Black Friday officially starts on November 29, but if you plan on making that the only day you shop for gifts this holiday season, you're missing out. Several notable retailers including Best buy and AimThey have already started rolling out their Christmas discounts online and in stores. Both retailers also offer price protection during most of the holiday shopping season, so if you shop early and the same item drops to a lower price, you can retroactively get that better deal.
Whether you take advantage of the slew of early holiday deals or wait until the day after Thanksgiving, it's important to know how major retailers are handling the shopping event this year. If you plan to spend some money, here are the timelines and expectations for amazon, Walmart, Target, and all the major retailers we know.
amazon has yet to announce a full Black Friday playbook, but it does amazon.com/b/?node=122248329011&ref_=nav_cs_events_holi_2024_desktop&tag=theverge02-20″>have a landing page full of vacation dealswhich the retailer can upgrade and make their primary hub for Black Friday as well as Cyber Monday. There aren't many initial deals worth mentioning, at least in terms of technology, but amazon is currently discounting a few pairs of Beats headphones. This includes the Beats Solo 4 and Beats Studio Pro, which are on sale for amazon.com/Beats-Solo-Wireless-Headphones-Matte/dp/B0CZPLV566/?tag=theverge02-20″>$99.99 ($100 off) and amazon.com/Beats-Studio-Pro-Personalized-Compatibility/dp/B0C8PR4W22/?tag=theverge02-20″>$169.99 ($180 off)respectively.
Just keep in mind that amazon doesn't offer price matching, so price “protection” for many amazon shoppers means buying the item at the lowest price and returning the original, which, unfortunately, is a waste.
black friday has already started to some extent at Best Buy, and the retailer is offering several special deals through its ““Christmas Savings” Eventwhich will run until November 7. That said, the first wave of early Black Friday deals will launch on Friday, November 8, with new deals to follow every Friday until November 20. They are open to everyone, although those who subscribe My Best Buy Plus or My Best Buy Total You will have access every Thursday before they become more available.
Best Buy's main Black Friday event, which will feature returning hits and new deals, is scheduled to begin on November 21 (yes, that's eight full days for a singular “Black Friday Sale”). Meanwhile, the retailer's Cyber Monday promotion will begin on Sunday, December 1, meaning Best Buy will be running sales throughout the month of November.
Best Buy shoppers also get price protection, ensuring that if they purchase a qualifying item and receive a larger discount between November 1 and December 31, they can request a refund for the difference until January 14. As with some of the Black Friday deals, you'll want to make sure you're signed in with your My Best Buy account while browsing to ensure you get the lowest price.
Like Best Buy, Target has launched a “Deal of the Day” holiday promotion, which runs through December 24 for members of its free Target Circle program. Target will also host a Early Black Friday Dealwhich will begin on November 7 and last until November 9.
Every Sunday in November, Target will release new deals in-store and online, which you can preview a week in advance using Target Weekly Circular. Target says it will offer the best prices during the holiday season; However, the retailer also has a vacation price matching policy valid if you offer a better deal on an item from now until December 24. Just keep in mind that you may need to return to the store where you purchased the product to receive a price match or call Target guest services for online purchases.
Walmart plan to start deploying his black friday deals in multiple waves. The first begins online at 12 pm ET on Monday, November 11 for paying Walmart Plus subscribers (or at 5 pm ET for everyone else). An in-store sale will follow on November 15 at 6 a.m. local time.
The second wave begins online at 12 pm ET on Monday, November 25 for Walmart Plus members (or 5 pm ET for everyone else). An in-store sale will follow on Black Friday proper (November 29) at 6 a.m. local time.
Walmart will then hold its Cyber Monday sale online for Walmart Plus members starting at 5 p.m. ET on December 1, before opening it to non-members at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
If you want to get early access to any of the waves mentioned above, Walmart offers 50 percent off a Walmart Plus annual membership until December 2. The current promotion reduces the cost of their premium service to $49 per year. In addition to early access to all of Walmart's holiday discounts, Plus members also get free delivery on millions of products.
There is no word yet on Black Friday details from GameStop. We expect to hear more soon about store hours on Black Friday and possibly Thanksgiving, as well as some details about the type of gaming deals it plans to offer during the holiday season.
Newegg has already begun to abandon its black friday deals. Like other retailers, it also offers price protectionso you can choose to buy early without having to worry about possible discounts in the future. Newegg notes price-protected items with a colorful badge near the product name until November 20, and if that product drops in price on or before November 30, Newegg will automatically refund the difference to the original payment method.
costco recently announced two sales events before Black Friday, including a “Holiday Savings” event that runs until December 2 online and in store. There is also an online “November Savings” promotion, which will be valid until November 30. Costco will continue to launch new deals throughout November, which you can preview here. There aren't many tech highlights (yet), but Costco will discount the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Noise Canceling Headphones to $229.99 ($70 off) starting November 18. Costco will also offer a $50 gift card to one of several retailers, including Apple and Google.
