When Do Black Friday Ads Come Out? Our 2026 Predictions

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've got our predictions for 2026, based on when ads came out in 2025 — because stores tend to repeat their ad playbooks year after year, this will give you a good idea for what to expect in 2026.

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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).

While there's no guarantee, we've been staying up late to watch for the ad drops for years and are pretty sure this is when they'll also get released in 2026. 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 Oct. 16, Full Ad Nov. 24 (Predicted)

Drop Time: 12:01 a.m. ET

Ad details: The Sam's Club November Instant Savings Book arrives in mid-October (Oct. 17 last year), and it reveals the dates of the Sam's Club Black Friday sale and a few doorbusters. To see all the deals, though, 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). So watch for it Tuesday Nov. 24 this year.

Best Buy: Oct. 19 (Predicted, Press Release Only)

Drop Time: 5:01 a.m. CT

Ad details: Best Buy puts out an early press release every year, and last year, it happened on Oct. 20, 2025, confirming their Black Friday sale dates and early doorbusters, which started Oct. 31 last year.

Just like in recent years, Best Buy didn't put out a traditional ad beyond that press release. Instead, it simply sent the Best Buy Black Friday deals live a week before Thanksgiving. So watch for that to happen again this year on Nov. 19.

Costco: Oct. 20 (Predicted)

Drop Time: Costco reveals their Black Friday deals in its regular Holiday Savings Book, which contains its deals for the whole month.

Ad details: 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, in 2025, ran Nov. 27 - Dec. 1), their Thanksgiving online deals, and their Cyber Monday sale. See all the details and full schedule.

It's worth noting that Costco doesn't really do a "Black Friday Event" like most other stores do. Stores don't open any earlier than usual.

Walmart: Round 1 Oct. 26 (Predicted, Press Release Only); Round 2 Nov. 16 (Predicted, 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 last year is no different. Walmart's press release (they haven't done a traditional ad scan in years) announced that Black Friday in 2025 would be two rounds:

• Nov. 14 - 16: Round 1

• Nov. 25 - 30: Round 2

We expect similar announcement and sale timing this year.

Target: Oct. 29 (Press Release, Predicted); Nov. 20 (Ad, Predicted)

Drop Time: 12:01 a.m. PT

Ad details: Target's Black Friday ad is technically their "weekly ad," and those drop on Fridays. They also dropped a press release with Black Friday plans on Oct. 30.

You'll want to check Target's ad because they announce special in-store events. Last year, the first 100 guests in line on Black Friday (stores opened 6 a.m.) got swag bags of goodies. And 10 of those bags had an extra prize valued at $99 or more. As for the deals, those included $100 off PS5 consoles, up to 50% off toys, and up to $50 back in Target gift cards when you buy certain products.

JCPenney: Nov. 2 (predicted)

Drop Time: 12:01 a.m. ET

Ad details: JCPenney dropped its Black Friday ad on Nov. 3 in 2025, so we expect first-Monday-of-the-month timing in 2026. They're one of the few that still does a traditional ad scan, and last year's was 24 pages long and revealed deals like $2.99 towels, $19.99 small appliances, and $19.99 boots.

The thing you want to look for in the JCPenney Black Friday ad scan are the in-store-only giveaways. Last year, they offered giveaways in-store at 5 a.m., 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. If you want a shot at the $500 off coupon, you'll need to line up at 5 a.m.

Home Depot: Nov. 4 (Early Ad, Predicted); Nov. 25 (Full Ad, Predicted)

Drop Time: 12:01 a.m. ET

Ad details: The first Home Depot Black Friday ad usually drops early and showcases their early deals that run up until Black Friday. Then, the Black Friday weekend ad drops closer in, confirming Home Depot's in-store-only deals on Black Friday itself. Last year's included $1.25 poinsettias, $79 live trees, $5.88 live wreaths.

Macy's: Nov. 5 (Predicted, Press Release Only)

Drop Time: 12:01 a.m. ET

Ad details: Through 2024, Macy's dropped a full ad scan, but that tradition ended in 2025. The press release that dropped Nov. 6, 2025, revealed the dates of Macy's Black Friday sale (Nov. 23 - 30) and their Cyber Monday sale (Nov. 30 - Dec. 1). It also revealed the Black Friday store opening time (6 a.m.).

This new tradition of dropping a press release made it harder to see actual deals. Instead of revealing which products would be on sale, the release only hinted at categories.

Kohl's: Nov. 6 (Predicted)

Drop Time: 12:01 a.m. CT

Ad details: In 2025, Kohl's Black Friday ad dropped on Nov. 7. They did things a little differently that year. Instead of dropping a book-like ad scan, they dropped a preview site. But they still confirmed their weeklong deals, doorbusters, and bonus Kohl's Cash offer.

The reason you want to check the Kohl's Black Friday ad is to confirm the coupon code that gets you an extra discount (15% off in 2025) during the sale. Also, Kohl's uses their ad to confirm their bonus Black Friday Kohl's Cash offer — $15 on every $50 spent.

Amazon: Nov. 9 (Predicted, Press Release Only)

Drop Time: 12:01 a.m. CT, 1 a.m. ET

Ad details: 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. 10, 2025, Amazon dropped a press release announcing its sale dates (Nov. 20 - Dec. 1) and deals to expect, including up to 55% off tech, 50% off toys, and more. New last year: gift card giveaways.

Lowe's: Nov. 24 (Predicted)

Drop Time: 12:01 a.m. ET

Ad details: The Lowe’s Black Friday ad tends to drop late, right before Black Friday. We finally saw it on Nov. 25 in 2025 and Nov. 27 in 2024.

While Lowe's will drop some deals early, the Lowe's ad is always one to watch for because that's when it announces its in-store deals on poinsettias and fresh wreaths. Last year, you could get 1-quart poinsettias for $1 each (slightly better than the two-for-$3 we saw in 2024) and $10 wreaths (not quite as good as the 2-for-$12 we saw in 2024). When the ad drops, you'll spot it here.

You May Also Be Interested In:

• Here's When All the Black Friday Sales Start

• What to Expect From Cyber Monday Sales

• Where to Get Free Food on Black Friday