Is Black Friday shopping all hype?

When shoppers wake up at 4:00 am Friday morning, they expect great pricing deals, but are retailers meeting that expectation? While retailers tempted shoppers with extended hours (including Thanksgiving day openings), doorbusters, and giveaways, was their overall pricing lower?

The general answer, looking at data through Black Friday and Cyber Monday, is no. While there were some definite exceptions, overall pricing was not discounted. Below we have examples from several top retailers, looking at some of the hottest holiday gift categories.

Ultrabook pricing

Small Appliance pricing



Laptop pricing

Android Tablet pricing

Conclusion
Retailers met shoppers expectations with increased assortment, extended hours, doorbusters, and giveaways. However, final pricing stayed steady with trends and did not vary significantly for the Black Friday, Cyber Monday weekend.

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