Black Friday 2026 is Nov. 27, but Target’s early sale starts Nov. 5, Best Buy’s on Nov. 6 and Walmart’s on Nov. 12. Here’s every confirmed date, what Walmart+ and Target Circle get you, and when it’s smartest to buy.
Black Friday 2026 is Nov. 27, but Target’s early sale starts Nov. 5, Best Buy’s on Nov. 6 and Walmart’s on Nov. 12. Here’s every confirmed date, what Walmart+ and Target Circle get you, and when it’s smartest to buy.
Kara
Black Friday 2026 is Friday, November 27, and Cyber Monday is November 30. But the big sales start much earlier this year: Target’s Early Black Friday Sale opens Thursday, November 5, Best Buy’s Early Black Friday Deals arrive Friday, November 6, and Walmart’s first event kicks off November 12. Amazon and Costco haven’t announced their main sale dates yet. Here’s the full calendar, what membership perks actually get you, and how to decide when to buy.
If you only want to shop once, the sweet spot is Monday, November 23 through Saturday, November 28, when Walmart’s main Black Friday event and Best Buy’s 10-day doorbuster run overlap, as Digital Citizen points out.
Target has the earliest dated sale on the calendar. Its official Black Friday page says the Early Black Friday Sale “is back for 3 days, from 11/5–11/7,” with more deal details still to come. After that, Target says new limited-time offers will drop every weekend through the holidays.
Target’s Deal of the Day returned on November 1 and runs through December 24. According to USA Today, this year shoppers also get a one-day preview of upcoming daily deals, so you can see what’s coming before it goes live. Target is also rolling out more than 8,000 new holiday gifts, with most new holiday items priced at $20 or less.
You need a Target Circle account for offers labeled as Circle deals. The program is free to join. Target Circle 360 is the separate paid membership, and Target’s corporate site describes early access for 360 members during its deal events. Target hasn’t yet said when its Thanksgiving-week Black Friday sale starts. Last year it announced that week only three days before it opened, so expect short notice.
Best Buy’s official holiday calendar lays out the season in stages:
Two policies make Best Buy the safest place to buy early. First, its Holiday Price Match Guarantee means that if the price of a product sold by Best Buy drops during the holiday season, Best Buy says it will match it. Second, its extended holiday return policy lets you return most purchases made Oct. 30 through Dec. 31 until January 15, 2027 (January 31 for My Best Buy Plus and Total members). Those members also earn double rewards from Nov. 19 to Dec. 6.
Shopping for a laptop? Prices have been under pressure this year, so read our explainer on what Intel’s warning means for PC prices and our breakdown of the touchscreen MacBook Pro’s price and specs before you commit.
Walmart announced three holiday events on October 26 in a company news release:
Deals go live on Walmart.com at 12:01 a.m. ET and in stores at 6 a.m. local time on Nov. 12.
The online event starts at 12:01 a.m. ET on Nov. 23, but stores don’t join until Friday, Nov. 27 at 6 a.m. local time. That means the first four days are online only.
This one is online only, starting at 12:01 a.m. ET.
Walmart+ members get early access to “hot Deal drops” at 12:01 a.m. ET on Nov. 12 and again on Nov. 23. Anything left opens to everyone 24 hours later. Walmart also says select online-only deals are reserved for members for their first 24 hours, while supplies last. You don’t need a membership to shop the sales, but if you’re chasing a popular toy or a limited TV deal, that 24-hour head start matters. Walmart now offers a Walmart+ and Sam’s Club Plus bundle for $120 a year; we covered what the bundle includes and how to switch.
Amazon’s Black Friday FAQ confirms Black Friday on Nov. 27 and Cyber Monday on Nov. 30, and says early deals are already available in its Holiday Shop. It also points shoppers to Alexa for Shopping to track prices and set deal alerts. What it doesn’t give is a start date for the main event.
For context, Amazon announced its 2025 Black Friday Week on November 10, ten days before it started on November 20, and it ran through December 1, according to Digital Citizen. A similar timeline this year is plausible, but Amazon hasn’t confirmed anything. If you’re buying high-demand electronics on Amazon, it’s also worth reading our guide to what to do if Amazon cancels your order or locks your account.
Costco hasn’t announced its Black Friday dates yet. We’ll update this guide when it does.
Friday, November 27, 2026. Cyber Monday is Monday, November 30.
Among the big retailers with dated events, Target is first with its Early Black Friday Sale on Nov. 5 to 7, followed by Best Buy’s early deals on Nov. 6. Best Buy also started DoorBOOsters on Oct. 30.
No. Both say their stores will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, but their websites and apps stay open for deals.
Amazon hasn’t announced it as of November 4, 2026. Early deals are live in its Holiday Shop now.
No. Walmart, Target and Best Buy sales are open to everyone. Memberships mostly buy early access to select deals (Walmart+, Target Circle 360) or extra rewards and a longer return window (My Best Buy Plus and Total).
Featured image: “Black Friday” by Powhusku from Laramie, WY, USA (Wikimedia Commons), licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, resized.
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