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Walmart going full steam on Black Friday discounts starting on Thanksgiving

Walmart adjusts holiday sales strategy in light of changing consumer shopping behavior.

November 12, 2015

Walmart is revealing its Black Friday sales strategy, which is geared to meeting consumer expectations and will be launching its Black Friday deals starting at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving and promising to remain open until all its deep discounted goods are sold.

It's all part of giving shoppers what they want, according to the mega retailer's newly hired chief merchandising officer.

"They [shoppers] want simple," Steve Bratspies stated at a press event Wednesday, according to a Fox Business report.

Heavily discounted goods, from pajamas to TVs, will go on at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving and the store will be open its usual hours on turkey day. In the past Walmart has offered its big discount items over a several-day period. Its big Black Friday deals will also be available online early on Thanksgiving.

The sales strategy shift reflects the changing needs of holiday shoppers, according to analysts and industry watchers. Nearly half of consumers, 40 percent, now start holiday gift buying before Halloween, reveals a recent National Retail Federation survey.