COVID-19 has forced stores to adopt different policies ahead of Black Friday. Many stores will not open their doors on the traditional post-Thanksgiving shopping day, and Target is among those taking a different approach. The chain will utilize a series of week-long sales as opposed to a traditional one-day event.
Target unveiled the plans on Thursday with the goal of providing “a safe, stress-free shopping experience.” The retailer sent out a press release and said that “nearly all” of the “Black Friday Now” deals will be available for an entire week. Additionally, people can take advantage of the deals both in stores and online. Several options are available for procuring the deals, including contactless, same-day drive up and order pickup services. Shipt will also provide the option for shoppers to receive the deals with same-day delivery.
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“By offering a preview of our ‘Black Friday Now’ deals for the entire month of November and extending our Price Match Guarantee, we’re taking the guesswork out of holiday shopping and making Target the easiest place to get the best deals,” said Christina Hennington, Target’s executive vice president and chief merchandising officer. Hennington said in the release that the retailer is taking a “completely new approach to Black Friday” in order to provide shoppers with more flexibility.
According to USA Today, the first week (Nov. 1-7) will feature “must-have deals” on electronics. The list includes Beats Studio 3 headphones for $174.99 instead of $349.99. Additionally, Nov. 6-8 will feature a TCL 65-inch 4K UHD HDR Android Smart TV for $229.99 instead of $399.99.
The deals continue on Nov. 8-14 with “kitchen favorites and floorcare.” Nov.15-21 will feature more electronics, as well as apparel and beauty products. The final week of sales, Nov. 22-28, will highlight deals on toys, kitchen products, floorcare and electronics, including video games and select consoles.
The retailer is expanding options for shoppers in order to provide a safe experience. Target has expanded its drive-up spots by nearly 8,000 spots nationwide. This strategy will provide more spots for shoppers to pull up and have their purchases brought to their cars instead of having to walk into the store and physically mingle among other people.
Best Buy is also taking a different approach to Black Friday amid the pandemic. The Minneapolis-based retailer released an ad on Thursday and said that “hundreds of deals” are available now. The chain also released a statement saying that shoppers will have more opportunities to score deals from Black Friday. There are even select deals available “every single day.”
