Black Friday 2009 deals: Will Best Buy or online stores win?
Black Friday 2009 deals were being released before even Halloween by giants like Best Buy and Sears.
That’s because whatever holiday gift-giving spirit might seize you Dec. 24, you will have had since before Halloween to track down top deals, thanks to a race to the bottom from top retailers like Best Buy, Sears, and Wal-Mart. They’re not waiting until Thanksgiving weekend, the traditional “Black Friday,” to offer great deals on holiday merchandise. They’re doing it now.
Sears started the whole business by announcing that it was “Black Friday Now” on Oct. 28. Everyone from Wal-Mart to CVS to Ace Hardware has followed suit in some way or another, rolling out commercials and flashing the type of deep discounts normally reserved for those willing to camp out outside of major retailers on the morning after Thanksgiving.
By taking the emphasis off of crashing through store doors and concentrating instead on a longer selling window, online sales and online vendors are looking to see gains. Over half of online retailers, according to a separate NRF survey, expect sales to grow at least 15 percent.
The downside? Retailers’ bottom lines probably aren’t going to get too much healthier. The NRF forecasts a decline of 1 percent in total holiday sales, well below the 10-year average growth of 3.39 percent but far better than last year’s drop of 3.4 percent.
In 2008, Best Buy offered contest winners a VIP Black Friday experience. For its Black Friday 2009 deals, both mortar-and-brick and online retailers are offering sales early and often.