and home connection security measures.

Black Friday 2020: What You Need to Know

There are a lot of memes dedicated to the year 2020. None of them flattering. That’s because it’s been a difficult year. But even in the midst of all the trials, good always manages to rise.

People pull together and find a way to thrive regardless of a new normal. This same attitude of perseverance is what’s continuing the tradition of Black Friday, but with modifications.

Not everything about the shopping day has been released publicly yet, so not all the changes are known. Some stores have been sharing some information while others are still in planning mode.

A few stores are planning bigger Black Friday events just for shoppers to be able to enjoy better sale prices and more opportunities to buy the things they want and need for the holidays.

There are a few of the bigger home improvement stores that plan to do away with the traditional one day only Black Friday sale. These stores will give consumers the chance to shop for as long as 8 weeks for Black Friday.

That means that when the sales event begins in November, you can get what you want without the rush and crowd crush of regular Black Friday events. But if you were planning to do some things around your house and thinking you might hit the home improvement stores after your Thanksgiving meal, you won’t be able to.

Like many of the larger grocery store and retail store chains, home improvement stores are also closing their doors on Thanksgiving Day. A lot of the high-end department stores won’t be open on Thanksgiving, either.

What they’re doing for their Black Friday holiday deals is opening up specials just for online shopping. This change will see the deals lasting for several days rather than just one.

To see more black Friday deals click here.

While some stores are announcing well in advance what their plans are for Black Friday 2020, not all of them have yet. So those decisions are still up in the air. Because online shopping will probably out-perform in person shopping this year, that means you should be able to enjoy a stress free shopping day.

Remember to shop early for what you want. With the heavy online shopping slant this year, that doesn’t mean every single store is closing up shop for Black Friday. Some of them will have in person shopping, but this will be far different from the past.

Instead of wall to wall people, you might see anywhere from a handful to just 50 people inside if it’s a large store. You’ll have to check with each individual store to see what their policies are.

You may need appointments for some to go inside the store. Or, you might be able to shop online, but can drive to the store to get what you bought curbside rather than having to wait for the items to be delivered to your home.