We're officially only weeks away from one of the biggest shopping events of the year: Black Friday.
There's still about a month until the shopping holiday officially starts, but deals start to roll out much sooner than the Friday after Thanksgiving. How much sooner, you ask? Try right now. In fact, our deals experts have already been tracking price drops for the past two weeks.
That doesn't necessarily mean you should start frantically adding deals to your cart, but it does mean that it's good to head into the mega-sale event with a plan. From knowing when sales from retailers like Amazon and Best Buy start to knowing which products will likely go on sale to preparing your own shopping list, we've got you covered on everything you need to know ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
When is Black Friday?
This year, Black Friday falls on Nov. 27. While retailers often start featuring their best markdowns on Black Friday itself, there are plenty of early deals worth shopping in the lead-up. Most retailers' official sales do start before the actual day, so shopping strategically ahead of time can save you from missing out on a deal entirely (or dealing with the chaos the day after Thanksgiving).
Will Amazon have Black Friday deals?
The mega-retailer just wrapped up its October Prime Day sale, but naturally, it's also getting in on the Black Friday action. While Amazon hasn't released official sale dates yet (it's still in the final days of the Holiday Beauty Event), last year's Black Friday sale started over a week before the official day. As soon as we have available dates for Amazon (and other retailers), we'll update this guide. Speaking of...
When do Black Friday 2026 sales start?
Amazon: While no official dates are available just yet, 2025's Black Friday sale started on Nov. 20 — eight days before Black Friday on Nov. 28.
Best Buy: Like Amazon, Best Buy hasn't announced any official dates yet, but promised a return of the day after Thanksgiving sale with some of the best tech prices of the year, plus a new batch of deals dropping for Cyber Monday. Most deals will be available online and in-store, with some exclusive to in-store sales. Following past precedent, Best Buy will also drop special deals through November, in the lead-up to the sale.
Walmart: Walmart has three major sale events throughout November: the early Black Friday sale from Nov. 12 to Nov. 15, the Black Friday sale from Nov. 23 to Nov. 29 (with deals online only from Nov. 23 to Nov. 26), and the online-only Cyber Monday sale from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2.
Target: Target hasn't released its full Black Friday lineup yet, but we do know its first Early Black Friday sale kicks off Nov. 5 to Nov. 7. From Nov. 1 to Dec. 24, Target's Deal of the Day offer kicks off, featuring new deals every day. Every weekend after Nov. 7, the retailer will also drop new limited-time holiday offers.
Does Apple have Black Friday sales?
Considering prices went up this year on pretty much Apple devices except for AirPods, Black Friday will be the time to pick up new Apple devices. The short answer: Apple products will absolutely be on sale this Black Friday. The slightly longer answer: the best place to pick up Apple products during Black Friday sales will be at retailers like Amazon, Walmart, or Best Buy, which often duke it out to see who will drop a MacBook or pair of AirPods to the record-low price first (or, more impressively, keep it in stock the longest).
As for Apple itself holding Black Friday sales, the Apple Store features its own Black Friday sale every year: a free gift card for future use with the purchase of select devices. We expect to see the same this year, so we recommend picking up your Apple devices elsewhere if you're looking to save as much cash as possible.
The best Black Friday deals so far
With Black Friday feeling like a month-long (and then some) affair, what are the deals worth shopping now? It's an especially relevant question in 2026, a year that saw many historic price increases across everything from laptops to Kindles. In other words, shopping smart has never been a smarter decision, which is why we've gathered some of the best early Black Friday savings so far.
What else goes on sale during Black Friday?
The more apt question is what doesn't go on sale during Black Friday. That's to say, if there's a product you're looking to grab on sale, whether that be a new TV or paper towels, Black Friday is the time to do it.
Beyond the deals we have listed above, we expect to see more savings on MacBooks, Windows laptops, video games and consoles, robot vacuums, regular stick vacuums, drones, trading cards, books, board games, and power tools. This list is by no means exhaustive — if there's a good deal worth writing up, you'll likely find it in our deals coverage.
How long do Black Friday sales last?
The best Black Friday deals generally last through Cyber Monday, which falls on Nov. 30 this year. Some deals do linger through the week, and some Cyber Monday sales (such as Walmart's) are scheduled to extend beyond Cyber Monday proper. And as Target's deal-of-the-day sale demonstrates, there are almost always Black Friday-worthy sales through essentially Christmas. That said, for the best shot at scoring big savings (and for catching a deal while it's still available), shopping during Black Friday weekend is typically a good rule of thumb.
