Walmart Announces Wristband Program for Black Friday Shopping

Walmart just released a huge press report outlining their Black Friday plans and has some incredibly helpful information in it.  Here is what you need to know.

One Hour Guarantee Wristband Program

We knew about the One Hour Guarantee but we didn’t know how exactly they were going to do it.  Now we do, with wristbands.

Customers who are in the designated lines at Walmart between 6 and 7 p.m. or 8 and 9 p.m. local time on Thursday, Nov. 28 can purchase top gifts at special low prices with confidence that they’ll receive the item either that night or before Christmas.

6 p.m. One-Hour Guarantee:

• Vizio^® 60” Class Smart LED 1080p HDTV – $688 (a $310 savings)


• Apple iPad^® mini Wi-Fi 16GB (two colors) – $299 with a $100 Walmart gift card  


• Funai 32” LED 720p HDTV – $98 (special buy)


• Furby Boom!^â„¢ – $29 (a $30 savings)


• HP^® Pavillion TouchSmart 14-B109WM Laptop – $278 (special buy)


• Call of Duty^® Ghosts (Xbox 360 and Playstation 3) – $39.96 (a $20 savings)


• LG^® Blu-ray^â„¢ Player – $38 (special buy)


• Graco ® Travel System (stroller and infant car seat) – $99 (special buy)


• 1 Carat T.W. Diamond and Sterling Silver Pendant and Earring Set – $98


• Assassins Creed, NBA 2K14, Batman, Grand Theft Auto V (Xbox 360 and Playstation 3)  – $34 each (a $25.96 savings)

8 p.m. One-Hour Guarantee:

• Beatsâ„¢ by Dr. Dre ^® Solo Headphones – $114.95 (a $85 savings)


• Straight Talk ^® Galaxy Centuraâ„¢ prepaid phone – $29 (a $70.88 savings)


• RCA 7” Dual Core Tablet – $49 (special buy)

To help improve the shopping experience Walmart, for the first time in all stores, will hand out wristbands so customers can shop while they wait for some of the hottest items – like the new Sony PS4 and Microsoft Xbox One. Here’s how it works:

Prior to the 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. events, customers need to go to the designated line within the store to secure a wristband for certain products. Wristbands will be distributed while supplies last.

Customers can shop for other gifts throughout the store while they wait for the 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. events to start.

Then customers with a wristband simply need to come back to the designated line within two hours after the event start time to pick up their product.

Number of wristbands available for each item is limited to the quantity available. Customers who receive a wristband will have reserved that item and can continue to shop.

One-Hour Guarantee: Limit one per customer, per item. If any of these items do sell out in the first hour, Walmart will offer a Guarantee Card for the item, ensuring that the product will be shipped to their store before Christmas. Guarantee Cards must be registered by 11:59 p.m. CT, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2013. If it is not registered the card will become a standard Walmart Gift Card loaded with the amount of the Black Friday item purchase price.

The Takeaway?  No more standing outside the store in the cold waiting for it to open.  No more crowds rushing in trampling everything in sight.  I think this is an awesome idea and hope it works out as well as it seems it should.

Much More Inventory

Compared to last year, Walmart will offer 65 percent more inventory on televisions and double the number of tablets—some of the most popular Black Friday items. The retailer not only has more products, but lower prices too. For example, this year a 32” LED TV will be available at Walmart for $98. Last Black Friday, a 32” LED TV sold for $148 at Walmart.

The Takeaway?  Much better chance of you actually walking out of the store with what you want and not having to wait for it to be shipped to you.  Fewer crazy YouTube videos of people acting like fools on Black Friday.

More Unadvertised Specials

For the first time ever on Black Friday, Walmart will be activating “Manager’s Specials.” Throughout the store from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 29, Walmart will drop prices on entire categories and brands that are most in demand for holiday, as well as empower its local store managers to lower prices on other great items. For details, customers must like their local Walmart Facebook page by visiting: www.facebook.com/walmart.

The Takeaway?  Take your smartphone with you and keep an eye on the FB page for your local Walmart.  Who knows what will happen?

More Online Deals

Starting early on Thanksgiving morning, customers can shop on Walmart.com for some of the Black Friday deals that will also be available in stores. Customers can also take advantage of hundreds of online specials on Thanksgiving and Black Friday while supplies last. Some of the deals include:

• Apple iPad^® 2 with Bluetooth speaker and accessory kit – $349 (nearly $75 savings)


• Kids’ 3 Piece License Character Pajama and Robe Set (includes Disney, Marvel characters) – $14 (special buy)


• Samsung^® 40" Class LED 1080p 60Hz HDTV – $379 (nearly $50 savings)


• Proscan 7" Tablet with Keyboard Case – $49 (special buy)


• Wooden Activity Table with 45-Piece Train Set & Storage Bin – $49 ($20 savings)


• Xbox 360â„¢ with Camouflage Controller – $139 ($90 savings)

The Takeaway?  Don’t want to fight the crowds?  Stay home and get great deals in your PJ’s

Walmart is Taking Care of its Associates

This is a quote from Bill Simon, President and CEO of Walmart US:

“Delivering for our customers wouldn’t be possible without our associates. They are a critical component of our success throughout the year, and especially during the holiday season,” added Simon. “We appreciate each associate and the time they are dedicating to serve the families who shop our stores. As we have in the past, we’ll be recognizing their hard work with additional pay and free meals during their shifts. This year, as a special thanks, associates who work on Thanksgiving Day will receive a 25 percent discount on an entire purchase this holiday season.”

The Takeaway?  Look, working retail sucks most of the time but it REALLY sucks during the Holidays.  I managed camera stores for many years and the only thing that made that time of year tolerable for me was I was paid commission.  At least Walmart is doing something for their associates, extra pay and free meals are great and a 25% discount is nothing to sneeze at.

Need more Black Friday Tips?

Walmart put together a handy list of tricks for Black Friday shopping.

Remember that there is a ton of info I’ve already posted.

Here’s a breakdown of the Best Walmart Black Friday Deals

Here’s 2 lists of Pre-Black Friday Deals here and here

Here’s Walmart’s updated Holiday Price Matching explained

Here is a helpful 2013 Walmart Holiday Calendar

Walmart Announces Wristband Program for Black Friday Shopping