Retailers cash in on US 'Black Friday' shopping craze

Kiwi retailers are today hoping to cash in on "Black Friday". Photo / Natalie Slade

Kiwi retailers are today hoping to cash in on "Black Friday", America's biggest shopping day of the year, by luring consumers with promises of big discounts on goods ahead of Christmas.

Black Friday - the day after Thanksgiving Day, which falls on the fourth Thursday of November - is America's busiest annual day of retail sales. Stores across the country slash the price of goods, and spending last year topped $61 billion.

Among the New Zealand retailers emulating the shopping day is Harvey Norman.

General manager of electrical Graeme Watt said savings of between 10 and 50 per cent on selected goods were possible. "Between 10 and 50 per cent would be a fair comment - there are some hero loss leaders where we will lose money selling them but that's to get the crowds in. It's going to be a great day for the consumers."

Noel Leeming executive general manager of merchandise Jason Bell said the retailer was trying to emulate the American buzz with its first Black Friday promotion and what he said was its "biggest-ever one-day sale".

"It got a lot of attention last year [in America] with people breaking down doors and stuff and there's a general perception there was more awareness about it this year."

He said there would be discounts across the retailer's entire category with some goods at half-price. As with Harvey Norman, its sale catalogue will also be available online.

The Warehouse is holding its second Red Friday event today after the success of its first promotion of the day last year, which it says was influenced by Black Friday. Its store-only deals include half-price offers.

Among its deals are a Veon 27.5-inch HD TV for $199, an Acer Aspire 15.6-inch notebook for $299 and a Spark Sony Xperia mobile phone with a 4-inch screen and 3MP camera for half-price at $99.

"Our team have worked really hard to make sure these deals are worth jumping out of bed for," said chief executive Simon Turner.

Greg Harford of Retail NZ said overseas online stores such as Amazon and the Apple Store had offered Black Friday discounts to Kiwi consumers since 2010 but the phenomenon was still in its infancy here.

"This may mean that customers do their Christmas shopping earlier than Christmas Eve."