Walmart is jumpstarting Black Friday this year by launching its doorbuster deals the night before Thanksgiving.
The No. 1 discount chain will pull the plug on its “special buys” Wednesday night at 10:00 p.m. ET, two hours earlier than past years. The initial sales blitz will be available online only, with in-store availability to follow at 6:00 p.m. local time on Thanksgiving Day. But first, customers will be treated to a first-time “Light Up Black Friday” sampling party beginning two hours earlier and featuring complimentary coffee from Keurig and free Christmas cookies.
See: Best Buy’s Black Friday Barrage Begins On Thanksgiving
Top Black Friday deals will include:
- iPhone 6 on Straight Talk or Total Wireless for $99;
- Sony PS4 1TB Slim Spider-Man bundle for $199;
- HP 15-inch Touch Notebook for $259;
- 65-inch Sharp or TCL 4K Roku TV for $398;
- 40-inch Hisense 1080p TV for $99; and
- Xbox One S 1TB Minecraft Creators Bundle for $199.
See: Distributors Discern Top Holiday Tech
Customers can locate the sales items in-store via a floor-plan map on Walmart’s mobile app, which will also include pins showing where “the top eight” Black Friday sales can be found. Sales associates with mobile check out scanners will also be posted at high-traffic areas throughout the stores to keep the crowds moving, the company said.
Watch: Walmart Rolling Out Mobile Checkout For The Holidays
“There really is no bigger or better day of the year than Black Friday; that’s why we are pulling out all the stops to make it a great night for our customers,” said Steve Bratspies, chief merchandising officer at Walmart U.S.
Related: Shoppers Have Had It With Black Friday Crowds
For those who can’t wait, Walmart is kicking off the holiday season today with 18 online early-bird deals including a Sharp 55-inch 4K Ultra HD HDR TV for $299, a discount of $201, and $30 off a Lenovo Ideapad 330s 15.6-inch laptop, for $349.
The full 32-page Black Friday ad has been posted on Walmart.com, as well as a stand-alone list of the top holiday deals.
