Black Friday in the USA. Stores with the best deals

How Did Black Friday Appear in the USA?

The phrase “Black Friday” first appeared in the 60s in the USA. It meant heavy traffic jams on the roads that were observed in the country right before Thanksgiving. People left the city to visit family and spent quite a bit on gifts for relatives (plus Christmas wasn’t far off!). To attract attention, sellers and stores started holding sales on this day—covering costs through volume of sales. Other stores noticed that it worked, and a discount war began: whoever could offer lower prices, that’s where the buyers flocked that day. This is the essence of Black Friday: to offer the lowest prices during the busiest period and win through unprecedented sales volumes.

The custom of holding big sales in November–December in America appeared back in the 19th century, but it truly spread in modern megacities. It reached an even bigger stage with the spread of the internet. Suddenly, not only residents of the States but people all over the world could take part in Black Friday in the USA, making it even more important to attract buyers. Some stores even got into the habit of working at a loss on these days. This more than pays off: newly attracted customers are then more inclined to shop at the store in the future, having already had a good impression.

Typically on Black Friday, stores and supermarkets open their doors as early as 5–6 a.m., and in large retail chains and online stores discounts start even at midnight (i.e., around 7–8 a.m. Moscow time). But it’s all more than worth it. In recent years the number of buyers in the States on Black Friday has exceeded 250 million people—an unprecedented figure. The average purchase is around $400. American stores generate 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 right 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 several hours (and in some stores, like Amazon, even days) before Black Friday and last for several days after Friday. If you can’t order on the main discount day, don’t worry—many Black Friday sales will still be available on Thursday, Saturday, or Sunday. After that comes Cyber Monday, with the biggest discounts on gadgets, and other promotions before Christmas. Overall, according to statistics, about 20% of all annual sales in America take place in the month from 25 November to 25 December.

Where to Shop on Black Friday in the USA?

Black Friday sales happen at all stores, but of course there are always more exclusive and better options with the biggest discounts. For example, 6PM, where sales run year-round, offers nothing special on Black Friday: they always have the same standard 70% off. For other sites, though, this is often the only day of big promotions all year, and you need to grab it.

Stores we recommend:

• Amazon.com. Almost half of all Black Friday purchases are made at this one store. It skillfully rotates discounts, adding hundreds of new ones every hour to a special Black Friday section. Popular items sell out in just a couple of hours. If you need toys, kitchen items, or Amazon goods (such as readers), this is the place to go.
• GAP.com – runs big sales together with Old Navy and Banana Republic (same company, different brands only). Last year they offered 40% off everything, with no exceptions.
• RalphLauren.com – together with MichaelKors and TommyHilfiger, three of the best-known American fashion brands. Their discounts are usually not the biggest, but you can often catch 20-30% off, and for such expensive designer items the savings add up to quite a lot. Prices usually end up 2-3 times lower than in Moscow.
• eBay.com. The main online auction site, doing its best to compete with Amazon, and right now it’s spending billions on promotion. For us as shoppers, this is a golden time. In 2018 eBay ran the same prices for a whole month (starting mid-November) as the best deals at competitors – Amazon, Macy’s, Walmart. The same strategy is expected for Black Friday 2019. Very convenient: you don’t even have to visit multiple stores; all the top discounts are right here.
• Newegg.com. Together with BHPhotoVideo, the top place for electronics shopping in the USA. On Black Friday these online stores offer up to 70% off cameras, smartphones, smartwatches, and other gadgets. Be sure to check them out – prices like these don’t happen in Russia.
• Walmart. The country’s largest brick-and-mortar chain offers thousands of discounts on all kinds of goods, from diapers to tablets and game consoles. The selection here is almost as wide as at Amazon.
• Macy’s. The oldest and most respected department store in the USA, which for nearly a hundred years has held the famous Thanksgiving Day parade in New York. It doesn’t do this for nothing: attracting customers is profitable for them too. There are plenty of good discounts on anything you could want, though the assortment is more modest than at Amazon or Walmart.
• Carter’s. If you need to buy children’s clothing or shoes, the best places to look are Carter’s, OshKosh, or Gymboree. Besides discounts, they also offer “buy one, get two free” deals. It’s very worthwhile to take advantage of them; for example, zip-up onesies sold for $8 instead of the usual $22 (and in Russia the same items start at $40 – and that’s still considered inexpensive, given their quality).
• Nike. Together with Puma and Adidas, they offer discounts on athletic apparel and footwear. Russia also has Black Friday sales, but in America prices are always lower and there are more promotional items.
• Lenovo. A Chinese electronics maker, but – paradox! – it turns out to be much cheaper right here in the USA. The company is actively trying to win over the American market and behaves accordingly: it offers massive discounts for any reason to attract customers. On Black Friday they work especially hard.
• Microsoft. Last year the company went all out with big discounts on nearly all its gear, including Xbox and laptops. For example, the Surface Pro dropped from $999 to $629 ($300 or 19,000 rubles in savings!). And in 2019 Black Friday at Microsoft in America promises to be even more generous.

Which Black Friday discounts are the most worthwhile, and what should you buy first? According to statistics, children’s toys have led online sales for the past 3 years. They are ordered most often (including video game copies). In second place are household appliances and everyday items. Smartphones, tablets, and other gadgets are also worth buying, but they are increasingly purchased on Cyber Monday. As for offline, American shoppers go wild for big-screen TVs. Every self-respecting supermarket feels obliged to put out at least several dozen 65-inch screens at 50% off, so people can’t resist the window display and rush straight inside.

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

Delivery of goods purchased at discounts during US Black Friday will be provided by Pochtoy.com. We have two warehouses in the USA that allow us to handle the annual rush. More than 120 thousand clients have already sent orders with us from American stores. Save money too.

Register and get your own address for shopping in America.

Make purchases and specify this address in the Shipping field.

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

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

Within one or two weeks you will receive the parcel to yourself in the city by any convenient way for you.

Receiving parcels at the warehouse, their storage for up to 70 days, parcel consolidation, and packaging with special reinforcing materials are absolutely free.

November and December are the best time to shop in America! Such 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 during Black Friday!