In recent years, we’ve seen Black Friday sales transition from a single day after Thanksgiving to multiweek Black Friday sale extravaganzas that require calendars to plan. And the first stage of all that hype? Black Friday ad drops. Black Friday ad scans are how retailers preview their deals, and they provide valuable intel to shoppers about where to shop and when the sales kick off.
They're also unpredictable, but there are patterns. Below, we're revealing the ads that have dropped already for 2025 (including Costco, Sam's Club, and Target), as well as our predictions for ads that haven't come out yet, based on our years of experience. In general, we're predicting a similar drop schedule to last year, but our predictions account for Thanksgiving being a day earlier (Nov. 27) in 2025.
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When will Black Friday ads come out?
It varies by store, and most stores don’t stick to the same schedule each year. We see some ads drop in late October, while Black Friday purists — we’re looking at you, Home Depot — still wait until nearly Thanksgiving to unveil the good stuff. Meanwhile, some major retailers have ditched traditional ad scans entirely and opted for press releases. Note: Plenty of retailers these days run multi-round Black Friday sales and release multiple ads (one for early deals and then another for the official Black Friday deals).
Below you’ll find our predictions for when we think Black Friday ads will drop in 2025. While there's no guarantee, we've been staying up late to watch for the ad drops for years and have a good idea of on which dates to expect which ads. And, yes, if you want to see these ads the second they drop, you'll have to stay up. Most Black Friday ads drop at midnight PT, CT, or ET.
Sam's Club: Preview Ad Dropped Oct. 17, Full Ad Predicted Nov. 25
Drop Time: 12:01 a.m. ET
Ad details: The Sam's Club November Instant Savings Book arrived Oct. 17, and it revealed the dates of the Sam's Club Black Friday sale and a few doorbusters. To see all the deals, you'll need to wait until a last-minute announcement from Sam's Club, which usually comes a couple days before Thanksgiving. We got it on Nov. 26 last year (two days before Thanksgiving) and shared it with all of you.
Best Buy: Dropped Oct. 20 (Press Release Only)
Drop Time: 5:01 a.m. CT
Ad details: Best Buy put out an early press release on Oct. 20, 2025, confirming their Black Friday sale dates of Nov. 20 - 29. They also revealed they'll drop select doorbusters starting Oct. 31.
Just like in recent years, Best Buy didn't put out a traditional ad. Instead, we expect Best Buy Black Friday deals will just go live on Nov. 20 in real time.
Costco: Dropped Oct. 21
Drop Time: Costco reveals its Black Friday deals in its regular Holiday Savings Book, which contains its deals for the whole month.
Ad details: Costco's always an early one, and we got the ad on Oct. 20 in 2025. The Costco Black Friday ad is really their Holiday Savings Book, which shows all their deals spanning Oct. 31 - Dec. 1, including their Black Friday weekend deals (which run Nov. 27 - Dec. 1.), their Thanksgiving online deals, and their Cyber Monday sale. See all the details and full schedule.
Macy's: Predicted Nov. 13
Drop Time: Macy's Black Friday ad is usually a late-night dropper — we've seen it as late as 3 a.m. ET.
How We Made Our Prediction: The Macy’s Black Friday ad dropped on Nov. 14 in 2024 (the second Thursday of the month), along with some early deals. The last page got you a special coupon that gave you an extra 10% - 20% off during the Macy's Black Friday sale.
Walmart: Round 1 Dropped Oct. 27 (Press Release Only). Round 2 Predicted for Nov. 17 (Press Release Only)
Drop time: 12:01 a.m. ET
Ad details: Walmart Black Friday has been a multiweek event for the past few years, and this year is no different. Walmart's press release (they don't do a traditional ad anymore) announced that Black Friday this year will be in two rounds:
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Nov. 14 - 16: Round 1
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Nov. 25 - 30: Round 2
The press release also gave a sneak peek of some deals to expect. Check out our favorites.
JCPenney: Predicted Nov. 1
Drop Time: 12:01 a.m. ET
How We Made Our Prediction: For the past few years, JCPenney has dropped its Black Friday ad on Nov. 1, and the exact same thing happened in 2024 when JCP sent us their 20-page print ad scan. We think it will stick to that timing for another year.
The thing you want to look for in the JCPenney Black Friday ad scan are the in-store-only deals. JCPenney usually offers mystery coupons and giveaways at certain times in stores on Black Friday, and the ad will tell you those times. In 2024, for example, you could get a snow globe and a coupon worth up to $500 at 5 a.m. in stores.
Amazon: Predicted Nov. 12 (Press Release Only)
Drop Time: 12:01 a.m. PT
How We Made Our Prediction: Amazon doesn't do a traditional ad scan, but instead drops a press release with details on deals to expect and the dates of the Amazon Black Friday sale. On Nov. 13, 2024, Amazon dropped a press release announcing its sale dates (Nov. 21 - 29) and deals to expect, including up to 55% off tech, 50% off toys, and more. We think it'll stick to that timing this year and drop a press release the second Wednesday of November.
Kohl's: Predicted Nov. 4
Drop Time: 12:01 a.m. CT
How We Made Our Prediction: Kohl’s releases their Black Friday ad relatively early, as they tend to have deals spread throughout the month. In 2024, we saw the Kohl’s Black Friday ad for both its Early Access event and its official Black Friday sale drop on Nov. 5.
The reason you want to check the ad is to confirm the coupon code that gets you an extra discount (15% off in past years) during the sale. Also, Kohl's uses its ad to confirm its bonus Kohl's Cash offer — usually $15 on every $50 spent.
Target: Dropped Oct. 30 (Press Release Only); Ad Predicted Nov. 20
Drop Time: 12:01 a.m. PT
Ad details: Target dropped a press release with Black Friday plans on Oct. 30. This year, they'll be running weeklong early Black Friday deals (every Sunday starting Nov. 2). Deal of the Day will kick off Nov. 1, and there will also be a 3-day early Black Friday event Nov. 6 - 8 offering up to 50% off. Then they'll run their official Black Friday sale Nov. 27 online and Nov. 28 in stores.
Target always releases its official Black Friday ad just a week before the big day. That's because Target follows a predictable schedule with all its weekly ads, previewing the upcoming weeks a couple days before deals start on Saturday. So we got a Nov. 21 (at midnight Pacific time) Target ad drop in 2024 showing the deals for Thanksgiving and Black Friday.
Lowe's: Predicted Nov. 26
Drop Time: 12:01 a.m. ET
How We Made Our Prediction: The Lowe’s Black Friday ad isn’t as predictable from year to year, but it tends to drop late. We finally saw it on Nov. 27 in 2024 and on Nov. 20 in 2023. The Lowe's ad is usually when Lowe's announces its in-store deals on poinsettias and fresh wreaths.
Home Depot: Predicted Nov. 3 and Nov. 23
Drop Time: 12:01 a.m. ET
How We Made Our Prediction: Home Depot regularly drops an ad in early November (which shows deals that run all month) and then its official Black Friday ad (which shows deals that run through Thanksgiving weekend) a few days before Thanksgiving. That final ad is the one that'll reveal the popular in-store poinsettia deal.
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