Is Black Friday dying?

He cited a study he conducted earlier this year, which found that shoppers who missed out on last year’s Black Friday laptop, tablet and TV deals would have lost an average $48.43.

“A fairly decent number of retailers have pretty much thrown in the towel and are opening on Thursday”, Stern said.

If Black Friday is dying, that doesn’t mean holiday shopping is too.

The world’s largest retailer by revenue will, for the first time this year, launch all its Cyber Monday deals on the Sunday after Thanksgiving rather than the early hours of Monday morning as in previous years.

If you want an at-a-glance rundown of stores that have recently posted discounts on various items – and a heads up on Cyber Monday specials – make your way to this website to see a list of items posted by stores.

Industry-wide Cyber Monday sales in the USA will likely reach $3 billion for the first time in 2015, up 12 percent from past year, according to projections by Adobe.

Retailers, however, are posting mixed results leading into the holiday season. But Wal-Mart and its rivals are increasingly spreading out discounts over a longer period of time. One of the most memorable confrontations went down in 2013, when a mini-wrestling match over a bargain led to one shopper to use a taser on the other. Indeed, Black Friday doesn’t even represent the kickoff to Christmas shopping anymore. “There is a real sea change happening in retail when it comes to the how, when, where and why of holiday shopping”.

One of the major downsides of Black Friday can be the crowds.

Get a sneak peek at Black Friday ads and special deals from your favorite big-box stores well before Black Friday madness officially starts with the wealth of features and listings on this site.@GottaDeal.com has an active message board where people share the latest leaked ads and tips on how they’re navigating Black Friday sales. “So, the need to wake up early, join the line and stampede, becomes less relevant”, Stern said. It will also be offering a second round of deals on Monday evening when its traffic patterns in the past have grown, he said.

A few of the largest retailers demonstrate the diminished importance of Black Friday. A number of retailers are promoting deals for “Black Friday” – the day after Thanksgiving and traditionally one of the busiest shopping days – weeks in advance. Specifically, 96 percent of deals will be available both places, he said.

Wal-Mart’s rolling forward of Cyber Monday is mimicking the industry-wide rolling forward of Black Friday. Its physical stores will open on 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.