It feels like it’s been Black Friday for weeks already, but the best deals on popular products are likely still to come. The official Black Friday is Nov. 29, the day after Thanksgiving, and some big sales begin this week.
When to shop Black Friday deals
“Mid-month of November is when you start to see prices really start to pick up, and then Black Friday is when everything is going to really get discounted,” says Samantha Gordon, deals editor at Consumer Reports.
According to Adobe’s 2024 U.S. Holiday Shopping Forecast, the strongest discounts of the season are expected to come between Nov. 22 (a week before Black Friday) and Dec. 2 (Cyber Monday).
Amazon’s official Black Friday sale event runs Nov. 21 through Nov. 29. Best Buy’s big sale starts on Nov. 21, too, and Walmart’s event starts Nov. 25 for online shoppers and Nov. 29 for in-store shoppers.
As peak-season approaches, here’s a list of the best and “worst” Black Friday deals.
Best Black Friday deals of 2024
These categories can help you narrow down your list.
Televisions
Gordon says the best day to buy a TV is on Black Friday.
TVs can go for hundreds of dollars off on Black Friday. The biggest doobusters tend to be reserved for special models made specifically for Black Friday. These sale-specific models are known as derivatives and may feature cheaper components and fewer features than more expensive versions. Still, Gordon says overall quality can be comparable enough to go for it. Just make sure you know how many HDMI ports you need.
If money is tight right now, Super Bowl season — end of January/early February — is the next best time to buy a TV.
Guitars and musical instruments
Do you have a budding musician in the family, or are you a gearhead yourself? Black Friday is a great time to grab deals on instruments. Guitar Center, for example, is advertising up to 50% off on a range of equipment now through Dec. 4.
Popular guitar brand PRS is knocking 15% off SE series guitar models during its holiday sales event. This deal started early and goes long, running from Oct. 17 to Dec. 31.
You can also look for Black Friday price drops on musical instruments at marketplace and resale site Reverb. Save more by getting a deal on something secondhand.
Toys and sporting goods
Here’s an interesting prediction from the Adobe forecast. The deepest discounts of the season on toys and sporting goods are expected to come on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28. Adobe says you can expect discounts of 27% and 20% off, respectively.
Some major stores like Target and Dick’s Sporting Goods will be closed on Thanksgiving, but you can browse for deals online before or after the big meal.
Headphones
Headphones and earbuds are popular gadgets that make great Christmas gifts. Gordon says you can count on good deals from reputable brands like Bose, Sony and Apple on and around Black Friday.
NerdWallet watched the price of popular headphones models Apple AirPods Pro and Bose QuietComfort 45 through all the major holiday sales last year. Both sets dipped to a lowest-observed price on Black Friday 2023.
Vacuums
Gordon says vacuums, which tend to be discounted all year long, feature more worthwhile deals this time of year.
“Vacuums get really good discounts around Black Friday,” she says.
Consumer Reports reviews and rates top picks for vacuums. Gordon expects popular brands like Dyson, iRobot and Miele to be discounted on and around Black Friday.
If you’re in the market, you can use a price-tracking site to check the price history and confirm the quality of the deal. Gordon recommends the Keepa browser extension, an Amazon price tracker that runs in the background while you shop. Honey and Capital One Shopping are other useful shopping browser extensions.
Anything with a plug (including large home appliances)
Smart home devices, personal gadgets, laptops, tablets and even major appliances are all fair game on Black Friday, says Andrea Woroch, a personal finance writer and consumer savings expert.
You’re probably not going to give your mom or dad a new refrigerator or dishwasher for Christmas, but you may need one for your own house.
Gordon says it’s a really good time to look because there are a lot of large appliances sales this time of year and the deals tend to be slightly better than at other times of the year. Look for sales at Best Buy, Home Depot, Lowe’s and local appliance stores.
“Worst” Black Friday deals
It’s difficult to give any products a hard pass on Black Friday, but here’s a hard and fast rule from Woroch: A discount of 10% to 20% probably isn’t worth it. Here are a few possible skips.
Small kitchen gadgets
Of course you’re going to find discounts on coffee makers, air fryers, toasters and stand mixers on Black Friday, but wait out the week and you may do better on Cyber Monday, which is Dec. 2 this year.
NerdWallet’s price-tracking data shows prices on popular items like KitchenAid mixers, Instant Pot air fryers and Nespresso coffee makers have historically gone lower on Cyber Monday than Black Friday.
Linens, towels and comforters
It’s not January yet, so wait to buy bedding. Woroch says you can expect stores like Macy’s, Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel to host traditional white sale events at the beginning of the new year.
That said, there’s always a chance for a good brand-name find at stores like HomeGoods, T.J. Maxx and Marshalls any time of year, she adds.
Beauty, footwear and clothing
It may be hard to hold back on these fun buys, but Woroch says to wait for Cyber Monday to get shoes, beauty products and clothing.
“That’s when stores like Old Navy, Gap, Athleta and even Lululemon have sitewide sales,” she says.
This is a good reminder that the “cyber” in Cyber Monday doesn’t stand for electronics. Cyber Monday isn’t necessarily tech-heavy, according to Gordon.
“It's meant to be on an online shopping day. And there are more online deals than in-store deals,” she says.
Black Friday isn’t the be-all and end-all
You don’t have to put all your eggs in one Black Friday basket, especially if you find your budget tapped out.
Woroch says retailers will be hosting more sale events in December, featuring deal drops and doing what they can to keep people shopping.
“The Saturday before Christmas is big,” she adds. It’s called Super Saturday and is a last-ditch effort to get consumers to spend.
Woroch also suggests asking yourself this important question as you shop: “Are you racking up a balance that’s going to be too high for you to pay off?”
Because carrying credit card debt and paying interest can turn even the best Black Friday deal into a bad one.
