Black Friday near me
Have you forgotten or decided to drop out of Black Friday? Here's Your 30-Minute Rescue Plan
- It’s not too late: 30 minutes is enough to launch a profitable campaign.
- Focus on "Dead Stock": Use your POS to instantly find old inventory.
- Please keep it simple: Handwritten signs often convert better than polished graphics because of their urgency.
- Extend the sale: Turn a Friday panic into a weekend profit centre.
Today is the official start of the Christmas Shopping Season. In my experience helping hundreds of retailers, the clients who never planned a Black Friday Sale but did one at the last minute saw sales.
If you are reading this and feeling like you have missed the boat, it is absolutely not too late. You can have a profitable campaign up and running in less than half an hour. Today, you are positioned to capture the "last-minute" wave of shoppers actively seeking deals. Do not lose the chance.
Why You Should Participate (The Evidence)
You might think you need weeks of hype, but the data disagrees. In 2024, in-store shopping made up two-thirds of Black Friday purchases, with Australians spending $2.9 billion in physical stores versus $2.2 billion online. People prefer to touch and take items home immediately.
Even without weeks of planning, participating is highly effective. ABS data shows that retail turnover rose 3% year-on-year last November, driven almost entirely by this event. Shoppers expect these deals, and physical stores in local strips and centres benefit from a "halo effect"—your customers are looking at other shops, and they are already in a spending mindset.
Step 1: Set Up Your Same-Day Flash Sale
You do not need to discount your entire store. In fact, you shouldn't think that it's a mug's game. The goal here is to use the old stock as an introduction to get people into your shop to buy and get cash in the register.
Choose the Right "Doorbuster" Products
Select products that will attract bargain hunters and help you clear space. Focus on:
- Overstocked items: Things you have too many of.
- Slow-selling products: Items that have been sitting on the shelf for months.
- Bundles: Combine a popular small item with a slow-moving one to create a high-value gift pack.
Use Your POS to Find Them Instantly
Your [Point of Sale (POS) system]is your secret weapon here. Manual stock checks take hours; your POS does this in seconds. You don't need to guess what isn't selling; let the data tell you.
- Search your reports for "Dead Stock Report."
- Run the report to filter for items with a "Date Last Sold" of more than 180 days ago.
- Action: These are your sale candidates. Bin them near the front entrance with a sale sign. This creates the visual excitement bargain hunters love.
Step 2: Promote Your Sale (Low Effort, High Impact)
What is the point of having a Black Friday Sale if you don't tell people about it? You do not need a graphic designer. Your "ad" is your physical shopfront, which shoppers will pass today.
Simple Signage
Grab a marker or print some simple A4/A3 signs immediately. Do not worry about them being perfect; urgency sells better than polish.
- Sign 1: "Black Friday Flash Sale - Today Only!"
- Sign 2: "Doorbuster Specials - While Stocks Last"
- Sign 3: "Shop Small, Save Big - Support Local"
Step 3: Leverage Your POS Software
Track results: Monitor your "Real-Time Sales" dashboard to see what is moving. If a specific item isn't selling by 2 PM, increase the discount instantly.
Post-Black Friday Strategy: Extend It
You don't have to stop today. Rename the sale "Black Friday Weekend" to keep the momentum going through Sunday and Monday.
Australian consumers are active all weekend. By extending your offers, you give people who worked on Friday a chance to buy on Saturday and Sunday.
Black Friday Strategy FAQ
Common questions we get from retailers launching last-minute campaigns.
Q: Will a last-minute sale make my business look desperate?
A: No. Shoppers expect Black Friday deals. If you don't participate, you look like you're missing out. A "Flash Sale" implies exclusivity and excitement, not desperation.
Q: I can't afford to discount my best-sellers. What should I do?
A: Never discount your best-sellers; they will sell anyway. Only discount inventory that is costing you money by taking up shelf space (dead stock). This converts stagnant assets into cash flow.
Q: Is it worth competing with the big box stores?
A: Yes, you have as much right to this traffic as they do. They are spending the money on advertisements, and you can also get some benefits.
Post-Black Friday Strategies
Extend it, extend it and extend it. Black Friday is much longer than a day nowadays.
Written by:
Bernard Zimmermann is the founding director of POS Solutions, a leading point-of-sale system company with 45 years of industry experience, now retired and seeking new opportunities. He consults with various organisations, from small businesses to large retailers and government institutions. Bernard is passionate about helping companies optimise their operations through innovative POS technology and enabling seamless customer experiences through effective software solutions.
