Why wait for Black Friday when you can shop now

Kendria Haley
Staff Writer

Leftover turkey and stuffing are not the only things you should look forward to the day after Thanksgiving. Nov. 25, 2016, is Black Friday. Some consider it to be the largest shopping day of the year. With less than 50 days left till Christmas now is the time to find the best deals! But many of these deals are coming before turkey day.

For Amazon, Black Friday deals are starting early and ending just days before Christmas.

Starting Wednesday, the e-commerce giant is offering deals on a variety of products, including toys, electronics, kitchen and home goods and video games, according to a CNN report.

However, the company said many of its top deals will be offered during the “Turkey 5,” which starts on Thanksgiving Day and runs through the Monday following the holiday — known as Cyber Monday.

According to a Consumer Technology Association (CTA) report on businesswire.com, a record-setting 116 million Americans, almost half the U.S. adult population (47 percent), plan to purchase tech or tech accessories during Black Friday Week. The CTA survey shows a ten percentage point jump in the number of American adults planning to buy tech products from the Monday before Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday (Nov. 21-28, 2016). The survey, fielded after the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, finds the outcome will not significantly impact the timing of consumer holiday shopping plans with only 12 percent planning to shop later this year because of the election.

Keegan Stewart, a sophomore biology major from Florence, Miss., said, “I haven’t decided yet if I’ll participate in the Black Friday sales, but if I do, I think the deals are a good value and well worth the crowd.”

Retailers large and small are getting ready for the insanely busy Black Friday sales. From clothes, to toys, to shoes, you name it, and it will more than likely be on sale black Friday. Big box stores like Best Buy, Walmart, and Target get a head start on the holiday season by leaking the sales ads for Friday’s sale early.

“Myself and my team are getting things in line to make this black Friday a success. It will be busy but worth it,” said Mittie Tidwell, general manager, from Crystal Springs, Miss.

According to TIME.com, nearly 74 Million people shopped black Friday in 2015, which is substantially lower than previous years. This is attributed to the rise in online shopping. November is barely underway, but if you plan to shop online some helpful tips to make shopping a breeze are listed here.

Cara Love, a freshman secondary education major from Brandon, Miss., said, “I want to get my son a power wheels’ truck, I checked the previews online and saw great deals at Walmart.”

Family traditions have emerged from the madness that is called Black Friday. Whether online or in store there is potential to make everyone on your nice list very, very merry! Happy Shopping!