When do Black Friday sales start? Sale times for Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Target.

Table of Contents

Despite Amazon's best efforts with its much-hyped Prime Day events, Black Friday remains the biggest shopping holiday of the year by far. It always takes place on the fourth Friday in November (and the day after Thanksgiving), which happens to fall fairly late in the month in 2025. For consumers, that means two things: There's a shorter-than-usual window for last-minute Christmas shopping, but more-than-usual leeway for scoping out Black Friday deals in advance. Plan accordingly.

Here are the nitty-gritty details you need to know about the Black Friday sales at major retailers in order to strategize and score the best deals this season.

When is Black Friday 2025?

With Thanksgiving slated for Thursday, Nov. 27, Black Friday is happening on Friday, Nov. 28 this year.

That being said, most major retailers have already begun rolling out "early Black Friday deals" well ahead of time (that is, weeks in advance). Some will draw things out even longer with Black Friday discounts that bleed into the following weekend. In practice, Black Friday is not restricted to a rigid 24-hour timeframe.

The same goes for Cyber Monday, a similar but more online-centric shopping holiday that happens the same weekend. (It's scheduled for Monday, Dec. 1, in 2025.) Most retailers will shift into Cyber Monday mode by the Saturday after Black Friday. The lines between the two deal-shopping holidays have been permanently blurred. The entire weekend's festivities are typically referred to as "Cyber Weekend."

Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and Target have already gotten the ball rolling on their Black Friday sales this year. Here's what their schedules look like in 2025.

Black Friday at Best Buy

Best Buy got things started scary early this year, with its initial batch of holiday deals — dubbed doorBOOsters — dropping on Halloween. The electronics retailer will drop new doorbusters on select tech every Friday throughout the holiday season.

The main event, aka Best Buy's official Black Friday sale, will run in stores and online from Thursday, Nov. 20, through Friday, Nov. 29. The calendar flips to Cyber Sunday and Monday on Nov. 30, and Best Buy promises "up to 50% off select tech" as well as more limited-time deals during this event.

As this is all happening, Best Buy continues to launch limited-time deals and restocks in its mobile app as part of its Drops program throughout the holidays.

If you're planning on scoping out Best Buy's Black Friday deals early, know that you're covered by its Holiday Price Match Guarantee in case anything you buy there gets cheaper down the road. Its Extended Holiday Return and Exchange Policy is also in effect; most items purchased at Best Buy through Dec. 31 can be returned up to Jan. 14, 2025.

In-person shoppers can take advantage of Best Buy's extended holiday store hours — check your local store's listing for specifics.

Best Buy Black Friday hours

Best Buy's brick-and-mortar stores will be open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time on Black Friday. Feel free to camp out like old times if you're hoping to score a high-demand item. Just note that Best Buy may employ a ticketing system "for the safety and security of customers and employees."

Best Buy stores will be closed on Thanksgiving Day.

Black Friday at Walmart

Walmart's first Black Friday sale of the season kicked off on Nov. 14 (with Walmart+ members getting a five-hour head start), but things have cooled off since. The next of the retailer's planned holiday events will run online only from Tuesday, Nov. 25, through Thursday, Nov. 27, with the official Black Friday sale happening in stores and online from Friday, Nov. 28, through Sunday, Nov. 30. An online-only Cyber Monday sale on Dec. 1 will follow. Walmart+ members will get early access to Black Friday deals starting on Monday, Nov. 24, at 7 p.m. and Cyber Monday deals starting on Sunday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m.

Walmart’s Cyber Week events promise "bigger savings, with thousands of deals under $20, exciting new brands up to 60% off, and the fastest, easiest holiday shopping experience yet," according to a press release.

Those who haven't signed up for Walmart+ yet can save 50% on an annual membership through Dec. 2 and score early access to deals.

Walmart doesn't offer any sort of holiday price match guarantee, but shoppers can return most items purchased there from now through Dec. 31 until Jan. 31, 2026, per its extended holiday return policy.

Walmart Black Friday hours

Walmart stores will be open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. local time on Black Friday, the day its second Black Friday Deals event goes in-person. They'll be closed on Thanksgiving.

Black Friday at Target

This year, Target launched its holiday savings on Nov. 6, with early deals on holiday decor and toys. The official Black Friday shopping event will kick off Sunday, Nov. 23, and run through Saturday, Nov. 29, with savings of up to 50% off across top categories. A boatload of more deals will drop exclusively from Nov. 27 through 29 for Black Friday proper. Target Circle 360 members will get early access to select deals. The savings season wraps up with Target's Cyber Monday Event from Nov. 30 through Dec. 1, featuring online-only deals.

Target is also making its in-store shopping experience more immersive than ever, with exclusive product launches and surprise giveaways. The first 100 shoppers at every store on Black Friday proper will receive a tote packed with holiday favorites. Meanwhile, 10 lucky shoppers per store will also take home prizes ranging from $99 to $350.

Target stood alone as the sole retailer with an official price-matching policy last Black Friday, but has since ended that policy. Bummer. Fortunately, the retailer still has its holiday price match policy, which allows you to price match against Target's own prices, from now through Dec. 24.

Target Black Friday hours

Target stores will open at 6 a.m. local time on Black Friday. They'll be closed on Thanksgiving: Target CEO Brian Cornell made that a permanent company policy in 2021.

Black Friday at Amazon

Once again, Amazon is hosting a "Black Friday Week" savings event that will run from Thursday, Nov. 20, through Cyber Monday on Dec. 1. Banners will likely change over from Black Friday to Cyber Monday on Saturday, Nov. 29.

Amazon offers no price matches throughout its Cyber Week events, but you'll usually find the best prices there anyway.

Amazon will also air its third Black Friday NFL game on Nov. 30 via Prime Video. (The Chicago Bears face the Philadelphia Eagles, with kickoff slated for 3 p.m. ET) New discounts on toys, electronics, and apparel will be up for grabs during the game. Fans can shop simultaneously as they watch with an enhanced "Shop the Game" experience.