Here is the Walmart Black Friday ad if you have not seen it yet. Sorry I wasn’t able to post this sooner but Walmart is very strict about publishing advance copies of the scans.
But we have plenty of time still and the best part is you can see every single deal at your specific store at Walmart.com. Just enter your zip code to pull up your ad.
Now I went to Black Friday at Walmart last year. It was an experience I never care to repeat ever, ever, ever again. Walmart is offering maps of where the hottest items are located. If you are new to Walmart BF shopping, I would really encourage you to utilize the map. When I went last year it was a MESS and a total madhouse. All the best deals were on pallets just randomly put around the stores. You literally could not get through any aisles because there were giant pallets of stuff everywhere and crowds of people in line to pay. I remember the Tupperware that was on sale last year for example was in the lawn and garden area and the line was about 60 minutes in that area to pay. So things are in crazy locations and you have to basically abandon your cart and try to fight through the people to get to the pallets with the best deals.
Also, I would suggest either dividing and conquering with your list or prioritize everything if you are heading in alone. Foolishly, I decided to sort of walk logically through the store and pick up the items as I saw them. Well the little track suits for kiddos for $4 were the things I wanted most. Those were in a massive box at the back of the store and I had no idea people would be dumping hundreds of tracksuits into their carts. HUNDREDS! So I fought my way in and got 2 suits that were thankfully the right size and barely made it out alive.
I know some people love shopping at Walmart so that was just my experience. If you decide to brave the store come back and let us know how it goes for you.
One other perk to shopping at Walmart, is that this year they are price matching competitors Black Friday ads.
I think this could be wonderful for one stop shopping- especially if you plan to go later in the day when the crowds will die down. You should be able to take your item and your ad to the cash register and they will adjust the price. But remember it must be an identical item to the one in the ad.
If I am reading the press release correctly, this starts at midnight and will run all day Friday. There are a few items I want from Toys R Us and I was thinking 10pm at Walmart might be better than at TRU but it sounds like you have to go in after 12 and they have sales at that hour so I bet it is equally crazy.
If you don’t care to experience Black Friday shopping at Walmart stay tuned to MFA. I will be hunting down deals all day long- last year many of the items on sale in the store were available online as well but we won’t know for sure until Friday.
See more Black Friday 2010 deals here.
*Let’s cross our fingers that Target offers this price matching as well!!
Christen says
I agree with you, price matching at Walmart is a pretty solid idea. Last year we waited at TRU to get the Zhu Zhu pests and IPOD, then headed over to walmart, which is 24 hours by us. We weren’t shopping for any of the big ticket items at Walmart, just some great deals on smaller items. We priced matched a few items with no problems. The great thing about the 24 hour stores is you can scope out all the merchandise before the sale starts, even though it is all wrapped up on pallets, you can get in there and find where all the things you want are and make your plan of action! I love some Black Friday chaos!
Misty says
I asked at my local Target and was told they will NOT price match any door buster deals or limited quantity items from local competitors 🙁
Tonya says
I shop at Walmart for Black Friday just about every year, and it is for sure a mad house, people dont do what they are told, they open the stuff early and take what they want, just goes down to rude people, and the Walmart employees do try to stop it, but they cant be everywhere at once…..Every year I go there I swear I wont go the next year, but of course I will be going again this year! I do love the price matching, saves me a lot of time having to go to the other stores
Emily @ Our Frugal Happy Life says
I’m with you, Charlene. I am so not a BF shopper! Risking my life for some material thing just isn’t worth it!
Here’s to hoping that there are some great online deals! That’s seems more up my alley… 🙂
Brea says
This year the Walmart ad is color coded. Sales start at different times which is different from last year.
Stacey Hay says
I went to walmart last year as well and it was a mad house. I brought along my mom and dad though and we did divide and conquer. I was only able to score 2 sweat suits as peop were pulling them out before 5 and putting them in piles and not allowing anyone else to look at them. I hope to bring along the extra help as well this year. I’m interested in the shark steam mop and some electronics. We’ll see. As Christen said “I love some Black Friday chaos!” 🙂
Charlene says
Still not goin 😉
Charlene says
Misty- that is typically the policy. It actually went into effect as a result of blogs last year promoting a deal 😀 I am hoping they issue a press release in response to Walmart. You never know!
