Holiday shoppers used to plan their strategy around all those Black Friday sales. There was strategy. Where to start, where to finish. How long to stand in line. Not anymore.
"The phrase Black Friday doesn't mean anything anymore, so let's just put that to the side," says University of Minnesota Carlson School marketing professor George John.
Traditionally, Black Friday sales were some of the best discounts of the year and stores would open early, some as soon as Thanksgiving night, and shoppers would literally line up to get the deals.
But as retailers began to open earlier and earlier, the Friday after Thanksgiving continued to lose relevance. Then the increase in online shopping took away more of that business. Finally, COVID-19 had increased the changes in buyer and retailer so much, and supply chain disruptions caused consumers to buy earlier when they could find items, Black Friday was no longer important.
"What's happened is, the notion that prices drift upwards as you approach Christmas is no longer true. You sometimes see it going up, sometimes you see it going down. I always tell my students, the simple thing to do is look for the sales you are happy with, wait until it hits that level you're happy with, and go ahead and buy it if you're not stretched financially."
He says bargains are starting earlier, because the fourth quarter is most important for retailers. That leaves more time for shoppers to wait for the right price instead of the listed discount according to John who was on with Vineeta Sawkar on the WCCO Morning News Tuesday.
"All that is based on some mythical, regular price," explains John. "How many people have you talked to, where you ask someone, 'how much did you pay for X?' And the first words out of their mouth are, 'I got it 30 percent off.' Pay attention to the actual price and when it hits the point where you're happy with it, buy it and don't look back."
Many people looked forward to the Black Friday sales and the "planning" that went into it with family and friends.
"There were so many sales it was just too crazy," explains John.
Are there still stores that open early for shoppers? Yes. So you can still head out for shopping if you're into it.
The two largest big-box retailers Walmart and Target have said they will not open on Thanksgiving.
Walmart says stores will be open on Black Friday. Minneapolis-based Target has not announced Black Friday store hours, but in 2022, most stores opened at 7:00 a.m. Both will have early sales in stores and online.
Bloomington, Minnesota-based Best Buy says none of its stores will open on Thanksgiving, but stores will set their own hours for Black Friday.
Kohl's will close stores on Thanksgiving Day as well, and will open Black Friday at 5:00 a.m., but store hours may vary by location. Like many retailers, its Black Friday deals will start early.
Macy's, which is known for going all out during the holidays with their Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City and its iconic holiday window displays, will open with extended hours from 6:00 a.m. to 10:59 p.m. according to information provided to CBS News.