Sam's Club Shares Early Holiday Deals Via Social, Mobile

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Fans of the Sam's Club Facebook page and users of its mobile app will be the first to know what is going on sale for the holiday season.

Customers who have installed the Sam's Club mobile app or liked its Facebook page as of Friday morning will get an early look at the warehouse club's Black Friday sales flyer. The promotion will be posted at 10 a.m. Central time. Online shoppers who want to get a jump on their holiday shopping will be able to buy items at those sales prices as of 10 p.m. Central on Wednesday, Nov. 23, the day before Thanksgiving. Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is the traditional start of the holiday shopping season, when retailers look to push their finances "into the black" of profitability.

Parent company Walmart is also introducing Black Friday deals early and promising special online deals.

Getting the lower prices, or access to the early online shopping at Sam's Club, isn't actually conditional on a social or mobile signup--only early access to information about the sales. The retailer wants to give mobile and social customers a head start on planning their holiday shopping, said Carrie L. Foster, a senior manager for corporate communication. "We're looking at all the planning we know our members are doing." The crowds in the stores, the buzz on Facebook, and a recent surge in mobile app downloads all suggest the holiday shopping season has begun and time-starved customers will appreciate anything that gives them an edge, she said.

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"We just want to help them simplify their process of planning," Foster said in an interview.

The same information will be available through other channels later in the day Friday, she said.

Part of the point of this promotion is to drive additional people to "like" the Sam's Facebook page and download its mobile application, Foster said. However, the retailer already enjoys an active Facebook fan base and wants to reward those people also. For those mobile and social customers who didn't hear about this in advance, she hopes discovering this promotion will be a way to "surprise and delight" them Friday morning.

Follow David F. Carr on Twitter @davidfcarr. The BrainYard is @thebyard

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