Black Friday 2015: Deals, Steals, Leaks And Freaks

By MARC TORRENCE (Patch National Staff)

Black Friday is still a month away, but the unofficial shopping holiday on the day after Thanksgiving is already making news (for various reasons) around the country.

Check out some of the top Black Friday stories making news so far.

REI tells employees to get out

The biggest outdoor specialty retailer in the country will be closed for Black Friday. Instead, it will pay its employees to go outside.

REI said the decision was part of a movement to get more Americans outside and active.

“Life is richer, more connected and complete when you choose to spend it outside,” REI CEO Jerry Stritzke said in a press release. “We’re closing our doors, paying our employees to get out there and inviting America to OptOutside with us because we love great gear, but we are even more passionate about the experiences it unlocks.”

Already camping

A Florida man is already in a tent outside his local Best Buy waiting to grab the first deal of the day.

Kevin Sutton, who began camping Sunday, told ClickOrlando that he is raising awareness for the 13,000 homeless children in Central Orlando.

He is accepting donations of gift, toys and money for Love Pantry, a local organization that provides food and basic hygiene items to local kids. If Sutton makes it to Black Friday, he will break a record for longest Black Friday campout.

No more shopping “marathons”?

Google predicts that this season you’ll do more shopping on your phone in short bursts while waiting in line or walking down the street than in one big shopping rush on Black Friday.

The company analyzed search data and found that searches for gifts is more of a steady curve during the holiday season instead of one big, Black Friday spike.

“Rather than rely on day-long mall marathons Black Friday weekend, shoppers are now turning to their mobile phones at hundreds of micro-moments throughout the day, all season long,” the company said on its blog.

Record shipments expected

Both UPS and FedEx say they will break company records for package shipments during the holiday season.

UPS is planning for 630 million packages from Black Friday to New Year’s Eve, a 10 percent increase from last year’s holiday crush.

FedEx says it predicts 317 shipments from Black Friday to Christmas Eve, which would be a 14.7 percent increase from last year.

Catalogs leaked

Several major companies have already had their Black Friday catalogs leaked, most notably Toys R Us’, which you can see here.

Others already out include Rite Aid, Target and AAFES.

Check BlackFriday.com for the latest leaks.