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Katie Searcy | 

Costco Black Friday and Cyber Monday: How To Shop the Sales in 2024

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While the Costco Black Friday sale doesn’t necessarily lead the pack when it comes to the best Black Friday deals overall, you can still put your Costco membership to good use during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping season. Their toy deals often beat the prices at Amazon and Walmart (especially for American Girl dolls and ride-on toys). And where else can you add TV deals to your cart at the same time as you snag a 3.6-pound pumpkin pie for $5.99?

When it comes to shopping Costco Black Friday deals like a pro, let me break it all down for you. I’ll tell you how to spot the Costco Black Friday deals worth your time. I’ve even included a few tips on what you shouldn’t buy during Costco’s Black Friday sale (hint: skip the Christmas trees and small kitchen appliances — there are better deals on those at stores like Target and Kohl’s).

Download the Krazy Coupon Lady app to make sure all the Costco deals go straight to your phone. Or text SAVE to 57299 and receive real-time text alerts when Black Friday deals go live.

 

1. When is the Costco Black Friday sale?

The Costco Black Friday sale is part of a larger holiday sale that comes in four waves starting in late October. In 2023, the Costco Black Friday sale came in four major waves, with certain deals only available during each sale wave. This is the same pattern we saw in 2022.

Here’s what we expect to see in 2024.

 

2024 Costco Black Friday Sale Dates (Predicted):

  • Oct. 28 – Nov. 10: First wave of deals (in-warehouse and online)
  • Nov. 11 – Dec. 2: Second wave of deals (in-warehouse and online)
  • Nov. 28: Third wave of deals (Thanksgiving Day; online only)
  • Nov. 29 – Dec. 2: Fourth wave of deals (in-warehouse and online, with some Costco Cyber Monday deals online-only on Dec. 2)

 

2. Is Costco open on Black Friday?

costco members only hours sign outside store

Costco is open for Black Friday shopping in-person or online. Most Costco locations open at 9 a.m. or 10 a.m. local time, seven days a week, and they follow that same schedule on Black Friday itself.

But don’t expect any early doorbuster deals or in-person surprises. The deals you see in the Holiday Savings book are the deals you’ll get in the store. Most of their deals were available online last year, too, so you didn’t have to face the in-person crowds if you didn’t want to.

 

Is Costco closed on Thanksgiving 2024?

Costco is always closed on Thanksgiving Day, but that’s okay because you can plan to shop at Costco.com during the Thanksgiving sale. We expect that Costco will be closed again on Thanksgiving Day in 2024.

 

3. When will the 2024 Costco Black Friday ad drop?

a woman putting a large lg monitor being put in a costco cart

In 2023, we received the Costco Holiday Savings flyer — their version of a Black Friday ad — on Oct. 20, 2023. So if that pattern continues in 2024, expect to see the Costco Black Friday ad around Oct. 18, 2024.

  • 2024 ad release: Oct. 18 (predicted)
  • 2023 ad release: Oct. 20
  • 2022 ad release: Oct. 21

TIP: Costco members will get a printed copy of the Holiday Savings flyer in the mail. But if you don’t receive one, check our Costco Black Friday Deals page for a full ad scan of all the pages inside.

 

Costco Black Friday ad scan 2023:

4. When do the Costco early Black Friday deals begin?

a woman shopping for watches in costco

We expect the 2024 early Costco Black Friday deals to start around Oct. 28. In 2023, you could shop early Black Friday deals as early as Monday, Oct. 30, 2023. This was just over a week after the Black Friday ad dropped.

 

5. When is the Costco Cyber Monday sale?

Someone shopping the Costco website for Christmas decor

The online-only Costco Cyber Monday sale always happens for one day only — on Cyber Monday itself. The 2023 sale happened on Monday, Nov. 27, 2023. These deals were only available on Costco.com.

If the pattern continues, we expect the Costco Cyber Monday sale to happen on Dec. 2, 2024.

