Black Friday Now a Five-Day Event at Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is taking the year’s most popular shopping day to a different level.
The Bentonville retailer announced Wednesday it will extend its discounts throughout the holiday weekend, beginning at 6 a.m. Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 27) and running through Monday, Dec. 1.
“Black Friday is no longer about waking up at the crack of dawn to stand in long lines and hope for the best,” Duncan Mac Naughton, the company’s chief merchandising officer, said in a news release. “At Walmart, it has become a family shopping tradition where everyone shops at some point throughout the weekend. This year, we’re blowing it out with five days of deals in store and online. We’ll have crazy low prices on the gifts our customers want.”
Walmart’s staggered Black Friday deals include five key elements, according to the release:
- Five days of deals with tailored events;
- More deals than ever — online and in stores on the hot brands and licenses such as Apple, Samsung, Beats by Dr. Dre, “Frozen,” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles;”
- The return of its industry exclusive 1-Hour Guarantee;
- Its first-ever interactive circular; and
- Store-specific plans to help manage crowds and make the shopping experience easier.
The nation’s largest retailer also said it would pay more than $70 million in holiday pay to its hourly store associates this year, and those who work on Thanksgiving Day will also receive a 25 percent discount on an entire purchase Dec. 4 or 5.