Find out when the best Black Friday deals start
Some businesses roll out discounts starting in early November, but many save the best deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Bring out those shopping lists and credit cards because Black Friday is here.
While popular retailers such as Best Buy, Amazon, Walmart and Target began rolling out deals weeks ago in a bid to attract customers, a record 183.4 million people are planning to shop in stores and online between Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday in 2024, up from the previous record of 182 million in 2023, according to an annual National Retail Federation survey.
Whether you’re looking to make that big purchase you’ve been planning for the entire year or looking for the latest tech, toys and goodies for the little ones in your life, or a great price on fashion and beauty products, Black Friday is one of the best times to cross items off your list.
Here everything you need to know about Black Friday, including when and where to shop popular deals.
Black Friday takes place the day after Thanksgiving, which falls on Thursday, Nov. 28 this year, meaning the shopping holiday will occur on Friday, Nov. 29.
One of the biggest shopping and sales events of the year, the day is believed to have earned the title “Black Friday” in the 1950s when Philadelphia police used the term to describe the chaos they observed thanks to suburban shoppers flooding the city, USA TODAY previously reported.
By 1961, the name stuck in Philly but didn’t go nationwide until the late 1980s, when retailers seized the opportunity to reframe the day as something more positive, concocting the analogy of stores going from being “in the red” (experiencing financial deficit) until the explosion of sales on the day after Thanksgiving, bringing them back into “the black” (being profitable).
Many still believe this to be the real origin of Black Friday’s name, according to previous USA TODAY reports.
Here’s a comprehensive list of retail stores’ hours of operation on Black Friday.
With a rising preference for online shopping, retailers began rolling out “Black Friday” deals earlier and making them run longer, giving customers more time to cash in. Several retailers, including Best Buy, Amazon, Walmart, Staples, BJ’s Wholesale Club and Target began offering price cuts as early as the start of the November. However, some of the biggest deals are usually reserved for the day of or for Cyber Monday.
Amazon’s Black Friday Week started on Thursday, Nov. 21, and will run through Friday, Nov. 29. Deals include up to 55% on select Amazon devices, including Amazon Fire Smart TVs and Kindles, and up to 50% off on branded items from popular properties like Disney, Marvel and Star Wars. There’s also up to 50% off on select vacuums from iRobot, roborock, and Shark. The retail giant will also offer flash deals throughout the week and on the day of.
Walmart’s Black Friday event kicked off on Monday, Nov. 25 with deals announced on products such as 65-inch Samsung DU69 4K Smart TV, Apple iPhone 13, Beats Solo 3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones and Dyson V11 Extra Cordless Vacuum Cleaner. The retailer is also offering up to 70% off everything from cookware and beauty products to toys and clothing.
The in-store event will begin on Friday, Nov. 29 at 6 a.m. local time.
Ahead of Black Friday, Walmart also offered 50% off its Walmart+ annual membership, which grants users early access to deals, free shipping and delivery, Paramount+ streaming, fuel discounts and more perks.
While Target’s Black Friday sales event begun on Sunday, Nov. 24 with Black Friday week deals, more specific Black Friday weekend deals and discounts will be available between Nov. 28 – 30 with deals being offered on beauty sets, clothing, apparel and holiday decor.
On Black Friday, Target will also start selling “Taylor Swift – The Eras Tour Book” and “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology” new versions on CD and vinyl with four acoustic bonus songs (the vinyl album also includes a poster of Swift).
Target stores will open at 6 a.m. local time and close at regular hours (check local store hours) on Black Friday. However, stores will have extended hours of 7 a.m. to midnight from Nov. 30 through Dec. 23.
Best Buy will begin offering tons of Black Friday deals online and in-store starting Thursday i.e. Thanksgiving Day through Nov. 30, though stores will be closed on Thanksgiving.
“You can expect Black Friday deals on everything from TVs and laptops to headphones and smart rings, electric scooters and more,” the retailer said in news release. “Plus, throughout the Black Friday Sale, we’ll have even more doorbusters on top tech and Flash Deals on Best Buy Drops that you won’t want to miss.”
Deals will be offered on LG 48″ Class B4 Series OLED 4K smart TV, Dyson Digital Slim Cordless Vacuum, HP Victus 15.6″ AMD Gaming Laptop, Samsung 75″ Class DU6950 Series Smart TV, and LG 45″ OLED Gaming Monitor.
In addition to the doorbusters, the retailer will have flash deals on Best Buy Drops throughout the day exclusively on the Best Buy App. The first drop will start at 8 a.m. CT, the retailer said.
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Contributing: Mike Snider, Olivia Munson, Gabe Hauari, Fernando Cervantes Jr., Mike Snider, USA TODAY
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.