Retailers extend Black Friday deals

Retailers extend Black Friday deals

By WHITNEY HOLMES
6 News Anchor/Reporter

KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- With the holiday shopping season around the corner, retailers hope  consumers are gearing up to spend.

Searches are already up nearly 250 percent this week on one Web site search engine for Black Friday, as businesses push for an early start to holiday spending.

This year, Black Friday sales start earlier and last longer. For instance, many stores launched Black Friday-like sales early in November.

Walmart.com is offering pre-Black Friday online exclusives every day with its "holiday value bundles," which go as long as supplies last.

Sears is offering deals in stores every Saturday morning through Christmas and Black Friday deals online starting on Thanksgiving.

Some stores are opening on Thanksgiving Day. Many Radio Shack stores will open at 10 a.m. Toys-R-Us is opening at midnight Thanksgiving night.

Some sales are going longer, this year. For instance, Walmart will be open 24 hours and Lowe's sales are running from Thanksgiving through Monday.

Black Friday sales have typically been secretive but many are being released early and you can find them all several Web sites such as:

• blackfriday.info
• gottadeal.blackfriday.com
• bfads.net
• theblackfriday.com.

Many of these Web sites offer email alerts to keep you in the loop on deals. Also, many stores are using social media sites like Facebook or Twitter to guide people to their big sales.

Some noteworthy deals this year include Target's offering of Chefmate appliances for $3.00.

Also, HDTVs are cheaper this year. You can purchase a 40-inch LCD HDTV around $600 at stores such as Best Buy or Sears.

6 News talked to several shoppers to see if the early Black Friday sales were luring them to open their wallets sooner.

The feedback we got was mixed.

Some like the tradition of the frenzied shopping day the day after Thanksgiving. Others worried if they didn't act now, they'd miss out on the deals.

"I usually do it after Thanksgiving," said Charlotte Slagle.

"They will have an exclusive sale so early now that if you don't get out and get the ones in the toy books, like some of the problems last year, we went and some of them didn't even have them on the shelf," said Scott Goebel.

"Usually, I am a Black Friday shopper I like to get out there and get in the crowd," said Cheryl Hodges. "I am one of those who likes to elbow and hustle. I am up at 5:30 in the morning."