Black Friday 2011: Best Buy to Launch Special 8-Hour Sale at Midnight Wednesday
It was revealed Wednesday that Best Buy would be launching a special eight-hour sale on its website starting at midnight tonight for holiday shoppers looking to get a great deal on tech items.
Without giving many details, the technology retailer offered teases on its website Wednesday, highlighting a $247.77 Gateway laptop (2 GB memory and 320 GB hard drive) , a $549.99 46-inch HDTV, a $49.99 flip video camcorder, and a free LG Marquee mobile phone (with 2-year contract with Sprint).
The notice published on Bestbuy.com reads:
Special sale prices will be revealed at midnight ET, 9 p.m. PT. ... Sale ends Thursday at 8 a.m. ET, 5 a.m. PT.
The "midnight madness" sale, as it is being called by anxious shoppers, will only be held online and not in stores although Best Buy locations frequently open at midnight for certain special events.
With Black Friday, one of the biggest shopping days of the year, just about one month away, customers have likely been writing their lists and checking them twice in hopes of snagging the best deals on some hot items.
In addition, Best Buy has announced that it will be offering free shipping on items purchased from Nov. 1, 2011 to Dec. 27, 2011, and no minimum purchases are required, according to a statement from the company.
"This holiday, we are offering free shipping on everything sold on BestBuy.com…everything," said Barry Judge, Best Buy Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. "Unlike some retailers, no minimum purchase will be required and free shipping will apply to the over 400,000 items sold at BestBuy.com -with no exceptions -- for the eight full weeks leading up to and immediately following Christmas Day."
There has been a slight buzz on social network sites like Twitter about the "midnight madness" sale, with some shoppers speculating if the deals offered during tonight's eight-hour window might be better than what consumers can expect on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.
Either way, it is more than likely that many shoppers interrupt their regular sleeping hours interrupted in the name of getting a good deal on a laptop, cell phone, or big screen television.