Best Buy is the latest national retailer to announce an early start to Black Friday deals, kicking off the holiday savings the week before Halloween.
The company said the start of its Black Friday deals, which normally occurs the Friday after Thanksgiving, will start Tuesday, Oct. 19, and run through Oct. 22. The early deals will lean heavily on consumer tech.
Some of the featured deals next week, with savings of up to $180, include:
$599 for a Samsung 70-inch 4K Smart TV
$169 for Beats Studio 3 headphones in matte black
Chromebooks starting at $99
Windows laptops starting at $189.99
The retailer is also marking down a number of Samsung appliances, cutting prices by as much as $540 on the biggest ticket items.
When the calendar finally flips to November, Best Buy said it will be moving Black Friday up a week, from the day after Thanksgiving to Nov. 19. The company promises that “thousands” of deals will start that day, with some extending deeper into the holiday season.
New retail trend
Best Buy is joining a trend in which retailers are rolling out earlier deals to help consumers cope with potential shortages and highly anticipated shipping delays.
Amazon announced its Black Friday deals earlier this month, making them available earlier than ever. Amazon’s early deals cover toys, home furnishings, and seasonal fashion. Deals include up to 30% off on Hasbro Games, NERF, Barbie, Fisher-Price, and Hot Wheels.
Target got an even earlier start on the holiday season, rolling out its deals in August. Company executives said 85% of the toys in this year’s lineup will be completely new. At the top of the list are brands like LEGO sets, L.O.L. Surprise! dolls, PAW Patrol, Barbie, and the Zoe Doll. Target is also partnering with FAO Schwarz, the oldest toy store in the world, on an exclusive 70-piece toy collection.
Reasons to shop early
Big box retailers are encouraging consumers to shop early this year, not only to lock in sales but also to head off shortages deep into the holiday season that could result in a lot of unhappy people.
Tara, of Springboro, Ohio, tells us that she has already encountered delays when ordering from Amazon.
“The last few things I have ordered have all been late, had to be canceled or re-shipped,” Tara wrote this week in a ConsumerAffairs review. “I would rather have a 5-day guarantee than a next day or 2-day since everything seems to be delayed.”
The New York Times reported this week that the supply chain bottlenecks are showing no signs of relenting. Walmart, Target, Costco, and Home Depot have resorted to chartering their own ships, a move that the Wall Street Journal suggests could result in higher prices for goods.