Shoppers descend on Black Friday deals

“The excitement continued into Thursday as reports of long lines outside stores on Thanksgiving and Black Friday were matched by reports of record-breaking online sales”.

That reflects the new normal of US holiday shopping, where stores open up with deals on Thanksgiving Thursday itself, rather than waiting until Black Friday. Martin said early promotions in November were a bigger factor hurting Black Friday than store openings on Thanksgiving evening. “I’m going to check a few more places but I’m a little bit disappointed”.

Many stores made their deals available online and in stores for the official start of the season.

In the past years, the retailer usually paired popular electronic items like iPads with a gift cards, but for the 2015 Black Friday sale Walmart has really pulled away from the bundling strategy.

Target was almost empty at 6 in the morning after being open all night, but Best Buy’s line was longer because they didn’t open until 8 on Friday morning.

She said discounting levels online averaged 26 and 24 percent on both days respectively, and remained similar to last year’s levels.

He added: ‘I had to get up early for work so thought I might as well come and have a look. “It was insane though”.

Preliminary data from ShopperTrak showed sales at stores totaled about $12.1 billion on Thursday and Friday. Perhaps that’s why Ron Waxman, 51, a sports agent from NY, was able to shop easily on Black Friday morning and find a nearby parking spot at 2 a.m. Some people still wait for doorbuster deals at many stores. “The shoppers are eager, they’re finding what they’re looking for, they’re happy”, Meinzinger said. “They’ve got real nice deals out here today”.

A considerably excellent deep discount price on a ginormous size 4K television set from a reliably premium brand is impossible to snub, and Wamlart’s 1-Hour Guarantee secures the deal. “They gave me a free blanket”, said Noah Lovejoy of Olney Philadelphia. There will be new deals to take advantage of every 5 minutes of the 8-day sale and Amazon Prime members will receive some great benefits that will help them score deals before anyone else. “Expect at best a 4.5 percent increase in spending over past year and a tepid Black Friday”, BCG Senior Partner Michael J. Silverstein said in a Fortune article.

Spending time with family was also what brought Deandra Hill from Thomasville out on the holiday. “We did it previous year too and we’ll probably continue to do it”.

“The holiday hiring season has been moved up because companies are starting holiday sales before Thanksgiving”, he said. “Including the teenagers there’s five of us scattered around at different stores”.

“I’m buying the kids’ Christmas (stuff) and my nieces and nephews too”, said Hormilla.

At Academy Sports + Outdoors, celebrating its first Black Friday in Johnson City after opening in April, the line stretched around the building before the doors opened. She said Wal-Mart didn’t have the tablet she wanted for her son.

Though those that said they were awaiting Thanksgiving deals was up four percent.

This year, shoppers have been “on the fence” about when to shop, he said.