 

 

6. What were the best deals to shop during Costco Black Friday 2023?

a woman looking at costco holiday ad in store next to a full cart

TVs, electronics, and vacuums are some of the best things to buy during Costco Black Friday. Often we see Costco have lower prices compared to Amazon and Walmart on brands like Ninja, Samsung, Dyson, LG, and more.

Costco’s inventory and sale rules still apply, though: Once items are gone, they’re gone, so you’ll want to be prepared to shop early. As we approach the holidays, check out our Costco Holiday Toys List to see what we’re finding on sale.

 

Best Costco Black Friday deals we saw in 2023:

These deals were active Nov. 13 – 27, 2023:

 

7. What’s not a good deal during Costco Black Friday sales?

a woman holding up a costco black friday holiday savings ad in store

Skip Costco Black Friday if you’re hunting for small kitchen appliances or Christmas trees. As much as I love shopping at Costco during Black Friday, there are just certain things that you should skip out on because there are better deals elsewhere.

 

Small kitchen appliances

The Kohl’s Black Friday sale will have way better deals on appliances from brands like Keurig, Toastmaster, and Ninja, and sale prices start as low as $1.83 with rebates. Once you factor in rebates and Kohl’s Cash, you’ll likely get a better deal on small kitchen appliances at Kohl’s.

For example, during the 2023 Black Friday sale, a Ninja PossibleCooker Pro came out to just $66.49 at Kohl’s after you pocketed $10 in Kohl’s Cash and applied a couple of discount codes. The Costco Black Friday sale price for the same item in 2023 was $79.99.

 

Christmas Trees

You’re better off shopping for Christmas tree deals at Target, Lowe’s, Michaels, or Kohl’s, where the savings are greater.

In 2023, Costco had a 7.5-foot artificial LED Christmas tree for $379.99 (reg. $479.99, so it was 21% off). But Target’s Wondershop brand of trees went to 50% off for a whole week in mid-November, and then they went to 50% off again for one day only on Black Friday, making the prices as low as $27.50 for a 6.5-foot pre-lit tree. And trees at Michaels went to 70% off for Black Friday; we found a 7.5-foot pre-lit tree on sale for just $199.99 (regularly $399.99).

 

8. Are there special Costco holiday food deals in store?

costco pumpkin pie in store

Most definitely. Pick up a bag (or four) of the $4.99 rolls and a Costco pumpkin pie (or three). Tell yourself you’re buying so much to freeze for the holidays, and then shamelessly eat one of the pies when you get home. Best $5.99 you’ll ever spend!

The Costco holiday meal kits are another popular item for Thanksgiving or Christmas. They’re labeled with a price per pound ($3.99), but will feed 7 – 8 people. For a sticker price of around $38, you can feed a crowd for around $4.75 per person.

Here’s what was included in the Turkey Holiday Meal Kit last year:

  • Ready-to-cook turkey breast roast
  • Yukon Gold mashed potatoes
  • Herbed stuffing
  • Fresh green beans
  • Gravy
  • Cranberry sauce

TIP: Don’t forget to swing by the Costco food court for a little snack while you’re shopping, too. You’d better believe they’ll be open — though they don’t slash the price any lower for the $1.50 hot dog combo during Black Friday sales.

 

9. Can you shop Costco Black Friday sales without a membership?

You actually don’t have to be a member to shop at Costco.com on Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or any other day for that matter, but you’ll pay a surcharge as a nonmember.

There’s a whole bunch of things we’ve shared that you can do at Costco without a membership. But in order to take advantage of Black Friday deal prices in person, you have to be a member (and they do enforce the rules about membership card sharing).

As a nonmember, you’ll pay a 5% surcharge on your order, but if you only ever shop at Costco during the holidays, paying that surcharge may be cheaper than forking over the $60 per year membership fee. (If you spend more than $1,200 at Costco, though, you’ll be paying more in surcharges than you would in the membership fee.)

