Black Friday Weekend: If You Can’t Compete, Should You Participate?
Participating in Black Friday weekend has come up a few times in meetings this month, and the question is always some version of the same thing: If we can’t compete with the big retailers, why participate at all?
To me, that’s like saying, “If I’m not going to win a 5K, why bother running?” You don’t have to win the race to make it worth showing up. And you certainly don’t have to race to the bottom on price to make Black Friday weekend a success for your business.
The reality is that shoppers are ready to shop. Holiday lists are taking shape, social calendars are filling up, and customers are looking for gifts, outfits, home décor, and all the little things that make the holiday season special.
The opportunity is too big to ignore. According to the National Retail Federation, a record 202.9 million consumers shopped during the five-day Thanksgiving weekend in 2025. Of those shoppers, 129.5 million shopped in stores. That is a tremendous number of people actively looking to spend money during a single holiday weekend.
Source: National Retail Federation, December 2025.
Choosing to do nothing means walking away from an opportunity to capture a share of that spending. But participating doesn’t mean you need to offer the deepest discounts, match every promotion you see online, or abandon the pricing strategy you’ve worked hard to build.
It means making a plan that works for your inventory, your margins, your customers, and your brand.
Use the Weekend to Your Advantage
Even the most perfectly curated store has inventory that needs to move. Maybe a category is heavier than planned, a seasonal product hasn’t sold as quickly as expected, or you need to make room for new deliveries. Black Friday weekend can be an opportunity to address those challenges while shoppers are already out and ready to buy.
Think about the bigger picture of your margin dollars. Selling in-season merchandise at 20%, 30%, or even 40% off may feel painful in the moment. But moving that inventory now could save you from taking 50–70% markdowns later, running a fill-the-bag promotion, or hosting a warehouse sale to clear out what’s left.
The goal isn’t to discount everything. It’s to make strategic decisions about what needs to move, when it needs to move, and how to do it in a way that makes financial sense.
And if you choose to close on Friday so your team can spend time with family, then open Saturday with a thoughtful promotion or event, that is a completely respectable strategy. There is no single right way to approach the weekend.
What I wouldn’t recommend is putting your head in the sand and hoping the weekend passes without making a conscious decision about how your business will participate.
Here’s how we recommend thinking about it.
Black Friday: Make Your Promotions Strategic
Black Friday is traditionally a sale-driven shopping day. Customers expect deals, but that doesn’t mean you need to discount your entire store.
Start by looking at your inventory position. Are there categories or brands where you’re sitting on too much stock? Are there seasonal items that haven’t sold through as planned? Unseasonably warm weather across much of the country can delay demand for sweaters, jackets, cold-weather accessories, and other seasonal merchandise. If those categories are weighing down your inventory, this may be the right time to create an incentive to move them.
A few ideas to consider:
1. Sale on sale. If you already have marked-down merchandise, offer an additional discount to move it. This can be especially effective for older inventory that needs a final push.
2. Buy more, save more. Encourage customers to increase their basket size with an offer such as 20% off one item, 25% off two, or 30% off three or more. You create an incentive to purchase more without necessarily discounting every item at the same rate.
3. Timed discounts. Create urgency throughout the day with an offer that changes by the hour. For example, 40% off select merchandise from 9 a.m. to noon, 30% off from noon to 3 p.m., and 20% off from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. This can help drive early traffic while giving customers a reason to stop in later.
4. A storewide promotion. Sometimes a simple, easy-to-understand offer is the best choice. If your margins and inventory position support it, a storewide discount can be an effective way to drive traffic and simplify the shopping experience.
Whatever you choose, make sure the promotion has a purpose. Identify the merchandise you want to move, understand the margin impact, and set clear goals for the day. A discount should be a business decision, not simply a reaction to what everyone else is doing.
Small Business Saturday: Give Customers a Reason to Shop Small
Small Business Saturday offers a different opportunity. Yes, customers are still looking for deals, but they’re also choosing where to spend their money. They have countless places to shop, and when they choose your store, that deserves recognition.
This is a great day to focus on the experience and show appreciation for the customers who support you throughout the year.
Consider a few ways to make the day feel special:
Offer a gift with purchase. Many brands have products specifically intended for promotional events. Ask your vendors what they can provide. You may be surprised by what’s available.
Create a welcoming atmosphere. Light refreshments, a festive playlist, or a small seasonal touch can make shopping feel more enjoyable.
Partner with other local businesses or vendors. Invite a complementary business to pop up in your store or collaborate on a joint promotion. It gives customers another reason to visit and strengthens your local community connections.
Offer complimentary gift wrapping. During the busiest gift-buying season, convenience is valuable. Make it easier for customers to leave with gifts that are ready to give.
Host an in-store event. A product demonstration, styling session, trunk show, or meet-and-greet can turn an ordinary shopping trip into something customers want to attend.
And, of course, you can continue a Black Friday promotion into Saturday if that makes sense for your business.
The point is to be intentional. Small Business Saturday is an opportunity to remind customers why shopping with you is different. You offer personal service, thoughtful curation, local relationships, and an experience that a big-box retailer or online marketplace may not be able to replicate.
Give them a reason to come in, something to enjoy while they’re there, and a reason to come back.
Your Q4 Calendar Should Reflect Your Business
There are a million ways to approach your fourth-quarter promotional calendar. It is not a race to the bottom to see who can offer the cheapest prices or the biggest discounts.
Of course, some retailers choose to compete aggressively on price. For their business model, inventory position, and customer base, that may be exactly the right strategy. Others may find that a smaller promotion, a community event, or a carefully targeted category sale delivers a better result.
Neither approach is inherently right or wrong.
What matters is understanding your business and making decisions that support your goals. That means looking at inventory, margin, cash flow, customer behavior, and the merchandise you need to sell before the end of the year. It also means considering what your customers value and how you want them to experience your brand.
You don’t need to participate in every shopping event, and you don’t need to follow every trend. But you do need to think strategically about the opportunities in front of you.
The bottom line: Black Friday weekend doesn’t have to be about offering the biggest discount. It should be about making the most of a moment when customers are ready to shop.
Whatever approach you choose, it takes planning. Review your inventory, establish your goals, evaluate your margins, and build a calendar that supports both your immediate sales opportunities and your longer-term business health.
And if you’re not sure where to start or how to build a strategy that makes sense for your store, reach out to The Indxx. We’d be happy to schedule a 30-minute conversation to talk through your inventory position, promotional opportunities, and Q4 calendar.
Let’s make the most of the season.