Channeling the frenzy. Ever since a Wal-Mart employee on Long Island was trampled to death on Black Friday in 2008, retailers have been alert to dangers of stampeding shoppers. "Stores thought that creating this frenzy was good for business," Marsha Cohen, chief retail analyst for the NPD group tells The Boston Globe. "As it turns out, this puts retailers in a very precarious legal position and it creates a very inefficient system for consumers to take advantage of sales."This year, the Globe reports, Target is creating a buffer zone of at least 10 feet between entrances and the start of the lines. Groups of 30 people will be allowed into the buffer zone every 20 or 30 seconds to keep mobs from rushing en masse into the store.
Did you check online? Consumer Reports notes that many retailers offer the electronic goods at the lowest price of the year. But even then, CR says, the best bargains may not be at the brick-and-mortar stores. Don't forget to check Amazon.com and other websites, which often can do better. (Amazon is even starting its Black Friday deals early.)
Brick-and-mortars, though, are also using the Web to build excitement and lure buyers into the store. Best Buy already has announced some Black Friday deals on the Internet and promises more on its Twitter and Facebook pages this week. Already on tap: a 24-inch high-definition Dynex TV for $80, a Samsung laptop with a 320GB hard drive for $300, and a Toshiba Blu-ray disc player for $40.
The tech lure. Consumer Reports' James Willcox offers this advice when shopping for electronic goods:
Did you check online? Consumer Reports notes that many retailers offer the electronic goods at the lowest price of the year. But even then, CR says, the best bargains may not be at the brick-and-mortar stores. Don't forget to check Amazon.com and other websites, which often can do better. (Amazon is even starting its Black Friday deals early.)
Brick-and-mortars, though, are also using the Web to build excitement and lure buyers into the store. Best Buy already has announced some Black Friday deals on the Internet and promises more on its Twitter and Facebook pages this week. Already on tap: a 24-inch high-definition Dynex TV for $80, a Samsung laptop with a 320GB hard drive for $300, and a Toshiba Blu-ray disc player for $40.
The tech lure. Consumer Reports' James Willcox offers this advice when shopping for electronic goods:
Often retailers — and sometimes, manufacturers — will combine two or more items into a specially priced package they say will save you money. But you should check the individual prices of these items at both the store and its competitors to see if you're really getting a great deal. Our research during the past week uncovered some real savings, but also bundles that barely saved any money at all.Hottest deals. Fatwallet.com, one of the top sites for deals, offers a user-friendly Deal Finder, to check out sales either by category or by stores. Here are some of its hottlest Black Friday offerings so far this year:
1. Norton Internet Security 2012 (1-PC) [Boxed CD] - Staples - FreeFast and furious. It seems almost impossible to keep track of the waves of ads that are coming as BF looms. One tip: Bradsdeal.com puts the big ones all on one page for a quick peek. Here's one you'll find from Ace Hardware: A Radio Flyer red wagon for $49.99.
2. Toshiba Satelite C655D-S5332 15.6" Laptop - Radio Shack - $299.99
3. Xbox 360 4GB Console w/Kinect - Wal-Mart - $199.96
4 . Acer 23" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Staples - $99.99
5. BlackBerry PlayBook 7" Tablet - 16GB, WiFi - Staples - $199.99
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