Everything to know about Black Friday 2025: Store hours, price matching, more

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Anyone who's had even a cursory brush with online shopping in the last few weeks has noticed the shift — Black Friday 2025 is here.

The shopping holiday, which could more accurately be described as a shopping mega-event, has retailers dropping sales all throughout the month of November and into early December. The days of lining up outside of your local Target in the freezing late-night hours of Thanksgiving are long gone. The sheer amount of savings that can be found online during Black Friday and Cyber Week is unmatched by any other sale.

Great as the savings potential may be, it's an overwhelming amount of information for any normal person to take in. But that's exactly the type of chaos that our team of shopping experts is used to, and we've been sourcing the Black Friday deals worth your money around the clock. We've also created this guide to Black Friday to give you the professional inside scoop on how to make the most out of the sales, from tracking store opening times to price matching policies to tips on how to fact-check sale price history. Just want to see the best deals? We're tracking those by the hour, too — here are 100+ of the best Black Friday deals from Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target, and more.

When is Black Friday 2025 officially?

The actual date of Black Friday falls on Friday, Nov. 28. However, most retailers' sales are live before and after the actual day of Black Friday. Here are some of the major retailer sales we're tracking this year:

• Amazon: Amazon's Black Friday sale starts Thursday, Nov. 20, and ends on Monday, Dec. 1.

• Best Buy: In-stores and online from Thursday, Nov. 20 to Friday, Nov. 29.

• Walmart: Online only from Tuesday, Nov. 25 to Thursday, Nov. 27; online and in-store from Friday, Nov. 28 to Sunday, Nov. 30; online only for Cyber Monday on Dec. 1.

• Target: Target's Black Friday sale starts Sunday, Nov. 23, and runs through Saturday, Nov. 29. Stores are closed on Thanksgiving Day. More deals will drop from Nov. 27 to Nov. 29.

When do stores open on Black Friday?

Seasoned shoppers are painfully aware that in-store Black Friday shopping hours start early. While "the crack of dawn" isn't exactly specific enough, the main retailers are making it easy this year: Best Buy, Walmart, and Target stores all open at 6 a.m. on Black Friday 2025, or Nov. 28. Here's a quick rundown of each big store's Black Friday hours into Cyber Weekend hours, all in your local time:

Best Buy: Best Buy opens at 6 a.m. on Black Friday 2025, closing at 10 p.m. On Saturday, Nov. 29, Best Buy opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 10 p.m. On Sunday, Nov. 30, Best Buy opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 9 p.m. On Cyber Monday, Best Buy opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 10 p.m.

Walmart: Walmart opens at 6 a.m. on Black Friday 2025 and closes at 11 p.m., following the retailer's regular business hours. Walmart's Cyber Weekend store hours follow this same schedule. Double-check the normal business hours of your local Walmart.

Target: Target opens at 6 a.m. on Black Friday 2025 and closes at regular closing time, which is typically 11 p.m. on weekends. Target will be open at its regular weekend hours on Saturday and Sunday, which is usually 7 or 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Times vary by location.

How long do Black Friday sales last?

Though Black Friday deals start weeks early, most sales wrap up with Cyber Monday, which this year falls on Monday, Dec. 1. Historically, we have seen some deals linger into Tuesday (and sometimes even the rest of what's called Cyber Week), but if that's the case, we'll be sure to track any markdowns in our ongoing deals coverage.

What deals will be available on Black Friday?

Though the when of Black Friday has changed over the years, the what of Black Friday stays true to its origins. That's to say, if you're shopping for tech gadgets, appliances, home and kitchen products, toys, or even cars, then Black Friday will likely be the best time of the year to shop. In terms of tech, we especially recommend taking advantage of Black Friday deals on TVs, laptops, headphones, Apple products, Amazon devices, and robot vacuums, all of which typically see new record-low sale prices for the year during Black Friday.

Granted, nothing is really off limits on Black Friday — you're likely to find pretty much anything under the sun on sale during the shopping holiday. We've spotted lots of unbeatable deals on outdoor and camping gear, Lego and toys, gaming consoles, stocking stuffers, and reusable water bottles on sale in years' past.

