Fred Meyer outlines changes in holiday, Black Friday shopping

PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Fred Meyer has announced plans for Black Friday events that will bring changes to holiday shopping.

The company said in Friday's announcement it "has placed a priority on safety throughout the pandemic and has now made deliberate adjustments to Black Friday plans that will allow customers to shop aggressive deals with confidence."

Here's the rest of the company's news release.

Fred Meyer leadership has planned a new approach to Black Friday that allows customers to take advantage of season-long savings, while ensuring safety for everyone. “We have created a series of sales events that will provide multiple opportunities for customers to save on popular items, and we have incorporated safety measures to protect shoppers and associates at all times,” stated Todd Kammeyer, vice president of merchandising for Fred Meyer. “We are excited to change how people think about Black Friday right here in the Northwest.”

This year, there will be a number of events to help spread out shopping patterns and reduce congestion, which will give customers more opportunities to save, safely:

• Holidays kickoff “Brandtastic” event with Savings Pass will run 10/28-11/10 with unbeatable prices across Apparel, Home and Electronics departments
  • Savings Pass for extra deals will be available via the Fred Meyer app, Fred Meyer website, and weekly ad
• The “Black Friday Starts Now” event will begin 11/11 and will advance Black Friday prices on the hottest items across the store
• There will be an expanded 3-Day Black Friday sale that will run 11/25-11/27

The traditional Black Friday event on 11/27 will take place with a wide range of robust deals, but will incorporate a number of new safety precautions as well:

• Stores will be designating one door as an entrance and one door as an exit to manage traffic flow
• Doors will be staffed to ensure social distancing, mandatory masks, and closely monitor capacity limits
• A single primary bank of check stands with hand sanitizer will be utilized during peak periods to control traffic flow and ensure social distancing
• Gift card giveaways will change from the first 100 customers to recurring giveaways every 15 minutes, in order to prevent crowding in the morning
• Social distancing measures will be in place outside of the store for those attending the event
• Additional capacity measures and traffic flow systems will be implemented in popular areas to ensure safety throughout the store at all times