Black Friday in October: Here come early holiday deals
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Major holiday sales are kicking off this week, starting with Target's on Sunday.
Why it matters: Consumers are set to benefit from steep discounts ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday as the election and a late Thanksgiving push stores to launch promotions earlier.
- Major news, including events around the U.S. presidential election and the Olympics, have been disrupting consumer spending patterns, Amazon CFO Brian Olsavsky said earlier this year.
- With Turkey Day falling on the last Thursday of November, and on the latest date possible, the critical end-of-year period for shopping (and for retailers to make money) is nearly a week shorter than last year.
The big picture: The traditional holiday shopping season morphed during COVID, when more deals moved online and spread out consumer demand over longer periods of time.
- The early shopping trend has continued, in part to attract inflation-weary consumers facing year-end budget limits.
- And of course when one retailer opts to put on a big sale, others have had to follow suit.
Zoom in: Here is a rundown of the biggest early sales and what you need to know.
Amazon Prime Big Deal Days 2024
The fall version of Amazon Prime Day starts at 12:01am PDT Tuesday and continues for 48-hours.
- Prime Big Deal Days gives Prime members "exclusive access" to deals in categories including electronics, home, fashion, toys and more, Amazon said.
Target Circle Week 2024
Target Circle Week is Oct. 6-12 and this year will offer "seven days of deals with savings of up to 50% off," the retailer said.
- Target's Deal of the Day returns during the weeklong sale and then the daily deals will return Nov. 1 and continue through the rest of the season.
How it works: It's free to join the Target Circle membership program.
Walmart Holiday Deals sale
Walmart's first Holiday Deals sale starts online Oct. 8 with a 12-hour head start for Walmart+ members, the retailer said.
- Members can start shopping online at 12am ET and all shoppers can shop at noon ET Tuesday for deals that include toys and electronics.
- The sale will start in stores on Oct. 9 when stores open, which is 6am for most locations.
- The promotion, which runs through Oct. 13, comes one day earlier and is two days longer than last year's online-only sale.
Best Buy Flash Sale
Best Buy's 48-hour flash sale coincides with Prime Day and is Oct. 8-9. The retailer said the sale features "top deals on TVs, gaming devices, laptops, monitors and more."
What's next: The retailer said it will start a "Prep for the Holidays" sale on Oct. 21 and a three-day gaming sale Oct. 25.
Kohl's 3 Days of Deals
Kohl's "3 Days of Deals" sale will be Monday through Wednesday in-store and online.
- The retailer said it will have new daily deals in categories, including toys, tech, kitchen appliances, decor, apparel and more.
Go deeper: Retail's Super Bowl season is about to begin
