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Walmart Plans Biggest Black Friday Ever!


jaymacfla

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I am hoping Walmart will commit to the secret sales early. Best Buy usually caves when Walmart does this. I remember the arguments back in the day that Walmart was not a major competitor to Best Buy. From 2006 to 2008, we saw that Best Buy was indeed concerned about it, even if some Black Friday shoppers didn't think so. After 2008, we saw Best Buy release a few secret items(remember the secret laptop?), but none like the previous years.

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I loved the secret sales a couple years ago, I got a couple big ticket items early and at the same price as BF, then I could get the little stuff on BF.

As I recall, they employed the additions at Best Buy online and those that brought the list with them didn't have to wait for the supplemental list from store management to be printed out. It gave us a bit more time than others had to make up their minds which items we were going to get, or change up on. I remember in 2006-2007 we were busting on silly items like Justin Timberlake CDs or High School Musical game, but they always seemed to draw some that just had to have them!

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I do have to say that in my area I love the sales spread out. I know most people complain about it but the lines aren't nearly as long. Our store wouldn't let you line up for something from the second sale until the first sale was done. I could go to other store in between and I really liked that. 

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I never liked the secret sales Walmart had. The stores around here never knew what was going on. Nothing would scan right and the employees would look at me like I was making it all up. Of course now it's easier to pull up information or their website on my phone.

I think that's why it worked for me. Nobody seemed to know about it so I walked in on a Tuesday after Saturday sale and was able to get my tv.

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I liked it the year Walmart posted secret sale online... I printed it off and local Walmart gave to me for that price....If you didn't get online you didn't know what was on sale.....I liked it because it may me feel they were giving something to the customers that shop there regularly.

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I liked it the year Walmart posted secret sale online... I printed it off and local Walmart gave to me for that price....If you didn't get online you didn't know what was on sale.....I liked it because it may me feel they were giving something to the customers that shop there regularly.

The point you made was the best part of the sale. The same thing happened in Best Buy, but was mitigated by printing out the online ad. People already in line that did not have the print out had absolutely no clue what was added. There needs to be archived proof of these added items for historical purposes(Is there?). Without the secret sales, Best Buy's sale would have been a bust for 2006-2007.

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I hope (but am not holding my breath) that they also put in place better crowd control methods on BF to go along with the increased sales volume they are looking for.

Our local Walmarts (yes we have 2) are the Supercenter kinds that are open 24 hours. To get a ticket item (tv, xbox, blue ray player, ipad, etc.) you have to be there early and stand in line. For example I wanted something last year (I think it was an ipad 2 or nook color) and it was going on sale at 8pm. I got there at 6:30 pm and all the tickets were gone and people were stuck in a line until 8pm in the sporting goods department. You could not go shop, or walk around, or even go to the bathroom. It was ridiculous. It does work well for crowd control but why not let people walk around and come back at 7:30-8 pm or have the items at the registers. I mean they have the ticket.

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Our local Walmarts (yes we have 2) are the Supercenter kinds that are open 24 hours. To get a ticket item (tv, xbox, blue ray player, ipad, etc.) you have to be there early and stand in line. For example I wanted something last year (I think it was an ipad 2 or nook color) and it was going on sale at 8pm. I got there at 6:30 pm and all the tickets were gone and people were stuck in a line until 8pm in the sporting goods department. You could not go shop, or walk around, or even go to the bathroom. It was ridiculous. It does work well for crowd control but why not let people walk around and come back at 7:30-8 pm or have the items at the registers. I mean they have the ticket.

 

We have the ticket system as well.  They do let us go to the bathroom, but you only have 15 minutes, and you have to give them your big item ticket to hold on to in case you do not return in time.  I used the time to sit on floor, go through ads again, visit with others, and cash out when lines were low and then put first doorbuster stuff in car.  Had friends with me so we could swap out.

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Ours does the ticket item as well.  So I always go with a buddy.  I stand in line while they get what they need, then they come stand in line for me.  Our Walmart lets you put things in your buggy but you can't check out until the sale starts.  They don't do the unwrapping of the pallets at my SuperWalmart. 

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I do have to say that in my area I love the sales spread out. I know most people complain about it but the lines aren't nearly as long. Our store wouldn't let you line up for something from the second sale until the first sale was done. I could go to other store in between and I really liked that. 

Genuinely curious, how did that work?  Aren't the start times different, but they all run thru the same time (like 11:00 am)?  I'm wondering because this is one of the (many) things I don't like about the staggered start times. If I want a big item that goes on sale at midnight, I can't shop for the smaller items that go on sale at 8:00 because I better already be in the midnight line.

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You can't line up for things that start at the second sale before the first sale

 

.I.E.: I'm buying a Xbox at the first sale at 8pm and a TV at the seconds sale at 11p.m. You cannot line up for the 11p.m.tv sale yet because the store employees will not tell anyone where those pallet's are located. The "different start time" items are in pallets in the back and they don't bring those out until the first rush is gone.

 

Last year was the first year that our Wal-Mart had a ticket system to avoid people cutting in line. This worked for me since I didn't miss out on the TV deal while I was in line for the Xbox deal.

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Walmart will be a last resort/if I can make it this year. Their website is useless on BF IF they even put items online and the stored here are ridiculous.

 

The older store has super long lines for hours after opening, I'd hate to imagine what time would be a decent time to show up to close to the front. .

 

The newer store has been incredibly disorganized for the last 2 years to the point showing up early accomplishes nothing. Even though the crowds are manageable at the newer store management does not know where/IF things are and really couldn't care to find out.

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Years ago, I would join my wife at the smallest, but most organized Walmart you ever did see. They controlled the situation, but it was easier because it was one of the smallest still in existence. You could literally see the back and sides of the store when you went in. Everything was maximized for impact and product performance due to the limited space. I will always miss that small store, especially hunting season. They would lead you off with an offering of bagged deer corn in the entry way, then you would see all of the hunting supplies to the left, and finally, the welcome home lingerie replete with camo theme to round out the display.

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