WASHINGTON — Now that Halloween is in the rearview mirror, retailers are beginning to lay out plans for Thanksgiving and Black Friday sales, with Walmart kicking things off and debuting a commercial that features a big Hollywood reunion.
The world's largest retailer is offering two "Black Friday Deals" multi-day events in November, instead of what used to be one big sale over Thanksgiving weekend.
The events will begin with online sales through the Walmart website capped off with in-store deals available nationwide.
The first event will begin on Wednesday, Nov. 8. Starting at 3 p.m. Eastern, shoppers will be able to log in to see thousands of deals. On Friday, Nov. 10, the discounts will be available for one day in stores.
The second event will look much the same during the week of Thanksgiving. On Wednesday, Nov. 22 at 3 p.m. Eastern, online discounts will once again be applied to a multitude of products, with in-store promotions running on Black Friday: Nov. 24.
Customers who subscribe to Walmart's subscription service, Walmart+, will be able to check out online deals three hours early. The retailer is offering $49 annual subscriptions to the service (half off of the usual price) ahead of the Nov. 8 online event.
Walmart+ subscribers will also get access to exclusive Cyber Monday deals this year, the company promised, but didn't specify what those deals are.
What are Walmart's Black Friday 2023 ad deals?
Walmart said it will again be discounting thousands of products this year, both online and in stores. Often, the company marks down tech gadgets and smaller electronics to their lowest price of the year during Black Friday sales.
Here are some of the deals Walmart is highlighting ahead of the Black Friday sales:
- Apple Watch Series 9, 41mm, GPS - $329.00 (Save $70.00)
- SAMSUNG 65" Class UHD Roku TV - $398.00 (Special Buy)
- 50" Class onn. Roku TV - $148.00 (Special Buy)
- AirPods (2nd Gen.) - $69.00 (Save $30.00)
- Barbie Playset - $12.97 (Save $9.00)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles RC - $25.00 (Save $24.97)
- LEGO Technic - $25.00 (Save $15.00)
- Dyson V12 Slim Absolute Cordless Vacuum - $449.99 (Save $200.00)
- Ninja Professional Blender- $50.00 (Special Buy)
- Levi Signature Jeans - $15.00 (Save $4.94)
- Crocs Men's and Women's Unisex Baya Clog Sandals - $19.99 (Save $30.00)
'Mean Girls' cast reunites for Walmart Black Friday ad campaign
Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried and Lacey Chabert all reprised their roles as the titular "Mean Girls" from the 2004 film to promote Walmart's Black Friday sale.
The ad, which launched Wednesday, features the girls as adults, some with their own teenage "Mean Girls" to deal with.
It's the first time the movie's cast has been back together in nearly two decades.
“It was so nice being back together after all these years. It was great catching up with everyone,” Lohan told Variety.
You can watch the ad here:
Is Walmart open on Thanksgiving?
Walmart's physical locations will be closed for Thanksgiving, marking the fourth year in a row that the company has given employees the day off.
While Walmart and some other major retailers used to have at least limited hours on Thanksgiving, those companies began closing their doors during the holiday in 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic began.
While some major chains haven't yet announced whether they'll keep their doors shut again on Nov. 23, more are likely to do so. Last year's list of closures included most major grocery chains, plus numerous retailers that hoped to draw customers instead to Thanksgiving online shopping.