The Ultimate Black Friday Guide: History, Dates, and Shopping Tips

Black Friday is the undisputed heavyweight champion of the retail world, serving as the official launch of the winter holiday shopping season. Known for high-volume in-store doorbusters, massive online electronics price slashes, and intense retail crowds, it is a day where smart consumers can score the deepest discounts of the entire year if they plan ahead.

When is Black Friday?

Black Friday always takes place on the Friday immediately following Thanksgiving Day in the United States. Because Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November, the exact calendar date of Black Friday changes every year.

To help you map out your long-term holiday budget and pre-load your retail carts well in advance, here are the official Black Friday dates for the next five years:

• 2026: November 27, 2026

• 2027: November 26, 2027

• 2028: November 24, 2028

• 2029: November 23, 2029

• 2030: November 29, 2030

Who Started Black Friday? The True History

While many people believe the phrase comes from retailers finally moving out of financial deficits (the "red") and becoming profitable (the "black"), the true history of the observance belongs to traffic police officers in Philadelphia during the 1950s and 1960s.

The Philadelphia police used the term "Black Friday" to describe the chaotic, disruptive, and congested atmosphere that choked the city on the day after Thanksgiving. Massive crowds of suburban shoppers and tourists would flood downtown sidewalks and stores ahead of the annual Army-Navy football game held that Saturday. The influx created massive traffic jams, forced police officers to work grueling 12-hour shifts without leave, and gave rise to the "Black Friday" moniker.

By the late 1980s, retailers across the United States successfully rebranded the term. They turned it into a positive marketing phenomenon by pointing to the accounting narrative of stores finally seeing clear profits for the year.

Related Shopping Observances

The modern holiday shopping kickoff has grown far beyond a single Friday afternoon. If you want to master your holiday budget, you need to navigate an entire block of highly competitive retail milestones that border this famous Friday.

• Shopping Reminder Day - Falling just two days before Black Friday on November 25, this serves as a built-in countdown reminder. Use this day to finalize your gift list, establish strict spending limits, and organize your favorite e-commerce wishlists before the discounts drop.

• Buy Nothing Day - Celebrated on the exact same Friday as Black Friday, this international counter-cultural observance offers an alternative perspective. It is designed for those who choose to completely skip the corporate mall madness to focus instead on anti-consumerism, family time, and reusing what you already own.

• Small Business Saturday - Celebrated the day after Black Friday on November 28, 2026, this event encourages shoppers to support local merchants, independent boutiques, and neighborhood creators rather than large retail chains.

• Cyber Monday - The Monday following Thanksgiving falling on November 30, 2026, focuses entirely on online retail deals, tech savings, and digital commerce

Expert Tips to Master the Black Friday Rush

Navigating the busiest retail event of the year requires strategy, patience, and a solid game plan. To help you protect your wallet and beat the crowds, here are our top expert shopping tips for mastering Black Friday:

1. Finalize Your Gift List on Shopping Reminder Day

Do not wait until the doors open to decide what you are buying. Use November 25th (Shopping Reminder Day) to finalize your gift recipient list, write down specific items, and set a hard financial cap for your total holiday budget.

2. Spot Real Deals Versus Artificial Inflation

Retailers frequently inflate the original "MSRP" or baseline price of an item in the months leading up to November just to make a holiday markdown look steeper than it actually is. Use digital price trackers to check the historical pricing data of an item before assuming a holiday discount is a genuine bargain.

3. Pre-Load Your Digital Shopping Carts

The best online doorbusters sell out within seconds. Log into your favorite e-commerce platforms the week before Thanksgiving, add your targeted items directly to your shopping carts, and ensure your digital wallets and shipping addresses are completely up to date for a fast checkout.

4. Know the Door-Buster Return Policies

Not every Black Friday clearance item is returnable. Holiday return windows often differ significantly from a store's standard year-round policy. Always verify if an item is a "final sale" or if the merchant extends their return deadlines through January for holiday gifting.

5. Prioritize Your Shopping Milestones

Remember that Black Friday is no longer a standalone event. If you miss a major tech markdown, you can often find comparable digital clearance prices on Cyber Monday. Likewise, consider saving a portion of your holiday budget to intentionally support local artisans and independent makers on Small Business Saturday.

Black Friday Store Directory: Opening Times & Best Deals

While online shopping continues to grow every year, millions of bargain hunters still head out early on Friday morning to catch physical doorbusters. Over the last few years, a major shift has occurred: almost all major retail chains now remain completely closed on Thanksgiving Day, choosing instead to launch their in-store events early on Friday morning. [1]

To help you map out your morning route, here is a directory of the top national retail stores, their typical Black Friday opening times, and the specific product categories where they offer the deepest discounts: [1]

Major National Retailers

Wal-Mart

• Doors Open: 6:00 AM local time.

• Best Deal Categories: Budget-tier 4K smart TVs, children's toys, Lego sets, holiday pajamas, and small kitchen appliances like air fryers and instant pots.

• Shopping Tip: Walmart heavily promotes its online "Early Access" deals days before the physical store doors open.

Target

• Doors Open: 6:00 AM local time.

• Best Deal Categories: Apple ecosystem products (AirPods and iPads), holiday home decor, artificial Christmas trees, board games, and beauty gift sets.

• Shopping Tip: Target frequently runs "gift card with purchase" promotions, giving you a $10 to $20 Target gift card back when you buy specific household or baby essentials.

Best Buy

• Doors Open: 6:00 AM local time.

• Best Deal Categories: Mid-to-high-end laptops (especially MacBooks and Chromebooks), video game console bundles (PlayStation and Nintendo Switch), smart home security systems, and premium headphones.

• Shopping Tip: Best Buy's doorbusters on major computer brands often feature identical price cuts online, saving you from waiting in the cold.

Department & Apparel Stores

JCPenney

• Doors Open: 5:00 AM local time.

• Best Deal Categories: Extreme price liquidations on boots, fine jewelry, family pajamas, and home textiles.

Kohl's

• Doors Open: 5:00 AM local time.

• Best Deal Categories: Bedding sets, bath towels, family apparel, winter coats, and luggage.

• Shopping Tip: Keep an eye out for their famous "Kohl's Cash" incentives, which typically reward you with $15 back for every $50 you spend during the event

Macy's

• Doors Open: 6:00 AM local time.

• Best Deal Categories: Designer perfumes and colognes, fine jewelry, name-brand cold-weather apparel, and premium cookware systems.

Home Improvement & Warehouse Clubs

The Home Depot & Lowe's

• Doors Open: 6:00 AM local time.

• Best Deal Categories: Power tool combo kits, heavy-duty rolling tool chests, smart thermostats, live fresh-cut holiday greenery, and large kitchen appliances.

Costco Wholesale

• Doors Open: 9:00 AM for Executive Members; 10:00 AM for standard members.

• Best Deal Categories: Wholesale-sized electronics packages, discounted restaurant and retail gift cards, diamond jewelry, and premium mattress sets.

Gear Up for Your Best Shopping Season Yet

Whether you plan to brave the early morning store crowds or hunt for the deepest discounts online from the comfort of your own home, approaching Black Friday with a clear strategy is the absolute best way to save both time and money. By keeping track of upcoming dates, mapping out your store routes, and shopping intentionally across related events like Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, you can cross every item off your holiday gift list without blowing your budget. Happy holiday hunting!

Happy Shopping!