When Brandon Vanderstelt and his wife set up camp 10 days ahead of Black Friday outside of a North Texas Best Buy with a tongue-in-cheek “Occupy Best Buy” sign decorating their tent, their intent was to be first in line for Best Buy’s Black Friday deals.
“It’s an $800 TV for $200, so we figured people would be out here really early, and that’s a deal we didn’t want to pass up,” he said. ”We get about 100 questions a day and about 100 pictures,” Vanderstelt said. “Everybody talks to us. It’s fun.”
However, not everyone shares the Vanderstelts’ lighthearted view of Black Friday as news surfaced this week indicating that the Occupy Wall Street movement may take their protest to America’s malls on Black Friday to protest corporate greed.
While Adbusters’ “Buy Nothing Day” has been around for twenty years now, the momentum of the Occupy movement combined with growing frustration over the surge of midnight openings and mediocre deals may be enough to form an entirely new form of Black Friday mob. The idea is certainly gaining momentum, as evidenced by the establishment of websites such as StopBlackFriday.com, whose stated goal is to “Hit the 1% where it hurts – in the wallet.” Adbusters is largely credited with sparking the Occupy Wall Street movement.
ULTA’s Black Friday ad was released today. The 2-page ad (presented here as a single page) is presented as a two day sale and notes that all stores will be open “by 6am”, which implies that individual locations may open their doors sooner, so be sure to call ahead to confirm if you plan to show up early.
Much of the ad is devoted to free gifts from brands like Calvin Klein, Ed Hardy and Elizabeth Arden. We count six different free gift options, plus a 5 for $5 mix and match on a range of small items normally priced under $7 such as lotions and single-use facial treatments, and a buy 2 get 2 free mix and match on an equally wide range of bath and cosmetics items normally priced between $3 and $9.50.
The 2011 Big Lots Black Friday Ad has been released. This 6-page ad covers items from electronics to toys to furniture and more. They will open their doors at 6AM on Black Friday and these prices will last until 11AM.
The 2011 Meijer Black Friday Ad has been released. This 36 page ad covers items from apparel to electronics to decor. They will open their doors at 4AM on Black Friday and these prices will last until 12PM.
Target is rumored to have released a 12-item Black Friday Doorbuster preview. Since this does say it is a “preview” we think they will announce some even hotter deals when the 2011 Target Black Friday Ad is officially released. We haven’t seen an actual scan for this yet, so it may end up being like the rumor we saw in October. We want to point out that several of the rumors in October ended up on this list, but with lower prices– so this could end up being a great preview of what is to come!
Some highlights from this 2011 Target Black Friday Doorbuster Preview include:
Element 40″ 1080p 60Hz LCD HDTV for $265
Westinghouse 46″ 1080p 60Hz LCD HDTV for $298 (Listed October)
Amazon Kindle Keyboard 3G with Special Offers for $85
Nikon L105 12.1MP Digital Camera with 3″ LCD Screen for $99.99
Xbox 360 4GB Console for $139.99 (Listed in October)
Memorex PurePlay Portable Speaker System with Dock for $29.99
RCA 9″ Portable DVD Player for $55
Sanus Large Low Profile Wall Mount for 32″-60″ TVs for$49.99 (Listed in October)
The 2011 Sears Outlet Black Friday Ad has been released. They will be open on Black Friday from 5AM-9PM and on 11/26 from 7AM-9PM. A benefit to this ad is that it includes appliances, which have not yet been released as part of the 2011 Sears Black Friday Ad.
You may have noticed we’ve posted several large 2011 Black Friday ads this past week, including Walmart, Kohl’s and JCPenney. We’ve been hearing some buzz about other Black Friday sales and news and didn’t want you to miss out on them!
Stay on top of 2011 Black Friday news to beat the crowds!
Express will be giving $25 Express cash with any $50 purchase through 11/7. They also have several coupons to use over the weekend, including Cyber Monday:
40% off everything on Thanksgiving Day
40% off everything UNTIL noon on Black Friday
30% off everything AFTER noon on Black Friday
30% off at Express.com on Cyber Monday + Free shipping!
Women’s apparel retailer Avenue takes up to 50% off select items in their Black Friday Sale including coats, boots, activewear, sleepwear and jewelery. They also offer free gifts for shopping over the weekend. Get a Free MP3 player on Friday between 5AM-9AM and a free Metallic tote on Friday afternoon. Saturdays’ freebies include a charm watch, candle and digital keychain. (more…)
Staples has released their 2011 Black Friday ad. They will be open on Black Friday at 6am and the Early Bird Specials will be valid until noon. This 6-page ad features laptops, software, computer accessories, office furniture and more.
There have been a lot of comments on the late night vs. early morning Black Friday sales. Target, Macy’s and Kohl’s are all opening at midnight this year. So after you finish Thanksgiving dinner, you can go shop to your heart’s content! JCPenney and Sears will be keeping the traditional early-morning store hours; opening at 4AM. This has created quite a stir in the comments sections of our Black Friday news page as well as on our Facebook page.
We want to know what YOU think about this Black Friday controversy. Check out what some of your fellow Black Friday Fans are saying and tell us what you think by voting for your favorite quote in the poll below, then leave us a comment to share your thoughts!
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The 2011 Bass Pro Shops Black Friday Ad has been released. They will open their doors on 11/25 at 6AM and their Black Friday Doorbuster prices will be valid through 11AM. They also have a 4-day sale with prices valid on 11/24-11/27 (they are open Thanksgiving Day from 8am-6pm).