Walmart to Test Wristbands to Keep Customers Shopping Black Friday

Walmart took the wraps off its Black Friday and Thanksgiving Day promotional plans Tuesday, including a 32-inch Funai LED-lit LCD TV doorbuster for $98. Last year, a 32-inch doorbuster at Walmart was $148. Walmart said its stores will offer 21 one-hour guaranteed items -- seven times the number last year -- due to last year’s success with the program that guaranteed special pricing for customers standing in line at a designated time. Customers in line between 6 and 7 p.m. or 8 and 9 p.m. local time on Thanksgiving this year are assured to receive select items either that night or before Christmas, Walmart promised.

A new policy at Walmart this season is to hand out wristbands for “some of the hottest items,” such as the PS4 and Xbox One. Prior to the 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. events, Walmart will distribute wristbands while supplies last, and customers can shop for other gifts in store while waiting for the 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. events to begin. To receive their products,consumers have to return to a designated line within two hours to pick up a product, the company said.

According to Bill Simon, CEO of Walmart U.S. in a news release, other retailers advertise great deals on Black Friday “but may only have a handful of products available, forcing customers to wait outside the store only to leave disappointed.” Most Walmart stores are open 24 hours “so customers can come inside,” he said. New strategies at Walmart encourage consumers to “spend less time in line and get what they need without going anywhere else,” he said.

This year Walmart will hold Black Friday events at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Thanksgiving and at 8 a.m. on Black Friday, it said. Calling Black Friday Walmart’s “SuperBowl,” Simon made note that the retailer will reward staffers who have to work on Thanksgiving with “additional pay and free meals during their shifts.” Employees who work on Thanksgiving will receive a 25 percent discount on “an entire purchase” made during the holiday season, he said. Walmart has been the target of protests by employees and consumers in recent years over Thanksgiving work hours and associated pay.

Guaranteed price CE products on the early Thanksgiving shift at Walmart are: a Vizio 60-inch smart LED TV ($310 off to $688); a 16 GB iPad mini ($299 with $100 Walmart gift card); an HP Pavilion TouchSmart 14-inch laptop ($278); Call of Duty: Ghosts for Xbox 360 and PS3 ($20 off to $39.96); Assassins Creed, NBA 2K14, Batman and Grand Theft Auto V ($25.96 off to $34); and an LG Blu-ray player ($38). Guaranteed deals for 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving include Beats by Dr. Dre Solo headphones ($85 off to $114.95), a StraightTalk Galaxy Centura prepaid phone ($70.88 off to $29) and an RCA 7-inch dual-core tablet ($49).

Other 8 p.m. Thanksgiving CE deals, not guaranteed, include a Vizio 70-inch smart LED TV ($700 off to $998); a Samsung 46-inch LED TV (down $151 to $497), an Element 40-inch LED TV ($178), a Nabi 2 7-inch tablet (cut by $80 to $99), a Canon T3 bundle ($449 with a 75-300mm lens, bag and 8-GB SD card), GoPro Hero 3 camcorder ($199 with a $30 Walmart gift card), Monster headphones ($50 off to $79.95) and a prepaid Straight Talk Samsung Galaxy S III phone ($100 off to $299).

The lone advertised CE offerings among the Friday morning doorbusters at Walmart are an iPhone 5c ($45) and 5s ($189). The deal includes a $75 Walmart gift card and requires a two-year contract from AT&T or Verizon.

Also a first for Walmart this year are “Manager’s Specials.” Throughout stores from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Black Friday, Walmart will drop prices on “entire categories and brands that are most in demand” and let local store managers determine deals for other items,Walmart said. Consumers have to “like” their local Walmart Facebook page to learn details, it said.

Consumers shopping online can check Walmart.com beginning Thanksgiving morning for Black Friday deals that will also be available in stores, the retailer said. Some of those deals include an Apple iPad 2 with Bluetooth speaker and accessory kit ($349, nearly $75 off), a Samsung 40-inch LED TV ($50 off to $379), a ProScan 7-inch tablet with keyboard case ($49) and an Xbox 360 with Camouflage controller ($90 off to $139), it said.

Walmart is encouraging customers to “plan out their whole shopping trip” at Walmart.com/Blackfriday where they can find gift-giving tips and deal maps, it said. The company has created more than 100 short videos on its website and YouTube to help customers research hot products ahead of Black Friday, it said.