Black Friday sales don't start on Black Friday anymore. Most online sales at major retailers start days, if not weeks before Black Friday, meaning you can shop the best Black Friday deals online and find items at their lowest prices ever before Thanksgiving even starts.
To help you get ready for Black Friday 2025, see when stores kicked off their sales in 2024.
Use our new Deal Planner™ feature in the free Krazy Coupon Lady app to set alerts when all the biggest sales drop. We'll remind you when they start so you don't miss out. Download the KCL app now.
Black Friday Sales Start and End Dates From 2024
This is when all the top Black Friday online sales ran in 2024.
Retailers have been redefining Black Friday in recent years, rolling out early Black Friday sales early and in multiple rounds, and 2024 was no different.
JCPenney Black Friday Sale
Dates: Nov. 22 - Dec. 1. JCPenney's Black Friday deals kicked off online and in stores on Nov. 22. Stores were closed Thanksgiving and reopened Black Friday.
Time: Online deals landed midnight ET online when the sale started Nov. 22. On Black Friday, stores opened at 5 a.m. JCPenney offered special in-store-only giveaways that dropped at 5 a.m., 9 a.m., 1 p.m., and 5 p.m.
Lowe's Black Friday Sale
Dates: Nov. 28 - Dec. 4. Sales ran online and in stores, but some deals (like two for $3 poinsettias) were in stores only on Black Friday).
Time: Lowe's Black Friday deals dropped online at midnight ET on Thanksgiving, but (and this was new for 2024) only for rewards members. That's right, only MyLowe's Rewards members got online access on Thanksgiving. Everyone else could start shopping (online and in stores) on Black Friday, Nov. 29. Want the early access? MyLowe's Rewards is free to join.
Target Black Friday Sale
Dates: Nov. 24 - 29 (with some deals on Nov. 28 and 29 only).
Target also threw an early Black Friday event Nov. 7 - 9.
Time: Target's online deals landed at midnight PT on the day each round went live, then in stores when they opened. On Black Friday, Target opened at 6 a.m.
KCL TIP: Target will run its Deal of the Day promo for Target Circle Members only through November and December.
Best Buy Black Friday Sale
Dates: Best Buy confirmed its Black Friday sale dates on Oct. 22.
Nov. 21 - 30: The Best Buy Black Friday sale
Nov. 8 - 20: Select early deals went live.
Fridays starting Nov. 8: Weekly doorbusters
Time: Best Buy usually drops online Black Friday deals at midnight CT. Deals drop in stores at opening time (they opened at 6 a.m. on Black Friday). Total and Plus members got weekly doorbuster access a day early, on Thursdays.
Sam's Club Black Friday Sale
Dates: Nov. 28 - Dec. 2 (confirmed via ad leak on Oct. 18).
Time: Sam's Club usually kicks off their online sale on Thanksgiving at 12:01 a.m. ET.
Costco Black Friday Sale
Dates: Nov. 28 - Dec. 2 for the official sale. However, earlier rounds of deals started Nov. 1 and Nov. 18, and some of those Nov. 18 deals also ran through Dec. 2. There will be online-only deals on Thanksgiving. The Costco ad breaks it all down for you.
Time: The Nov. 28 deals are always online only, so expect deals to drop at 12:01 a.m. ET online. In 2024, there was an offer for $50 off a $400 purchase, so you might want to consider shopping online on Thanksgiving. Stores open 10 a.m., yes, even on Black Friday.
Amazon Black Friday Sale
Dates: Nov. 21 – 29
Time: Amazon always starts its sales at midnight PT.
KCL TIP: There's usually no break between Amazon Black Friday and Amazon Cyber Monday, with Cyber Monday deals kicking off Nov. 30.
Walmart Black Friday Sale
Dates: Walmart ran two rounds of deals for its 2024 Black Friday sale.
Round 1: Nov. 11 - 17
Round 2: Nov. 25 - Dec. 1
For both rounds, the deals started online on Monday and in stores on Friday.
Time: Walmart+ members get early online sale access at noon ET, while everyone else got access at 5 p.m. ET.
