Kmart, a retailer similar to WalMart and Target, has been a favorite Black Friday destination for several years. Kmart is known for offering great deals, particularly on video games and jewelry, two very popular items during the holiday season. Another thing that the store is known for is their layaway program, which the store has managed to keep intact despite the trend other retailers followed of leaving it behind.
During previous years Kmart has opened their doors around 5 AM on the day after Thanksgiving and kicked the day off with a special sale attached to a brief six-hour timeframe during which consumers are privy to the years best sales. Most other products traditionally remain on sale throughout the weekend, though there are also select items that are only on sale for the duration of Black Friday and return to regular price when the store reopens the next morning, as well as a selection of items that were only discounted during specific hours on Saturday. Shoppers must be vigilant of the time frames for various sale prices in order to ensure they get the best deals.
Last year’s Kmart Black Friday sale included deals across several different categories. dvds were offered for as low as $4, Blu-rays were selling for less than $7, and educational toys were going for $10 or less. Their Black Friday doorbuster deals, those that expire at 11 AM, included a trampoline for $174.99, children’s t-shirts for $2.99, and Disney jewelry sets for $8.99.
Expectations for the Kmart Black Friday sale are high, with experts predicting sales to top last year. Kmart remains unique from other retailers through their Black Friday discounts on non-traditional items, such as food and paper products. Additionally, Kmart offered thousands of reward points for specific purchases, for reward card holders these points accumulate over time and can be used to make purchases at Kmart and similar retailers. This means that you are actually getting even deeper discounts than what first meets the eye.
Even though Kmart hasn’t officially distributed their Black Friday 2011 ads yet, their toy catalogue came out in late October and gives us a sampling of things to come. Many of the top 15 toys for 2011 are on deep discount on Kmart already and can be placed on layaway to reduce some of the burden on parents.