Brooke says
Last week at my walmart (I’m an employee) I saw mgmt had made an actual detailed BOOK of the action plan for our specific store for the black friday event, even listing every item in the ad and the employee’s name responsible for covering that item. It seemed to me that they will be a lot more organized this year – at least the store, but I can’t promise the customers will be!
Charlene says
Oh Brooke that sounds great. I think my Walmart just stinks.
Michelle says
Last year, my mom, sister and I thought we would go check out Wal-Mart (we are not avid BF shoppers), but there were a couple of this in the ad that I thought would be nice to get if I can. We walked in, saw the madness and walked out! I wanted the track suits for my girls, too, but they were LONG gone by 8am….I just can’t get into all the craziness! The lines were all over the store…Plus, the Wal-Mart by us is GHETTO, so it’s always a bit sketchy there! 🙂
Brea says
FYI, Walmart also offers lots of their Black Friday deals online at 12:00 am. You can purchase 50% of the BF deals online and have them shipped to your door.
Christina F. says
I’m eye balling that trampoline, I think I’ll wait till later and get it. That can’t be a hot item, I hope not atleast. And the vacuum looks like a good deal too.
Charlene says
Christina we are getting a trampoline this year too 🙂 I have been watching the prices.
Charlene says
Right Brea. I will be keeping an eye on that. I was so mad last year after going through that horror and waiting in line I swear to you 60 min and then I got home and one of my readers bought everything except the Tupperware online. Such a dummy! But I learned! I bet anything Amazon price matches nearly all the hot deals too 🙂
Kathleen says
My brothers and sisters and I go to Wal-Mart every year just to watch the madness 😉 hehe. We are never out to get the “hot” items as those are just not in our budget but we love to go out non the less!
hem says
got a basic question. Were you guys get all papers ads? I mean if you want to price match you do need paper ad from other stores. thanks much.
Charlene says
Hem, I would suggest for sure going and getting a Thursday paper. They will have a big one on Thanksgiving Day. Probably no coupons but the ads will all be in there and maybe coupons for stores and stuff. If you have a Sunday paper delivered, they might deliver Thursday automatically. Mine comes 🙂
Elizabeth says
I think it matters what stores you go to. There is about 7 or more Wal-Marts around me(within a 20 min drive) and I refuse to go to a couple of them because of the behavior of the people who tend to go there. I specifically go to one which for the most part seems to be pretty good. It gets chaotic but usually friendly. The people listen to the employees and most of the people say sorry and excuse me as they are trying to get their stuff. I have been going for the last 10 years or so and my friend and I have it down to a science. 😛
Susan says
i too refuse to ever go back to walmart. by us they spend the night at 12am till 5am and sit in line w/ their purchases and then i wanted a video game and the line to just have someone get it out for me was 10 miles long and that didn’t even include the line to pay. i just left. i went to menards and other places. walmart is a NEVER for me. ever.
Noelle says
I agree with you Charlene! I feel like Walmart is a mad house any time, any day. There is nothing that would get me in there on black Friday, nothing.
(off topic, I know, but I just got my daughter a pair of Jessica Simpson boots for $5 shipped, awesome! THANKS!)
Charlene says
Noelle- I had a bunch of people say sold out. So glad you got them! Thank Andrea for finding the deal 🙂
Cali says
Is it possible to buy on Wednesday and then get a price adjustment on Black Friday?
Charlene says
Cali- you will have to ask at your store. I don’t think that is something most places will do but you can certainly ask.
Stephanie says
Sounds awful! We don’t even like going to WalMart on the weekends. We went to the Super WalMart on Friday night and it was totally dead, the only time I’ve ever been there and seen cashiers just standing around. I mentioned to my cashier that I’d never seen it this slow and she said “It’s like the calm before the storm…” LOL. I’m sure she is right!