Macy's Black Friday Sale
Dates: Macy's usually runs an Early Access event with select Black Friday deals available in mid-November followed by a Macy's Black Friday sale that spans the entire week of Thanksgiving. This year, expect the following:
Early Black Friday deals start: Nov. 14
Black Friday Week Sale: Nov. 24 - 30
Time: Macy's usually drops its online sales in the middle of the night, and we sometimes don't see them until 6 a.m. ET. Expect deals to drop in stores on the first day of each round when they open. Macy's typically offers extended hours on Black Friday (6 a.m. to 11 p.m. last year).
Kohl's Black Friday Sale
Dates: Nov. 24 - 29 for the official sale both online and in stores, with certain deals offered on Thanksgiving (online) and Black Friday only. There was also an early event Nov. 8 - 10 with similar deals, as well as bonus Kohl's Cash.
Time: Kohl's online Black Friday deals usually launch at 12:01 a.m. CT. Stores usually open 5 a.m. on Black Friday.
Home Depot Black Friday Sale
Dates: Home Depot has a unique tradition of running a full month of Black Friday deals, and it did so again in 2024.
Nov. 7 - 27 for the first part of the sale.
Nov. 28 - Dec. 4 for the official sale. Deals were online only on Thanksgiving.
Time: Expect Home Depot Black Friday deals to drop at midnight ET online right when the monthlong sale kicks off, and for the Thanksgiving deals to drop at midnight ET on Thursday. Stores will open at 6 a.m. on Black Friday, which is the same time Home Depot opens every day. You'll want to get there first thing if you want the wreaths, poinsettias, and live Christmas trees.
When is Black Friday 2025?
Black Friday will happen on Nov. 28, 2025, but you’re going to start seeing Black Friday deals the week before Thanksgiving or online on Thanksgiving Day.
The official shopping holiday always falls on the Friday after Thanksgiving, but the exact date is different every year. Here are the Black Friday dates from the last five years:
2024: Friday, Nov. 29
2023: Friday, Nov. 24
2022: Friday, Nov. 25
2021: Friday, Nov. 26
2020: Friday, Nov. 27
When do stores open on Black Friday?
Stores open as early as 5 a.m. on Black Friday. Before 2020, stores opened their doors on Thanksgiving night or even afternoon, but that changed due to the pandemic. Now, stores are staying closed on Turkey Day but opening extra early on Black Friday.
Some stores had special in-store events and giveaways in 2024:
Kohl's gave out out prizes. The first 200 in line at 5 a.m. got a game card that won you a prize (could be Kohl's Cash, a free trip, or free products).
JCPenney had a snow globe giveaway while supplies lasted and handed out coupons (worth $10 off, $100 off, or $500 off) at 5 a.m.
Lowe's gave out free buckets (with free gifts) to the first 25 MyLowe's rewards members in line at 6 a.m.
Target had the Taylor Swift Eras Tour book and The Tortured Poets Department Anthology CD for the first time in stores only on Black Friday at 6 a.m.
At Five Below, stores ran a Fill The Bag promo at 7 a.m. While supplies lasted, the first in-store shoppers got a bag they could fill with Squishmallows for $20.
What to Expect for Black Friday 2025
Sales will start early again this year.
We saw early access sales from Macy's, Kohl’s, Best Buy, and Target last year. Some of the earliest Black Friday events kicked off in late October. More and more retailers will release early Black Friday deals into the first and second weeks of November, and you can expect a steady flow of deals for the rest of the month.
Walmart, Amazon, and Target will compete for the lowest prices.
These top three retailers love to battle for the best deals on popular products (think Apple AirPods, Beats headphones, the Nintendo Switch, and more). KCL will compare prices at these stores throughout the 2025 holiday season, so look for price drops and further markdowns leading up to Black Friday and even the week after.
KCL TIP: Download the free KCL mobile app and “favorite” Walmart, Amazon, and Target to see an updated feed of the latest deals.
What to Buy on Black Friday
The key to Black Friday is knowing what to buy and what to skip. Not everything goes on sale, and different stores have their strongest deals only in certain categories.
Before you shop, take a look at the 10 best things to buy on Black Friday (and where you’re likely to see the biggest discounts):
TVs — Walmart or Amazon
Toys — Walmart or Target
Vacuums — Amazon or Target
Cookware — Macy’s or Walmart
Pj's — Target or Old Navy
Small kitchen appliances — Kohl’s or Macy’s
Headphones — Amazon or Walmart
Tablets — Amazon or Walmart
Computers — Walmart or Best Buy
Video games and consoles — Walmart, Target, or Best Buy
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