Best Buy, Walmart Among Black Friday Sales to Come Early This Year

Stung by the recession retailers are getting a head start on Black Friday sales.

ByABC News
October 30, 2009, 1:50 PM

Nov. 3, 2009— -- Realizing that they will need all the help that they can get this recession plagued year, many big retailers like Wal-Mart, Sears and Saks are starting their Black Friday sales early.

Black Friday, or the Friday after Thanksgiving, used to be considered the beginning of the holiday shopping season, the time of year when many retailers see their red ink turn to black, as yearend sales push them into profitability.

"Larger retailers who do typically offer large Black Friday savings will try to do their best to win the shoppers out there," said Kathy Grannis, media relations manager of the National Retail Federation.

But winning shoppers' dollars will be tougher this year.

A National Retail Federation survey shows that consumers are expected to spend less during the 2009 holiday season. According to the survey, U.S. consumers plan to spend an average of $682.74 on holiday-related shopping, which is a 3.2 percent drop from last year's $705.01.

That's why some retailers are rolling out their black Friday sales early, but it's unclear how widespread the practice will become, said Grannis.

"Historically a lot of retailers prefer to wait until the last minute [to reveal their sale promotions] because of competition," she said.

For those looking for early Black Friday sales, there are a number of Web sites that post daily updates including Black Friday @ Gotta Deal and Black Friday Ads.

Here are some of the early Black Friday sales that we found:

Saks Fifth Avenue

Saks is experimenting with exclusive private online sales. Last week, members of the Saks e-mail list were invited to a 36-hour exclusive Web only sale. Saks plans to host another such sale this month, the company told ABCNews.com.

Saksfifthavenue.com is also offering 10 percent off the first order to all new subscribers who shop online. This in addition to their free shipping promotion on orders over $150 until Nov. 8.

Sears

Sears rolled out its Black Friday sales before Halloween, starting last Friday night and extending through Saturday at noon. The store will continue with what they call "Black Friday Now" sales every Saturday morning until after Christmas.

One deal Sears is offering is the Zenith 42" Widescreen Plasma HDTV for $499.99, saving about $150.