Target, Walmart Both Report Strong Black Friday Sales, Credit Apple's New iPads

Target and Walmart have reported strong Black Friday sales, and both retailers credit Apple's new iPads - among other products - as accounting for high-volume traffic across retail locations and online. First, Target saw record traffic at its online store, Target.com: "On Target.com, where nearly all doorbusters were available on Thanksgiving Day, traffic and sales were among the highest Target has seen in a single day. In the early morning hours after the doorbusters first became available, Target.com saw two times more orders versus last year at that time," the retailer explained in a press release. Popular items, according to Target, included Apple's iPad Air:

• iPad Air, several large screen TVs, Nintendo 3DS XL and Zoomer the Robot Dog which sold out by mid-morning
• Other top sellers included the Nikon L320 camera, Samsung 40” TV, Beats by Dr. Dre Solo headphones and the Dyson DC35 vacuum

Crowds started gathering at stores from 8 a.m. local time, "and teams reported lines that stretched several blocks," Target adds. As a reminder, Target offered Black Friday shoppers a $100 gift card with the purchase of any 9.7-inch iPad. The iPad mini scored a $75 gift card, the fifth-generation iPod touch came with a $50 gift card, and the iPhone 5s earned customers a $30 gift card. Plus, Target's offering turned out to be quite a bit more impressive than Apple's similar gift card deal, which offered around $15 less per item. Competing retailer Walmart also recorded impressive sales figures this Black Friday, according to a further press release. On Thanksgiving Day, the retailer saw 400 million page views at its online store, and customers subsequently flocked to retail locations on Black Friday to take advantage of Walmart's discounts. The retailer explains:

From coast to coast, yesterday’s top sellers at Walmart – in stores and online – were big screen televisions, the iPad mini, laptops, XBOX ONE, PS4 and Call of Duty Ghosts.

More than 1.4 million tablets were purchased from Walmart stores yesterday, the retailer adds. Of course, as we move further on through the holiday season, more retailers - both in the United States and overseas - are expected to offer discounts on Apple's iDevices and related accessories. We'll keep you updated with further information on this front. In the meantime, see: Apple Stock Takes A Positive Turn, Closes Above $550 At The End Of Black Friday Trading, Black Friday Meets Black Balls Of Goo As World Of Goo HD Goes Free For First Time Ever, and Today's Best Apps: NFL Homegating And New Color.

Related articles