ConsumerWatch: Early Black Friday Deals May Be A Mixed Bag
(KPIX 5) - With Black Friday still the most popular day to shop during the holidays according to a new CBS News poll, more retailers than ever will now be open on Thanksgiving Day, even as retail experts warn not every holiday deal is as great as it sounds.
Macy's, Michaels and Kohl's are among the stores that are hoping to get in on the Black Friday action early by opening on Thanksgiving.
Walmart is trying to move Black Friday to this Friday, by price matching its competitors on certain Black Friday deals.
"Walmart basically cherry picked the best Black Friday deals of their competitors," said Matthew Ong with the consumer group NerdWallet.
When shoppers begin the annual holiday tradition of the Black Friday stampede, they may find the hot items they're swooping on are more lukewarm than anything.
"They tend to be models that have been on the shelves for a little while, or models that aren't necessarily the cream of the crop," said Ong.
For example, Target's Black Friday preview sale includes a 50-inch LED HDTV for $229 … a great price but a low-end manufacturer, Element.
An Xbox 360 is priced at $99 at WalMart. It's an older model which is a steal compared to the new Xbox One.
Those are legitimate deals, unlike other Black Friday offerings. A Kitchen Aid mixer being offered at Target for $199 was actually cheaper a couple of weeks ago.
Even though the advertised deals may not merit a stampede, many say tradition alone is enough to get them in the door.
The way one shopper we spoke to told us, "You're staying home from work, so what else do you have to do?"
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