Black Friday Facts That Employees Know, But Consumers May Not

Business Insider surveyed holiday workers in an attempt to unearth insider information about the huge post-Thanksgiving shopping frenzy. Consumers might be surprised about some of Black Friday facts they unearthed.

Malls open when anchor stores like Macy’s and Target open for business. Not every store has the same operating hours and could be fined by the mall for not adhering to opening on times set by those anchors. Retailers like Apple have been happy to pay this fine in the past. Shoppers don’t even need to get there when the doors open: many sales last all day and into the weekend.

Employees also revealed that most items promoted on Black Friday are going to go on sale a few weeks later as new product lines for the upcoming year will be released. So shoppers can save the hassle of crowds and wait a fortnight to make their big purchases.

One trick retailers also use to get customers to spend more is marking up a product before Black Friday to give the appearance of a deeper savings when folks are cruising the shelves on the big day. Employees have also claimed that retailers purchase electronics of lesser quality to sell specifically on Black Friday.