((Automated translation by Reuters, please see disclaimer https://bit.ly/rtrsauto))
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Retailers offer exclusive products and deep discounts
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Shorter holiday season pushes retailers to maximize sales
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Inflation affects spending habits, increasing demand for bargains
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Some American stores opened their doors as early as 5 a.m. on Black Friday
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US consumers line up at Target to buy Taylor Swift’s Eras tour book
(Added new paragraphs 3 and 4 and adjusted paragraphs 2, 8 and 12 to reflect store openings at 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. local time in the United States; added a new point about queues waiting outside Target stores in the United States) by Siddharth Cavale, James Davey and Helen Reid
From Taylor Swift’s new book Eras Tour selling for $39.99 only at Target to Jessica Simpson’s puffer coat going for $50.99 at Walmart down from $84.99, U.S. and European retailers are offering bargain-hunting shoppers Exclusive products and deep discounts on Black Friday.
Retailers opened their doors as early as 5 a.m. after the US Thanksgiving holiday, and they hope more people will look to complete their shopping lists despite the shorter time frame.
At 5:30 a.m., outside a Target store in North Bergen, New Jersey, 20 people stood in line waiting for the doors to open at 6 a.m.
At least 18 of them were waiting to purchase Taylor Swift’s exclusive merchandise. When the doors opened, Jonathan Baldera, the store manager, ushered five people at a time into a separate line for Swift products.
He said it was the first time since the pandemic that he saw people lining up outside that store on Black Friday.
“It’s the Taylor Swift craze,” he said, adding that the store stocks about 70 vinyl albums and a higher number of books from the Eras tour. Buyers were limited to 4 Eras Tour books and 4 albums, he said.
London-listed appliance retailer Currys CURY.L , which is offering 171 pounds ($217) on Shark cordless vacuum cleaners, said the most popular products so far were Sony’s PlayStation 5 6758.T , fryers, retro appliances such as Polaroid cameras, beer pumps, pizza ovens and tumble dryers.
“The reason I’m here is because I think everything is too expensive,” said Kate Isaienko, 26, as she strolled through a Zara ITX.MC store on Oxford Street, one of the main neighborhoods London traders.
Ms Isaienko, who took the day off to shop the sales, said clothing prices had risen significantly at Zara since she moved to London from Ukraine, and she was looking to take advantage discounts.
In the United States, Walmart, which operates 4,700 stores, opened at 6 a.m., as did Target TGT.N, which has 1,963 stores.
Some stores, like JC Penney, opened their doors as early as 5 a.m. to give customers a head start on holiday shopping.
Best Buy BBY.N, Lowe’s LOW.N and Home Depot HD.N also opened at 6 a.m., while Costco
COST.O, TJ Maxx, Ikea and Sephora opened between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., according to local store postings.
Walmart WMT.N is offering a series of deals this year on Samsung TVs, Dyson vacuum cleaners, Lego and Hot Wheels toys, Levi’s jeans and deep fryers, although its pre-Black Friday discounts began on November 11.
SPONTANEOUS PURCHASES
Consumers’ reluctance to splurge on the site, unless they get a good deal, adds to the pressure on retailers.
Target slashed prices by $100 on products including a 75-inch Westinghouse TV and a Nintendo Switch gaming console, and took more than 50 percent off Barbie dolls, Keurig coffee machines and KitchenAid blenders, deals that started on Thanksgiving and continue through Saturday.
The distributor is selling exclusive “Wicked”-related merchandise, including “Wicked” soundtrack CDs for $39.99, with a buy two, get one free offer for members of Target Circle.
The National Retail Federation predicts 85.6 million shoppers will visit stores this year, up from 76 million last year. Consumers only have 26 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, compared to 31 days last year.
“With fewer days to shop, consumers are more likely to make spontaneous purchases, which contributes to retail growth during the holiday season,” said Marshal Cohen, chief commerce advisor for detail at Circana.
After most U.S. retailers close on Thursday for Thanksgiving, Black Friday marks the start of the Christmas shopping season and is known for crowds lining up at big box stores to take advantage of “doorbuster” discounts. .
But it has lost its luster as more Americans shop online, a trend that has accelerated with the pandemic.
Major brick-and-mortar retail chains plan to feature products and interactive experiences on the site, including Ray-Ban augmented reality glasses, extra-large TVs at electronics retailer Best Buy and spa services at the chain American department store Nordstrom Inc JWN.N.
British department store John Lewis was offering discounts of up to £300 on Samsung TVs, £210 on Nespresso coffee machines and up to £50 on Apple products.
($1 = 0.7875 pounds)
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