By Suzanne Kapner
Shoppers who missed out on $97 Beats headphones, a $99 Nikon
camera and other Black Friday deals last year needn't worry.
Chances are those same items will be on sale again this year -- for
the same price.
The front page of Target Corp.'s 2015 Black Friday circular was
almost identical to the front page of its 2014 circular, displaying
Beats headphones, a Nikon digital camera, DVDs and an Xbox gaming
console. Only the gaming console changed price, dropping about $30
from one year to the next.
In fact, every Target Black Friday circular since 2008 has
featured a Razor scooter, with the price fluctuating between $17
and $22, according to Brad's Deals, a website that tracks retail
discounts.
For the past two years, Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s Black Friday
newspaper inserts have included a $49 Toshiba hard drive, a $19
Pyrex Bake-n-Store set and a $49.97 Brother sewing machine. The
Black Friday circulars of Best Buy Co., Kohl's Corp., J.C. Penney
Co. and Macy's Inc. also have contained many items and prices that
didn't vary much from year to year.
The retailers say they are simply catering to customer tastes.
"Our Black Friday ads are intended to showcase the products our
guests want," said Joshua Thomas, a Target spokesman. "There are
some products and categories like toys and small appliances that
tend to be popular year over year."
But some executives also point to a desire to mitigate risks at
a time when defending their turf against online rivals is
paramount.
"Merchandising executives often look back at history and say, if
something was successful, we ought to repeat it if I want more
certainty, " says Kohl's Chief Executive Kevin Mansell. "That
doesn't necessarily translate to growth, though."
Playing it safe can turn off shoppers looking for a reason to
brave the cold and crowds and make the early morning trek to stores
on the day after Thanksgiving.
"It's as if they aren't putting any time or effort into the
Black Friday circulars, and just expect people to come out and shop
no matter what," said Ashlee Jackson, a 24-year-old Piscataway,
N.J., resident, who scours the newspaper inserts of Target,
Wal-Mart and Best Buy before heading to stores on the Friday after
Thanksgiving.
Black Friday remains one of the busiest shopping days of the
year, but it recently lost its top ranking as more shoppers migrate
to the web and spread their purchases throughout the month of
November.
Even though it has been derided as a commercial spectacle marred
by shopper stampedes, it remains a day when retailers are locked in
a vicious fight for market share that they are loath to cede.
"Retailers regard Black Friday as a day when they have to
protect their business," said Michael Appel, the founder of a
retail consulting firm. "They will go with the tried and true, as
opposed to stepping out and trying to be innovative. It's like
replaying your greatest hits."
Despite the rise of online shopping, print circulars are still
one of the most effective ways to get shoppers into stores,
industry executives say. That is particularly true on Black Friday,
"when customers go back to shopping in a more traditional way,"
said Tom Clarke, a managing director with the consulting firm
AlixPartners.
Eighty percent of the products and 43% of the prices promoted on
the front pages of the 2015 and 2014 Black Friday circulars of Best
Buy, Macy's, Target, Wal-Mart, Kohl's and J.C. Penney were
identical, according to price-tracking firm Market Track LLC.
Marketing experts say the trend is likely to continue,
particularly since retailers are under pressure to contain costs.
"The budgets for producing these circulars are under pressure, and
that's contributing to a lack of change," said Larry Chiagouris, a
marketing professor at Pace University's Lubin School of Business
in New York.
Macy's has featured Rampage boots for $19.99 on the front page
of its Black Friday circular for three years running. Also on the
front page of its 2015, 2014 and 2013 circulars were $39.99 Charter
Club women's cashmere sweaters and $19.99 men's Alfani and Club
Room dress shirts or ties.
"We have customer favorites back by popular demand," said a
Macy's spokeswoman, adding that the retailer also features a broad
assortment of "new gifting ideas."
Best Buy's 2015 and 2014 circulars showcased a $779.99 11.6-inch
MacBook Air, $224.99 Klipsch Reference dual 8-inch speakers and a
$74.99 Amazon Fire TV.
"With hundreds of products and many factors that go into
pricing, there may be times when products have the same price from
year to year," a Best Buy spokesman said.
For shoppers, the regularity has an upside. They can make a
battle plan for this year's Black Friday before the circulars are
released. "You know there will be $10 sweaters at Kohl's and $39
cashmere at Macy's," said Rebecca Lehmann, the manager of content
marketing for Brad's Deals. "It's going to be the same in
2016."
Write to Suzanne Kapner at Suzanne.Kapner@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 01, 2016 10:14 ET (14:14 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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