USA TODAY International Edition
WALMART DITCHES DOORBUSTERS ON THANKSGIVING,
Walmart is remaking Black Friday by ditching doorbusters.
The retailer will again open its doors at 6 p. m. on Thanksgiving, but it won’t be rolling out hourly deals. Instead, it plans to simplify the crazed shopping period by providing nearly all of its deals both online and in stores at the same time. Online deals will start at 12: 01 a. m. Pacific time on Thanksgiving, while all in- store deals will be available once stores open that evening.
The doorbuster has been a staple of Black Friday shopping, luring a steady stream of customers into stores in search of the newest and best deals throughout the evening. But it’s also a game plan that can confuse and frustrate customers who must cut their holiday short, devise specific shopping strategies to make sure they nab an item, deal with huge crowds and risk items selling out, says Steve Bratspies, Walmart’s chief merchandising officer.
“Our plan is fundamentally, make shopping easier for our customers,” he says. “It’s about deals, it’s about availability, and it’s about simplicity.”
That’s why Walmart is also hoping to satisfy deal- hunters by aiming to keep enough of the most popular items in stock, including TVs and toys. It’s also bringing back its one- hour guarantee, which guarantees special deals on five products — an iPad Air 2, Beats headphones, an Xbox One, an HP Touch laptop and a 55- inch LG TV — to anyone lined up in the designated spot in stores between 6 p. m. and 7 p. m. on Thanksgiving. Either the product or a raincheck for guaranteed delivery before Christmas will be available.
With thousands of deals exclusive to online on Thanksgiving and updates to its app, Walmart is focusing heavily on Web and mobile shoppers — it expects 75% of its holiday traffic to come from mobile this year. The mobile app now lets users shop the Black Friday circular by clicking and then purchasing products directly from the ads. Users can browse store maps to see where Black Friday deals are located in any store and scan products in stores for reviews and the option to add the item to a shareable wish list. The app has enabled mobile check- in for customers picking up online orders, which notifies an employee to prep the order.
“We’re going to make it easier when you get to the store to find what you want and hopefully get through it a little quicker,” said Walmart U. S. CEO Greg Foran.
‘ It’s about deals, it’s about availability, and it’s about simplicity’