Best Buy, no. I will not accept that you can start your Black Friday sales on a Tuesday. It simply doesn’t make any sense. Sure, maybe if you’d called your legally distinct Amazon Prime Day event something like, “Black Friday Tuesday Wednesday”, it might have been vaguely acceptable. But just straight up calling your October 13-14th sales event next week the new Black Friday will not stand. I refuse.
And yet, so it is. Best Buy have announced they’re “kicking off” Black Friday on October 13-14th, allowing shoppers to get a taste of their Black Friday deals for two days next week. The same two days, it turns out, that Amazon are holding their belated Prime Day sales event. What a coincidence!
Still, while the idea of a “Black Friday Tuesday Wednesday Primeday” makes me shudder to my very core, it does at least make plain that Best Buy’s deals next week will, in fact, be the same as the ones you’ll find on Black Friday proper. Black Friday is technically November 27th this year, although many retailers have taken to starting their Black Friday sales days, if not weeks beforehand so they can maximise their deals yields and level up those cash registers.
Indeed, Prime Day’s proximity to Black Friday this year has raised all sorts of problems in recent months. After all, Prime Day is normally held in July, leaving a pretty clear gap between it and Black Friday. This year, however, global events have pushed Prime Day back by three months, to October 13-14th next week, which is perilously close to ye olde Black Friday.
Luckily, Best Buy have been upfront about their Black Friday deals this year, and even if their Black Friday proper deals do end up being lower, they’ve said in their press release that they’ll automatically refund the difference if you’re a My Best Buy member:
“There’s no need to lose sleep wondering if these deals will get better before Black Friday — this year, they come with Best Buy’s Black Friday guarantee. Because it’s 2020 and life is unpredictable, if the price on one of these deals goes lower before Black Friday, My Best Buy customers will be automatically reimbursed the difference.”
At time of writing, Best Buy have only hinted at a couple of the deals that will be on sale next week, and most don’t really concern us PC folk. There will be laptops starting from $120, as well as a 70in Samsung 4K smart TV for $530 (a saving of $220), but it would appear the bulk of the best deals will be revealed on the day – which I’ll be covering in full, so keep your eyes peeled on the home page for all the latest and greatest discounts.
Other Anti-Prime Day sales:
Best Buy aren’t the only ones putting on their own rival Amazon Prime Day event. Walmart will also be joining in the sales fun times with their Big Save Event, although they’ll be kicking off their deals earlier on October 11th and running through until October 15th. Target will also be running their “Deals Days” event on October 13-14th, and Newegg will be reviving their Fantastech Sale on October 13th as well.
That’s good news for US buyers hoping to avoid Amazon next week, although we’ve yet to hear about any similar anti-Prime Day events from retailers in the UK. Currys PC World often hold their Black Tag events around Prime Day, for example, but there doesn’t seem to be any evidence of it taking place this year yet. Still, I’ll be scouring the internet for all the big deals come Prime Day, regardless of whether they’re actually on Amazon or not, so all you need to do is keep your eyes peeled on the home page.
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