Black Friday Sales Blitz Starting Early
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - "Black Friday" is eleven days away, but your email inbox is probably already stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey with deals and early offers.
Retailers are eyeing the calendar and doing everything they can to get your excited about spending.
It's already Black Friday on Best Buy, Amazon and many other sites offering early Black Friday bargains, CBS2's Tony Aiello reported.
While 30 percent off wool dryer balls may not fulfill many holiday dreams, but Amazon wants you to buy now.
"It's really about grabbing a piece of the pie, the retailer wants you to shop with them versus their competition," said Trae Bodge of SlickDeals.net.
Bodge, a smart shopping expert, says that's why retailers including Macy's are already posting their Black Friday ads well in advance of the actual sale.
It creates excitement, but also anxiety: Do you buy now or later?
Bodge says for electronics, wait for Black Friday. But for clothing?
"I'm seeing clearance level deals between 40-70 percent off from some retailers so it's worth looking there," Bodge said.
Black Friday is always a focal point on the shopping calendar, which this year gives retailers a reason to smile.
Rhoda Gennarelli, owner of the Pleasantville boutique Rhodadendron, says some years there are four shopping Saturdays between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year, there are five. "
"It's a bonus! It's great," she told Aiello.
She'll offer Black Friday bargains, but thinks the push to offer earlier and earlier deals is self-defeating.
"If you start doing it now, Black Friday, traditionally the day after Thanksgiving, is going to mean nothing," Gennarelli said.
Shopper Jean Bianco is tuning out the Black Friday email blitz.
"Too many emails, I unsubscribed to a lot, it's taking up my whole email box," said Bianco.
With offers coming in as early as July, what constitutes Black Friday is now a gray area.
Many websites now offer "deal alert" features, where you can register and get a notification when items on your list go on sale.
