Sears Black Friday 2009 Starts This Week

On that day at 5 p.m., Sears will formally launch its 2009 Black Friday Now series of weekly doorbuster specials designed to drive shoppers into stores in advance of the crucial holiday shopping season. The specials will be in effect until noon on Halloween because of the holiday, according to a company news release. Subsequent doorbuster specials will be offered from 7 a.m. to noon on Saturdays through Christmas.

Sears says the October Black Friday event and early Christmas-season specials are a response to demand from customers who would rather not get up at 4 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving to take advantage of deep pre-Christmas season discounts. Retail analysts also attribute the move to general expectations of disappointing holiday sales.

Among the specials being offered on the first "Black Friday Now" at Sears are:

• 50 percent ($200) off a 302-piece Craftsman mechanic's tool set
• 3/8 carat tw diamond stud earrings, $79.99 (reg. $259.99)
• Panasonic 7.1 channel Blu-Ray home theater system, $399.99 (reg. $549.99)
• 50 percent off all DieHard workboots (reg. $75.00) and $19.99 (reg. $39.99) on all Covington low-shaft boots

A complete list of Sears' initial round of Black Friday 2009 doorbusters and other sale items is available at the Black Friday Info Web site. Also see more information on Black Friday 2009 deals here.

Written by Sandy Smith