Black Friday sales seem to start earlier and earlier — so early that it appears October is the new Black Friday season. We’ve seen sales transitioning from a single day after Thanksgiving to multi-week extravaganzas that require calendars to plan — we’re looking at you Costco (they released their ad on Oct. 20)! But with all the changes in sale start dates, when do Black Friday ads come out for everyone else?
The simple answer is: Most of them are here. The complicated answer is: It varies. We see many Black Friday ads drop in late October while some Black Friday purists — we’re looking at you, Best Buy — still wait until nearly Thanksgiving to unveil the good stuff. So far we do have some biggies like Walmart, Target, Kohl’s, and Macy’s, but we’re still waiting on a few stragglers.
But don’t worry. Based on the past few years of Black Friday ad releases, we can still make pretty solid predictions for when to expect ad drops from your favorite stores. Below you’ll find all of our best educated guesses on when to start checking for those ad scans. Spoiler alert: We were totally right when we expected a couple of big ones during the first week of November.
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2023 Black Friday ad drops!
Here are all the ads we’ve seen so far this year.
When did the Target Black Friday ad come out?
The official Target Black Friday ad is here! It dropped on Nov. 16, 2023. We saw the first ad on Sunday, Oct. 29. They’ll be releasing new early Black Friday deals every Sunday until the big sale starts on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2023.
When was the Walmart Black Friday ad released?
The Walmart Black Friday ad hit the internet on Tuesday, Nov. 14. Their first Black Friday sale began on Nov. 8 and we’ve got the second one coming up on Nov. 22, 2023.
Does Amazon have a Black Friday ad?
Okay, so there isn’t technically an Amazon Black Friday ad. But, their 2023 Black Friday sale started on Nov. 17, so we created our own ad to highlight some of the best deals we’ve seen so far in the sale.
Kohl’s
Just as we predicted, the Kohl’s Black Friday ad dropped on Nov. 3 this year. We saw Early Access Black Friday deals, which started on Nov. 3 and ended on Nov. 9. Their official Black Friday sale hits Nov. 19 with a second wave of Super Deals running Nov. 23 – 25.
Macy’s
The Macy’s Black Friday ad was shared on Nov. 6, just before their Early Access sale on Nov. 8. They will drop another set of deals for their official Black Friday sale on Nov. 19 that will run through Nov. 25.
JCPenney
JCPenney ended up dropping their Black Friday ad on Nov. 1, as we predicted. But we normally see it at 12:01 a.m. sharp and this year it didn’t arrive until early evening. To make up for being fashionably late, they’ve got Early Access deals running from Nov. 3 – 5.
When did the Home Depot Black Friday ad get released?
Home Depot used to drop their Black Friday ad the day before Thanksgiving. But sticking to the theme of the past two years, the Home Depot Black Friday ad came out early on Oct. 31, 2023. We do think you’ll see a second ad before their official Black Friday sale hits online on Nov. 23 and runs through Nov. 26.
Costco
The Costco November Coupon Book (aka the Costco Black Friday ad) was the first ad of 2023. They released it on Friday, Oct. 20 — just as we predicted. They released it on a Friday in mid-October for the past two years, so they were pretty easy to predict!
Sam’s Club
The Sam’s Club Black Friday ad arrived in mailboxes on Nov. 16 and we’ve got the scan available for you online. Their sale begins, as predicted, on Nov. 23 and runs through Nov. 26.
Meijer
We saw the Meijer Black Friday ad on Nov. 9. Just like we predicted, Meijer had two Black Friday ads drop on Thursday, Nov. 9. The first ad includes deals for all of Black Friday week (Nov. 19 – 25), while the second ad is just for the three-day sale (Nov. 23 – 25).
When do other Black Friday ads come out?
We predict Black Friday ads to drop as early as Oct. 23 all the way up to Nov. 24, with Costco and JCPenney usually leading the pack. Some retailers wait til closer to Black Friday, like GameStop and Home Depot. Here’s when we think Black Friday ads will come out based on past trends.
When does the Best Buy Black Friday ad come out?
Expect to see the Best Buy Black Friday ad drop on or before Nov. 19, 2023.
When will the Lowe’s Black Friday ad be released?
Lowe’s Black Friday ad isn’t as predictable from year to year. We usually see it earlier in the season, though, as they run sales throughout the month just like Kohl’s. We think the official Lowe’s Black Friday ad will arrive sometime around Nov. 19.
When will Ulta release its Black Friday ad?
We’re predicting Ulta will release its 2023 Black Friday ad on Nov. 15. Make sure you don’t miss this ad — Ulta Black Friday deals can be pretty incredible!
RELATED: Ulta Advent Calendars Are Here — Get ‘Em While They’re Hot (and In Stock)
When will GameStop release its Black Friday ad?
GameStop used to release its Black Friday ads all last minute. In 2021, you literally had to wait until Thanksgiving, which was the same day the sale started. In 2022, it showed up a little earlier on Nov. 20. Based on that, we predict the GameStop Black Friday ad will arrive on Nov. 19, 2023.
When will we see the Victoria’s Secret Black Friday ad?
Victoria’s Secret already launched their early Black Friday deals — 30% off in-store and online, 7/$35 panties, and $8 body mists and lotion. Their official ad has not been released yet, but we expect it will arrive on Nov. 21, 2023.
When do Black Friday sales start?
That’s another complicated question. First, many stores start their early Black Friday deals a few weeks before Black Friday. Some stores come out of the gates with huge discounts during the first week of the sale, while other stores wait and drop the big ones the week of Black Friday. We dedicated a post to the Black Friday week schedule so you’ll know when to shop each retailer.
Here’s everything we know so far, plus a few predictions from last-minute stragglers.
Tell us what you think