Black Friday 2019 is a massive opportunity for bargain hunters because it is war between retailers. Every year the deals increase, but tracking who has the best Black Friday sales is challenging. That’s why I’m squaring off the biggest retailers, starting with Walmart Vs Target, so you can be ahead of the curve come the big day…
Note: you can find my Black Friday 2019 guides for Walmart (here), Target (here) Amazon (here), Best Buy (here) and Apple (here). Bookmark my page for daily updates.
Walmart's Black Friday 2019 sales have major competition.
History plays a big part in comparing Walmart and Target so the best place to start is to look at last year’s deals on their most popular products:
Where Walmart Black Friday Beat Target Black Friday
- $300 gift card on Apple iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max or iPhone XR with qualified activation. Target offered $250.
- $400 gift card on iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus or iPhone X with qualified activation. Target had no deal.
- Microsoft Xbox One X 1TB Console for $399 (save $100). Target had no Xbox One X sales.
- iPad 6th Generation for $249 (save $80). Correction: Target matched this deal
- Samsung 55-inch Class 4K Smart TV for $398.00. Target had no premium brand at this price bracket.
- Sharp or TCL 65-inch Class 4K Roku Smart TV for $398. Target couldn’t match this TV size with an affordable brand.
- Google Home Hub for $99 (save $50). A hugely popular deal Target didn’t offer.
Target Black Friday 2019 deals will provide stiff competition to Walmart
Where Target Black Friday Beat Walmart Black Friday
- Google Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL + $200 Target Gift Card with qualified activation on Verizon. Walmart had no Pixel deals.
- Samsung 65-inch Smart Curved UHD TV for $799.99 (save $300). Walmart had no premium brand to compete with this price/size combination.
- Fitbit Versa Smartwatch for $149 (save $50.95). Walmart had no Fitbit offers.
- Element 55-inch Smart 4K UHD TV for $199.99 (save $180). The cheapest 55-inch budget brand Black Friday deal.
- Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless Earphones - Neighborhood Collection for $89.99 (save $110). The best Black Friday headphone deal last year.
Interestingly, both stores matched their Samsung deals with £300 gift cards on the Galaxy Galaxy S8, S8+, S9, S9+ and Galaxy Note 9 with qualified activation.
What To Expect From Walmart Black Friday 2019 and Target Black Friday 2019
Historically, both retailers run very similar deals year-on-year and just update them to the latest models. Consequently, Black Friday 2019 should deliver the following stand out deals from each retailer:
Apple iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max - Expect Walmart to offer a $300 Walmart Gift Card when activating a new instalment plan while Target will provide a $250 Gift Card in the same circumstance. Target may have more stock though.
Samsung Galaxy S10, S10+, Note 10, Note 10+ - The $300 gift card deals with qualified activation should be rolled out again by both stores for Black Friday 2019.
Sony PlayStation 4 Bundles - I expect Walmart will offer a Sony PS4 Pro Bundle for $274.99 (saving $125). Target will price match but also include a $25 Target gift card, making Target the better buy.
Microsoft Xbox One X Bundle - Target could well offer a $379.99 deal (save $130) with a $40 gift card. Walmart may price match but offer a lower gift card value.
55-inch 4K TVs - I expect Walmart to push 65-inch TV prices from a budget brand under $350 this year while Target will offer an off-brand 55-inch 4K TV for under $190. Pay close attention to the brands on offer as paying a little more might give you a much better TV.
Black Friday Ad Scan Release Dates - Target should beat Walmart out the traps with its Black Friday ad (my prediction: Monday, November 11) with Walmart following on Thursday, November 14.
Shopping Hours - Both Walmart and Target traditionally open at 6 pm on Thanksgiving. Walmart usually stays open all night, but Target tends to close. Target may surprise us this year and stay open to compete head-on, though I’m not optimistic.
Free Shipping - Target wins this easily with free shipping on any order every holiday sales season. Walmart will only offer free two-day shipping on orders over $35 and I have no doubt that it will stick to that again this year.
Cyber Monday Ad Scans and Deals - Both Walmart and Target Cyber Monday ads won’t appear until the Saturday after Black Friday. Target tends to promote a formal ad scan while Walmart opts against it. Expect many of their Black Friday offerings to carry over to Cyber Monday. So don’t panic if you miss a deal first time around.
I will be extensively tracking Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2019 deals and publishing the best offers daily, so be sure to bookmark my page.
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More Of My Black Friday Coverage On Forbes
Amazon Black Friday 2019 Ad Preview: Expected Echo, Fire, Kindle, iPhone, iPad, TV Deals
Best Buy Black Friday 2019 Ad Preview: Expected iPhone, Galaxy, PS4, Xbox, HDTV Deals
Apple Black Friday 2019 Ad Preview: Expected iPad, iPhone, MacBook Deals