Also note that some items you’ll see on Costco.com — like gaming consoles or Apple deals — may be marked as a “Member Only” deal.

TIP: We put together a handy guide for everything you need to know about Costco memberships.

 

10. Is there price matching during Costco Black Friday?

woman checking out at costco

Not exactly price matching, but definitely price adjusting. The Costco Price Adjustment policy lets you take advantage of early Black Friday deals and then ask for a price adjustment if the price goes down within 30 days.

You do have to wait for the sale to go live, but then your refund will be in the form of a store credit for the price difference. This is a great way to make sure you get what you want at a Black Friday price before it sells out. (The fine print on the form says you can also request a price adjustment for in-warehouse purchases; just stop by the Returns counter.)

TIP: The Costco Price Adjustment policy is hands down the best — especially during the holiday season. But just remember that if you’re shopping Costco online, you won’t always be able to request the in-warehouse price, as those are typically lower across the board.

 

 

11. Is there a special holiday returns policy at Costco?

a receipt being held in front of return counter in costco

Costco’s return policy is so generous that you could, in theory, buy a bunch of stuff everyone hates and then return it all, even if it’s open or used. Your best bet is to scour the Costco Black Friday flyer as soon as it hits, make your list of must-haves, and get ready to purchase the items once the sales go live.

Knowing you can return any item you buy with no questions asked might make your shopping season a little less stressful. Plus, if the price goes down within 30 days, you’re covered by the Costco price adjustment policy.

 

12. Is there free shipping on Costco.com?

A person opening a Costco.com online order box.

Shipping and handling fees are included for many of the products you can add to your cart on Costco.com. But it’s not technically free, since the shipping cost is often baked into the slightly inflated online price you see. In our experience, online prices can be inflated by anywhere from 3% to 38%, it just depends on what you’re buying.

If the online product page says “Shipping & Handling Included,” it’ll likely also include this disclaimer: “May be available In-Warehouse at a lower non-delivered price.” That’s a hint that a better deal is offered in the warehouse.

And even though it’s 2023, Costco in-store pickup isn’t widely available yet.

TIP: One perk of Costco online shopping is that you have access to more payment options — including non-Visa cards — that aren’t accepted at the warehouse.

 

13. Do gift cards go on sale at Costco?

A person holding up two cardboard display cutouts for gift cards sold at Costco. One of the cards is for 4, $25 Cold Stone Creamery gift cards for $69.99

You bet they do. Costco offers a variety of discounted gift cards during the holiday season. Expect to see around $25 in savings, which could be $100 worth of gift cards that you only actually pay $74.99 to buy.

In addition to gift cards for popular restaurants, I often see movie theater gift cards and Disney gift cards this time of year.

These gift card deals were available during the 2023 sale:

 

14. Does Costco take coupons on Black Friday?

a person holding a costco saving book

Costco never takes manufacturer coupons since they offer a bunch of built-in savings in the Costco Coupon Book. But always check for cash-back rebate offers on apps like Ibotta and Fetch Rewards to see if you can squeeze out any extra Black Friday savings. Especially if you’re shopping for household items or personal care essentials at Costco.

In the past, I’ve seen rebates for things like SheaMoisture Shampoo or Conditioner in the Fetch Rewards app, which gave me a $4.50 Fetch credit when I uploaded my Costco receipt showing proof of purchase.

Related: We can teach you a bunch more Costco shopping hacks to maximize your trip to the warehouse.

 

15. What should you do before the Costco Black Friday sale?

a woman scanning a toy with iphone

Definitely download the Amazon app. This will help you make sure Costco’s Black Friday prices beat Amazon’s. While you’re shopping in the warehouse, just scan the item’s barcode with the Amazon app. You’ll instantly see Amazon’s price and can decide whether to put the thing in your Costco cart or add it to your Amazon cart online.

TIP: To access the barcode scanner, tap the camera icon in the search bar of the Amazon app. You’ll then see the barcode icon in the bottom right corner.

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