Black Friday 2020: What to expect on the biggest shopping day of the year

Update #1:

Sam's Club announced recently that to offset the deal-seeking crowds, they'll be holding two sale events in November and December, each lasting nine days, that will provide buyers with maximum savings with less rush.

For the Black Friday sale itself, the company will have 10 days of specials in lieu of last year's shorter four-day run.

"We felt it was important to give our members a chance to save a lot earlier this season than in the past,” Sam's Club chief member officer told the press. In addition to longer hours to help control crowding, Sam's Club will offer curbside pickup for the first time ever this year.

Similarly, Sam's Club sister company Walmart promises an "all new Black Friday experience" by extending the sale periods usually confined to the day after Thanksgiving as well as providing man online specials that negate the need for users to leave home at all.

Walmart is in the midst of hiring an extra 20,000 seasonal workers for their ecommerce business alone, of which their U.S. executive vice president of supply chain commented that as customers "turn to online shopping, we want to ensure we’re staffed and ready to help deliver that special gift to their loved ones while continuing to fulfill our customer’s everyday needs.”

As you can see here, Walmart's website is already prepped and ready to go as they release more details. Categories like toys, electronics, movies, video games, and electronics are primed and ready to go when the holiday season officially hits in the next few weeks.

When and what is Black Friday?

Black Friday is the term used to describe the day after Thanksgiving when shoppers across the United States–and more recently countries around the world–flood stores to snatch up discounted good and special deals set by companies in anticipation of the holiday season.

This term for the day reportedly originated in Philadelphia around 1961 and points to retailers operating in the red (without profit) for the majority of the year before finally hitting the black (or being profitable) that day after Thanksgiving.

The evolution of Black Friday

Black Friday has been steadily growing in popularity over the past several decades and really starting gaining steam in the 1980s and 1990s, ultimately leading to the chaotic uptick the consumer holiday would take after the turn of the millennium.

Once a simple marathon shopping day that began at the early bird hour of 6am, Black Friday’s competitive nature and intense demand for deals pushed big box retailers to open even earlier. This trend continued until stores like Walmart were opening at 6pm on Thanksgiving Day, a controversial practice that saw plenty of criticism from those who believe employees should have the entire holiday to spend time with family or otherwise at rest.

Black Friday in 2020

To no one’s surprise, Black Friday will look a lot different in 2020 thanks to the Covid-19 and the restrictions that exist it its continued wake. Many of the usual deals you'd find in-store are going to be available online this year, as capacities are lowered and social distancing will still be in place. We'll be regularly updating this piece and others with deals we find as they're announced, so bookmark this piece for timely sales from various retailers!

Which retailers are participating?

If they sell something, they're probably participating in Black Friday. Among those who've already announced upcoming specials are ASOS, Macy's, Sephora, Kohl's, Target, Walmart, and countless others. The latter three are among stores that opened on Thanksgiving day in years past, but they've already committed this year to staying closed the full holiday, much to the delight of the workers and their families who would prefer a bit of quality time.

Tips for getting the best Black Friday deals

Outside of checking back here, you can also follow stores that interest you on social media and turn on notifications via Twitter or Facebook so you're alerted to any short-term offers and surprise sales.