In particular, the biggest Black Friday discounts in 2025 are on these products:

• QLED and OLED TVs from Samsung, Sony, LG, Hisense, and TCL, plus Fire TVs

• Apple MacBooks, iPads, and AirPods

• Power stations from Jackery, Anker, and Bluetti

• Robot vacuums from Eufy, Roborock, and Dreame, and cordless stick vacuums from Dyson and Shark

• Streaming services like Hulu and HBO Max

• Amazon devices, including Echo speakers, Eero Wi-Fi extenders, security cameras

• E-readers like Kindles, as well as books

• Video games, gaming laptops, and Nintendo Switch and PS5 bundles

• Wearable fitness trackers from Oura, Garmin, Whoop, and Fitbit

• Flagship headphones and earbuds from Bose, Sony, Beats, JBL, and Apple

• Household essentials and cleaning products

• Designer clothing and accessories

• Skincare, hair tools, and grooming products

• Kitchen appliances, both countertop gadgets and large appliances like refrigerators

The top Black Friday deals so far

Most official Black Friday sales haven't kicked off just yet, but the spirit of the season is certainly there with early Black Friday deals we're spotting. Here are some of the best:

We're live tracking the Best Black Friday deals across the internet — check out our handpicked list of 100+ Black Friday deals that are actually worth your money.

Do any stores price-match Black Friday deals?

Short answer: not really, or at least, not against each other. Long answer: Earlier this year, Target ended its price-matching policy, which allowed customers to price-match from competitors' stock at the time of purchase or within 14 days. Target stood alone as the sole retailer with an official price-matching policy last Black Friday.

This year, Target still has its holiday price match policy, which allows you to price match against Target's own prices, from Nov. 1 to Dec. 24. That means if you buy something at Target and it gets discounted later, you can get still get the discount. Best Buy also offers a price match policy year-round, but it excludes products on sale from "the Thursday before Thanksgiving Day through the Monday after Thanksgiving," essentially excluding them from Black Friday price matching. Amazon and Walmart offer no price match policies.

How to shop smart on Black Friday

It's easy to get caught up in the swarm of markdowns and record-low prices that pop up during Black Friday. The best way to avoid buyer's remorse and actually score the savings you want? Come in with a plan and understanding the tools at your disposal. Here's what we mean:

Make a game plan

This may seem basic, but making a list of what you're shopping for can go such a long way to avoid deals FOMO. Begin by creating a list for yourself, and then consider what holiday gifts you need to purchase. This can help you whittle down the absolute essentials of what you want to grab.

That said, it's also great to have a general understanding of what will be available, so take a peek at the latest Black Friday ad scans (again, ideally after you've made your own list). For your convenience, we've perused the major ones, including Amazon, Walmart, Target, Lowe's, and Home Depot.

As a final step, having a sense of your holiday shopping budget can be helpful in avoiding overspending (or at the very least, having some awareness that it's happening).

Organize your Amazon wishlist

In line with making a game plan, you'll want to dust off your Amazon wishlist and make sure it's up to date. Amazon has convenient wishlist alert features, which can definitely come in handy during the chaos of Black Friday.

Download retailer apps

As annoying as having too many apps on your phone can be, downloading apps from retailers like Best Buy and Walmart can make shopping easier and give you access to exclusive deals. That's especially true for Best Buy, which likes to offer limited-time deals available only on its app.

Use price tracking tools

Tracking a product's price history is a pretty fool-proof way to make sure the Black Friday price you're seeing is actually that product's lowest price of the year. The unanimous favorite of the Mashable Shopping team is camelcamelcamel, an Amazon price tracking tool that details essential knowledge like that item's sale price history throughout the rest of the year.

If you're seeing a good Black Friday deal at another retailer like Best Buy or Walmart, you can still check that product's price history at Amazon to see if Best Buy or Walmart is actually offering a new and exciting price. For example, that's how we found out that Best Buy's Black Friday deal on the coveted 65-inch LG C5 isn't that special — the same TV had been at that Black Friday price on Amazon since October.

Of course, we also recommend following along the Mashable shopping team's Black Friday coverage — we make sure to take the full context of a deal into account to only choose the best of the best.

Which day has cheaper deals, Black Friday or Cyber Monday?

While these were once two distinct days of deals, the month-long-ifcation of Black Friday essentially means that both Black Friday and Cyber Monday get wrapped up into one long wave of discounts to punctuate the end of the month. That's not to say what's available on Black Friday will absolutely be better or worse than what's available on Cyber Monday.

Historically, we've seen really good TV deals on Black Friday sell out by Cyber Monday, while laptop deals tend to stick around (and therefore, be worth holding out for any additional price drops come Cyber Monday). Ultimately, though, if you see a deal you're interested in during Black Friday weekend, chances are it's worth grabbing it when you spot it.