With the launch of a ton of upcoming games and the arrival of thePS5andXbox Series X/Series S,GameStopis looking at a big rush of sales for new hardware and software this year, especially with Black Friday coming up next month. However, in a break from the retailer’s past few years, GameStop is approaching the holiday shopping season a little differently in 2020 by focusing in on early deals ahead of Black Friday.GameStop has announced some of its plans for Black Fridayand heading into the holiday shopping season this year alongsideits official 2020 gift guidefor new consoles, games, collectibles, and more. Specifically, the retailer noted that it will be closing its stores on Thanksgiving in the US (Thursday, November 26), breaking from the past few years where it opened on the holiday to get a jump on Black Friday sales. Additionally, the company also confirmed that it will plan to offer Black Friday deals and sales early, and that it will feature “more pre-Black Friday sale events than ever before.” Specifics on when Black Friday deals will launch (and when) will be announced by GameStop at a later date.
GameStop also noted that while physical stores will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, online orders can continue to be placed through their official website and mobile app on Thanksgiving to take advantage of Black Friday deals and offers. Customers will have the option to pick up their orders in-store (when they are open), ship items from a store, or for the first time this year can also select Same-Day Delivery service in specific areas.
GameStop is likely following the lead of other major retailers like Best Buy, Target, and Walmart, which have all similarly announced plans to spread their Black Friday deals and sales over the course of November. Given the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic across the world, this strategy shift makes sense to make up for the (likely) decreased traffic that retail stores will see this holiday season, which also provides another incentive to close for Thanksgiving Day.
