Updated on Oct. 14, 2021 to include info about Best Buy’s Black Friday plans.
The best early Black Friday deals as of Oct. 14:
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BEST ROBOT VACUUM DEAL: — $175.99 (save $104)
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BEST TV DEAL: — $899.99 (save $100)
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BEST ECHO DEAL: — $99.99 (save $30)
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BEST KITCHEN DEAL: — $179.95 (save $120.05)
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BEST APPLE DEAL: — $449 (save $100)
When you realized we’ve entered our second pandemic holiday shopping season?
Ready or not, Black Friday is coming
Yes, stores are already cramming your inbox with early Black Friday deals. Yes, it’s only mid-October. It may seem a bit pre-emptive, like those neighbors who insist on putting up their Christmas decorations before the leaves fall, but they actually have a very good reason to get a jump on this year’s sales. (No, it’s not just a good, old-fashioned cash grab in response to some .)
Three words: Supply chain chaos.
Under circumstances absolutely no one had on their bingo card, and have gotten as elusive as . Blame the , which continues to inflame pandemic-related material scarcities, labor shortages, and delivery delays across industries of all kinds. Unsurprisingly, this ordeal has left manufacturers and retailers scrambling; , Home Depot, and Ikea have actually gone so far as to to make sure their shelves are stocked for the holidays.
As such, finding the best deals this Black Friday will be a question of availability more so than price.
“There will always be sales, but they won’t be as deep and as plentiful,” Bain & Company’s Aaron Cheris told last month. (He’s the head of the consulting firm’s Americas Retail practice.) “As a retailer or a brand, I don’t have the same motivation when I know I’m going to stock out.”
Since planning ahead will be your best defense against backorders and “sold out” notices, we’re rolling out our Black Friday coverage way earlier than usual this year. (The early bird gets the Nintendo Switch bundle, so to speak.) We’ll be updating this post with the best deals as sales start to pop up — in the meantime, here are all the must-know details you’ll need ahead of time.
Credit: Vicky Leta / Mashable
What is Black Friday?
Black Friday is a shopping holiday that takes place every year on the day right after Thanksgiving. It used to be synonymous with viral fistfights and stampedes and lines that stretched around city blocks before 3 a.m., but COVID-19 has turned it into a mostly online event.
When is Black Friday?
While Black Friday proper falls on Nov. 26 this year, several stores have already begun trickling out their holiday doorbusters.
— what’s the difference?
The National Retail Federation officially the term “Cyber Monday” in 2005 after it noticed that in previous years, the Monday after Thanksgiving saw a massive uptick in online sales. It credited the phenomenon to two factors: Online retailers were starting to vie for a piece of the Black Friday pie, and shoppers were waiting to peruse the deals on their faster work computers come Monday morning. (At the time, office PCs had better broadband than home setups.)
Last year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales effectively bled together since in-person shopping wasn’t really a thing. We’ll almost certainly see that repeat this coming November.
What stores will be open for in-person shopping this Black Friday, if any?
Most major retailers’ Black Friday hours are still TBD, but we already know that , , , , and will close their doors on Thanksgiving Day. (That’s another big change from pre-pandemic years, when many stayed open on the federal holiday so that eager shoppers could get a jump on their best deals.) If you feel the urgent need to do some post-pie shopping that day, you’ll have to crack open your laptop instead.
Credit: Mashable Illustration
Here are the best deals at each retailer
: Starting Oct. 4, Amazon is dropping “Black Friday-worthy deals” every day in the leadup until the actual holiday. Find out what’s up for grabs by visiting its page, installing its mobile app, or by asking your smart home device, “Alexa, what are my deals?” The last time we checked, its best offers included a $150 discount on an M1-equipped , a $35 savings on the first-gen , and $150 off a that can charge and empty itself.
: Check back later for deals!
: The electronics store has that it’s running multiple Black Friday sales this year, beginning with a four-day sale from Oct. 19 to Oct. 22 featuring “hundreds” of discounts on must-have tech. (Its official Black Friday sale will also start a whole week early on Nov. 19, but everything is covered by a new “Black Friday Price Guarantee” no matter when you shop.) If you can’t wait ’til then, you can visit its website to shop some early deals; at the time of writing, you could take $1,000 off the new with a trade-in and qualified activation, save $800 on a , and score a $10 reward by buying a $100 .
Check back later for deals!
: Check back later for deals!
: The department store will kick off its Black Friday sale on Tuesday, Nov. 23. Check back later for deals!
: The bullseye brand doesn’t have anything on the calendar in the wake of its event (which ended Oct. 12), but feel free to keep shopping there anyway: Its holiday price match policy is now in effect through Dec. 24, and you can also take advantage of two new “” payment options through Sezzle and Affirm. Check back later for deals!
: The big box store has also in favor of a new “buy now, pay later” program as part of its partnership with Affirm. Check back later for deals!
Best tech deals
Credit: Apple
: Save $35 on the first-gen and get $30 off the second-gen .
: Save 25% when you buy two Fire Kids tablets.
: Take $100 off the , $70 off some , and up to with the M1 chip. Plus, save up to $1,000 on the all-new with a trade-in and qualified activation at Best Buy.
: Get a pair of the new Beats Studio Buds for just $124.95 — that’s a 17% savings and their highest discount to date.
: Save up to 29% on select and .
: Save $10 on the Instax Mini 11.
: Take up to 40% off , including up to 25% off its .
: Save up to 33% on .
: Get up to 21% off select , up to 25% off select , and up to 31% off select . Plus, save $50 on the .
: Take 25% off the and up to 31% off the of 4K Google TVs.
: Save $110 on the new 50-inch M-Series 4K HDR Smart TV.
Best robot vacuum deals
Credit: Bissell
: Save $100 on the SpinWave Wet and Dry Robotic Vacuum.
: Get 37% off the RoboVac 15C MAX.
: Take $110 off the S5 MAX, a smart robot vacuum and mop.
: Save $60 on the Shark IQ Robot Self-Empty XL.
Best kitchen deals
Credit: Le Creuset
: Get up to 27% off select air fryers.
: Take 40% off the French brand’s 3.5-quart Sauteuse.
: Snag the A3500 Ascent Series Smart Blender on sale for just $524.95 — a 25% savings.
Best house and home deals
Credit: Tuft & Needle
: Save up to 30% on select and .
: Take 10% off select mattresses.
Best toy deals
Credit: Catan Studio
: Save $10 when you buy $50 worth of select toys and games, including , , , , , , , and much more.
Best fitness deals
Check back later for deals!