Walmart+ Black Friday Deals: Early Access & Savings

Walmart+ Offers Early Black Friday Access to Subscribers

Walmart+, the retailer's budget-friendly alternative to Amazon Prime, providing complimentary shipping without minimum purchase requirements, free grocery delivery, and additional benefits, is now enhancing its value proposition with a new feature: prioritized access to Black Friday promotions.

The company recently announced that paid Walmart+ members will receive exclusive early access to its Black Friday events throughout November. This includes the opportunity to shop deals four hours before their officially scheduled start times for each of the three planned events.

A New Holiday Perk

This marks the first instance of Walmart+ incorporating early deal access as part of its subscription benefits during the holiday shopping period. Previously, the service primarily competed with Amazon Prime on the basis of free delivery, alongside supplementary advantages.

These additional perks included reduced fuel costs, the convenience of Scan & Go for expedited in-store checkout, and, more recently, savings on prescription medications.

Addressing Supply Chain Concerns

The timing of this addition is particularly relevant, as many shoppers are expressing concerns regarding potential disruptions to the supply chain caused by COVID-19 and their impact on holiday shopping.

Walmart proactively addressed these concerns by chartering its own cargo ships to maintain a consistent flow of goods, despite congestion at ports. Nevertheless, consumers have been cautioned about potential merchandise shortages this year.

Specifically, toys are anticipated to be less available and more costly, while consumer electronics may also be affected by the ongoing global chip shortage impacting products ranging from smartphones to gaming consoles and automobiles.

Black Friday Event Schedule

Walmart will once again structure its Black Friday sales across three distinct events in November. Deals will initially launch online before becoming available in physical stores.

The first event is scheduled for November 3, extending to in-store availability starting November 5. The second event commences on November 10, with in-store access beginning November 12. The final event will coincide with the traditional Black Friday shopping day on November 26.

Featured deals will encompass a wide range of toys and electronics, including items like LOL Surprise dolls, Keurig coffee machines, Shark vacuums, HP laptops, Roku streaming devices, 4K televisions, trampoline sets, and Lego products.

Walmart+ subscribers will consistently enjoy a four-hour head start on accessing these deals.

Following Amazon’s Lead

Offering early deal access to subscribers is a strategy Amazon has successfully employed with Amazon Prime. Beyond free shipping and a comprehensive suite of benefits—including complimentary streaming and e-books—Prime members also receive early access to Lightning Deals throughout the year and during the holiday season.

Amazon also provides members with exclusive first access to deals during its dedicated sales event, Prime Day.

This year, Amazon initiated its Black Friday deals earlier than usual, anticipating that consumers would begin their shopping ahead of schedule to mitigate potential shortages. A new feature was introduced for Prime members, enabling gift delivery via email address or phone number.

Cost Comparison

Launched last year, Walmart+ remains a competitively priced free shipping option when compared to Amazon Prime. Members can opt for an annual fee of $98 or a monthly subscription of $12.95.

Amazon Prime, offering a broader range of benefits, is priced at $119 per year or $12.99 per month. However, Walmart+ does not include free shipping on items sold by third-party marketplace vendors, a feature offered by Prime.

Walmart’s Vision for Walmart+

“We are dedicated to evolving Walmart+ into an indispensable asset for our customers,” stated Janey Whiteside, Chief Customer Officer at Walmart U.S. “This means providing support during everyday needs with benefits like free unlimited delivery from stores and shipping without order minimums.

It also means creating excitement during major events, such as Black Friday. We are thrilled for our Walmart+ members to have priority access to the most sought-after Black Friday deals.”

Note: A correction was made on October 18, 2021, to reflect the correct start date of the first sales event as November 3, not November 1. The article has been updated accordingly.