Black Friday in the USA. Stores with the best discounts

How did Black Friday appear in the USA?

The phrase “Black Friday” first appeared in the USA in the 60s. It meant the heavy traffic jams that were observed in the country immediately before Thanksgiving. People left the city to visit family and spent heavily on gifts for their relatives (plus Christmas was not far off either!). To draw attention to themselves, sellers and stores began offering discounts on this day, covering expenses through the volume of sales. Other stores noticed that this worked, and a discount war began: whoever could offer lower prices was where eager shoppers went on that day. That is the essence of Black Friday: to offer the lowest prices during the most frenzied period in order to win through unprecedented sales volumes.

The custom of holding big discounts in November-December in America appeared back in the 19th century, but truly spread in modern megacities. And everything moved even further to the next stage with the spread of the internet. Suddenly, not only residents of the States but the whole world could take part in Black Friday in the USA, so attracting buyers became even more important. Some stores even made it a habit to operate at a loss on these days. This also pays off more than enough: newly attracted customers are then more inclined to buy from that store in the future, since they have already gotten a good impression from it.

As a rule, on BF stores and supermarkets throw open their doors as early as 5-6 in the morning, and in large retail chains and online stores discounts start even at midnight (that is, around 7-8 in the morning Moscow time). But all of this is more than worth it. In recent years, the number of shoppers in the States on BF has exceeded 250 million people, which is an unprecedented figure. The average purchase amount is about $400. America’s stores make tens of billions in sales in a single day.

Thanksgiving is always the fourth Thursday in November. Therefore, figuring out when Black Friday will be is quite simple: it comes immediately after Thanksgiving. Thus, Black Friday in 2019 falls on 29 November, and in 2020 on 27 November. But keep in mind that sales usually start a few hours (and in some stores, like Amazon, even days) before BF, and continue for several more days after Friday. If you can’t manage to order goods on the main discount day, don’t worry, you will still catch many Black Friday sales — on Thursday, Saturday, or Sunday. And then Cyber Monday begins, with the biggest discounts on gadgets, and other promotions before Christmas. In general, according to statistics, about 20% of all annual sales in America are made in the month from 25 November to 25 December.

Where to shop on Black Friday in the USA?

All stores run Black Friday sales, but of course there are always more exclusive and выгодные options, with the very best discounts. For example, 6PM, where sales already run year-round, doesn’t offer anything special on Black Friday: they always have the same standard -70%. But for other sites, this is often the only day of the year with major promotions, and you need to grab it.

Stores we recommend:

• Amazon.com. Almost half of all Black Friday purchases happen at this one store. It rotates discounts very skillfully, adding hundreds of new ones every hour to a special section dedicated to Black Friday. Popular items sell out in just a couple of hours. If you need toys, kitchen supplies, or Amazon products (for example, e-readers), this is definitely the place.
• GAP.com – runs big sales together with Old Navy and Banana Republic (the same company, just different brands). Last year they gave 40% discounts on all items, without exception.
• RalphLauren.com – along with MichaelKors and TommyHilfiger, three of the most famous American fashion brands. Their discounts usually aren’t the biggest, but you can quite realistically catch 20-30%, and for such expensive branded fashion items, the savings are very substantial. It usually ends up being 2-3 times cheaper than in Moscow.
• eBay.com. The main online auction site is doing its best to battle Amazon, and is now spending billions on its own promotion. For us as buyers, this is a golden time. In 2018, eBay for a whole month (starting in mid-November) offered the same prices on products as the best offers from competitors – Amazon, Macy's, Walmart. It is expected that on Black Friday 2019 it will have the same strategy. Very convenient: you don’t even have to visit different stores, you’ll see all the main discounts here.
• Newegg.com. Along with BHPhotoVideo – the main place for buying electronics in the USA. On Black Friday, these online stores offer discounts of up to 70% on cameras, smartphones, smartwatches, and other gadgets. Be sure to take a look, there are no such prices in Russia.
• Walmart. The country’s largest offline chain offers thousands of discounts on all kinds of goods, from diapers to tablets and game consoles. The selection here is almost as large as on Amazon.
• Macy's. The oldest and most respected department store in the USA, which has been holding the famous Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York for almost a hundred years. It doesn’t do this for nothing: it also benefits from attracting shoppers. There are lots of good discounts here on just about anything, although the assortment is more modest than at Amazon and Walmart.
• Carter's. If you need to buy children’s clothes or shoes, it’s best to check Carter's, OshKosh, or Gymboree. There are not only discounts here, but also a “buy one, get two free” format. It’s very выгодно to buy: for example, zip-up outfits were sold for $8 – instead of their usual price of $22 (and in Russia such ones cost from $40 – and that is still considered inexpensive, given their quality).
• Nike. Along with Puma and Adidas, it offers discounts on sportswear and shoes. They also have Black Friday sales in Russia, but in America prices are always lower and there are more promotional items.
• Lenovo. A Chinese electronics manufacturer, but – paradoxically! – it turns out to be much cheaper דווקא in the USA. The company is actively trying to win over the American market, and behaves accordingly: it offers crazy discounts for any occasion, attracting customers. On Black Friday they are especially active.
• Microsoft. Last year the company went all out, giving big discounts on almost all its hardware, including Xbox and laptops. For example, the price of the Surface Pro dropped from $999 to $629 ($300 or 19 000 rubles in savings!). And in 2019, Black Friday in America at Microsoft promises to be even more generous.

Which Black Friday discounts are the most worthwhile, and what should you grab first? According to statistics, children’s toys have been the leaders of online sales for the last 3 years. They are ordered most often (including video game copies). In second place are home appliances and household items. Smartphones, tablets, and other gadgets are also profitable to buy, but they are increasingly being bought on Cyber Monday. As for offline shopping, the favorite item that causes real excitement among Americans is widescreen TVs. Every self-respecting supermarket considers it a must to put at least several dozen 65-inch screens on display with a -50% promotion, so that people cannot resist its storefront and quickly run inside.

Ordering and delivery of purchases from US stores on Black Friday to Russia and Ukraine

Pochtoy.com will handle the delivery of goods bought at Black Friday discounts in the USA. We have two warehouses in the USA that allow us to handle the annual rush. More than 120 thousand customers have already shipped orders from American stores with us. Save too.

Register and get your own address for shopping in America.

Make purchases and enter this address in the Shipping field.

Your goods will arrive at our warehouse and appear in your personal account.

We will pack them, combine them into one parcel, and upon request remove everything unnecessary so that delivery is even cheaper.

Within a week or two, you will receive the parcel in your city by any method convenient for you.

Acceptance of parcels at the warehouse, their storage for up to 70 days, parcel consolidation, packaging with special reinforcing materials – absolutely free.

November and December are the best time to shop in America! These kinds of discounts happen only once a year. Don't miss your chance. Register with us in advance to get your address and have time to order everything you planned on Black Friday!