Sam's Club is hosting a one-day sale this weekend — you can view the ad for it here — and some of the deals actually come close to Black Friday-level savings. Typically, we are skeptical of "pre-Black Friday sales," because they tend to use the hype of the holiday to promote offers that are actually sub par.
But surprisingly, a handful of offers in the sale featured competitive prices that may match what we see during Black Friday week.
The One-Day Sale Will Go Live on Saturday
First, the details: The sale is being held on Saturday, November 12, with club doors opening at 7 am local time. Some offers will be available both in-club and online, and others will be exclusive to one or the other.
In the fine print of the 18-page ad, it's also noted that these are the lowest Sam's Club prices as of November 12, 2016. It also states that these will be the lowest through December 24, 2016, which suggests that they won't get any lower for Black Friday on these specific items.
Of course, Sam's Club could offer an entirely different selection of deals for Black Friday, and that fine print would still hold true.
Surprising Savings on TVs and Tablets
While not everything in the ad for the one-day sale is noteworthy, there are still some picks that are definitely worth checking out. For instance, there's a Vizio 32" 720p TV for $124.88 — an online exclusive, which means you don't have to worry about crowds — which beats our Black Friday prediction for the average price of a set that size by $15. (That said, we expect to see a doorbuster hit $100.)
And if you're looking for a 4K Smart set, there's a LG 70" 4K Smart UHDTV for $998, which will be the lowest price we've seen for that model.
If you're shopping for a tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8" is set to be only $119.24, and the ad also notes that the iPad Pro 9.7" will be $175 off (the iPad offer is an online exclusive). If you buy the 128GB WiFi model, that would come to $524 which is $66 cheaper than what BJ's is advertising, and a new all-time low price.
And if you've been waiting until Black Friday to upgrade your smartphone, you might want to do that this weekend instead. Not only is Sam's Club waiving the activation fee on any iPhone or Samsung smartphone, but you'll also score a $250 Sam's Club gift card per activation, available in-club only. (Check out our smartphone predictions though first if you're considering that offer.)
Remember: Not All Early Black Friday Sales Are Worth It
As we've pointed out, although plenty of retailers tend to host month-long sale branded as early Black Friday savings, they're rarely worth the hype. For instance, Amazon launched it's annual Countdown to Black Friday event last week. However, we noted that while overall deals from Amazon went up, the number of Editors' Choice deals did not.
That said, quite a few deals in the Sam's Club ad certainly look to be an exception to this rule.
Readers, will you be getting a head-start on your holiday shopping this weekend? Sound off in the comments below!
Sign In or Register