With the holiday season fast approaching, shoppers around the country are beginning to prepare for a nation-wide event, Black Friday. But with a worldwide pandemic, shoppers are left wondering what will this event look like this year, what they can expect, and what the deals are. 

Black Friday is an event of huge sales during the weekend after Thanksgiving. It’s popularly used to finish holiday shopping and take advantage of great deals. Black Friday has become the most successful day of the year for retailers in the United States, thus pushing them into the black.

This year, the sale weekend falls on November 27-30, but due to COVID-19, companies have been creative in how they can still run the event, while complying with the guidelines from the health department. 

What will Black Friday Look Like in 2020

For the most part, stores are not open on Thanksgiving night. In 2019, many stores would open in the late evening on Thanksgiving to start their sales, but many of these stores have chosen not to open in person on Thursday. 

Similar to last year, deals are available online and in stores, with some companies putting special deals available only online to encourage customers to experience Black Friday from their homes. 

To encourage not gathering in large groups on this weekend, many stores have also extended their sales for the entire month or multiple weeks. Some stores have even extended the deals into December. 

Nationwide, retailers are requiring that if you attend any store in person, you will be required to have a face mask or covering of some sort to shop, regardless of the local ordinances. Smaller stores may also have a limit on how many people can be in the facility at one time, creating a possible wait time to get to the sales.

What Stores Are Open

Although most stores have closed their doors for Thanksgiving, there are still some places that will remain open, with different hours. These stores range from Big Lots and Kmart to CVS and Dollar Tree to grocery stores. You can check out the full list of what stores are open or not on Thanksgiving at https://www.kare11.com/article/news/nation-world/here-are-which-stores-are-

open-closed-on-thanksgiving-2020/507-420ca286-2595-4999-8124-83796d62ebcb 

For Friday, most stores that are currently open to business in-person on a normal day are also open on Black Friday. Check out the full list of stores and their hours for the Black Friday Weekend here: https://blackfriday.com/black-friday-store-hours.

Sales and Deals

There are a lot of sales happening right now for Black Friday, but some of the most popular stores are below. For specific information about a store’s deals, check out their website. 

Target: This retailer is running a longer event, with deals starting on November 15 and having price matching through December 25. They have deals on almost everything, including electronics, vacuums, household items, and video games. Two of their best deals this year include the Apple Watch Series 6 for $380, saving you $50, and all video games being buy 2 get 1 free. 

Walmart: Walmart has been doing rounds of sales for the month of November called “Black Friday Deals for Days,” with different sales happening for each round. The third round of deals launched on November 14 and will last until November 25. This round includes sales on toys, electronics, and home products. The final round of sales will launch on Black Friday, November 27, and will include sales on cookware, vacuums, TVs, headphones, laptops, hair products, toys, and much more. 

Best Buy: Their deals will start on November 16 and the best deals will be posted on their website, hoping to encourage shoppers to stay home and shop online. They will release more deals on November 22. The best deals at Best Buy include electronics of any kind.

Kohls: Kohls has been having a month-long event with rounds, similar to what Walmart is doing. The current round will last until November 21. Kohls cardholders will get an extra 30% off their purchases in-store and online, along with a 15% discount that can be used with code SAVE15. Deals in this store include tech deals on fitbits, smartwatches, speakers, headphones, and record players, home deals on ninja products, instapots, Keurig products, Roomba, blankets/bedding, toys, and anything in between. 

Macy’s: This store has a ton of deals that are dropping on November 16 and there will be more that are released on the actual day, November 27. Their sales include cookware, furniture, bedding, clothes, and shoes.

Amazon: This online store has a week’s worth of deals that will run Thanksgiving week with a return window until January 31, 2021. The best sales running on Amazon include deals on Samsung, Sony, Cuisinart, irobot, and rivet products.  

Although this event can be exciting, be cautious of others and remember the guidelines from the Health Department: wear masks when in large groups and keep a distance of 6 feet or more when possible. There are plenty of sales to enjoy from home online if going out to stores does not feel comfortable or possible. Stay safe and healthy this holiday season!