NEW YORK (CBS) — Hours after Black Friday sales kicked off, some popular products are already in short supply at major retailers. Best Buy, Target and Walmart are selling out of some inventory, according to BlackFriday.com, although shoppers can often find similar deals at rival stores.
Spending so far has been brisk. Including Thanksgiving Day sales, more people are shopping during this year’s annual kick-off to the holiday season than a year ago, and they are spending more, Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, said in a report.
Holiday sales this year are expected to surpass $1 trillion in sales for the first time. Adobe estimates that online sales on Thanksgiving Day reached $3.5 billion, a record. Hot products include Apple iPads, Hatchimals and Amazon Fire TV, Adobe said.
“Savvy shoppers have spent the past couple of weeks scouring the internet for the best deals, discount tips and coupons,” said Frank Layo, managing director at Kurt Salmon, part of Accenture Strategy, in an email. “They’ve been saving items to online shopping baskets and are closely following their favorite celebrities and influencers on social media for promotional codes.”
Consumers will have to “act fast” to secure this year’s best deals, according to BlackFriday.com. Here are some of the deals on products that have already sold out, along with where to find alternatives.
Nintendo Switch
The game console is sold out at GameStop and Target, according to BlackFriday.com. It is still available at Best Buy with a Mario Kart 8 bundle for $299 and at Amazon with a Mario Kart 8 Deluxe bundle, also for $299.
Playstation 4
Sony’s PlayStation 4 is already out of stock at Walmart, Target and GameStop, BlackFriday.com said. The PlayStation 4 Slim 1TB Console with a Marvel Spider-Man Bundle is available at Amazon for $339.99.
Apple Watch
Several retailers are offering deals on the Series 3 watch, but it’s already unavailable at Target, BlackFriday.com said.
Instead, look for deals at Meijer, which is offering $100 off a consumer’s next purchase when they buy some Apple Watch and iPad models. Best Buy is selling the Apple Watch Series 3 for as low as $229, while Walmart is selling a version with an extra band for $289.
Apple iPad
Deals can be found on the 9.7-inch Apple iPad 32GB, but it’s already out of stock at Jet.com, BlackFriday.com said. Instead, shoppers can look to Target for a $249.99 deal on the iPad.
Samsung 4K Smart TV
Deals on this smart TV are out of stock at Target and Newegg, BlackFriday.com said. Walmart is selling a Samsung 55″ Class 4K (2160P) UHD Smart LED TV UN55NU6900 for $398.
Instant Pot
Deals on the Instant Pot cooking appliance are already sold out at Walmart and Target, BlackFriday.com noted. But the Instant Pot Ultra is available at Amazon for $85, or in a 6-quart Instant Pot DUO version for $59.50.
