“Black Friday has changed from a moment in time to a big chunk in time,” said AlixPartners managing director Joel Bines.
And then he goes one step further: “I don’t think Black Friday exists anymore.”
Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday “are all bleeding together with front-loaded online deals,” said Edward J. Fox, a Southern Methodist University business professor.
Amazon.com started Black Friday deals on Monday, and Walmart.com has been running a “big pre-Black Friday” sale since then, too. Target.com has started its “beat the rush sale” with coupons for 25 percent off branded toys. Toys R Us was offering 20 percent off one regular-priced item all week.
“Friends and family discounts of 20 to 40 percent off have been flooding emails since the beginning of November,” said BIGinsight consumer insights director Pam Goodfellow. “How much more can I buy at the Gap for 40 percent off?”
