The best early Black Friday deals for 2021, all in one place
UPDATE: Nov. 16, 2021, 1:40 p.m. EST This post has been updated to include new information about Target and Walmart’s Black Friday sales, as well as the latest deals.
We’ve rounded up all of the best early Black Friday deals as of Nov. 16 — here are our top picks:
BEST TV DEAL:Amazon Fire TV 43-inch Omni Series 4K UHD smart TV, an all-new 4K display with hands-free voice control and two-way video calling; it’s on sale for the first time ever — $299.99 $409.99 (save 27%)
BEST ROBOT VACUUM DEAL:eufy RoboVac 11S is a slim, self-charging robot vacuum that can easily fit under sofas and beds — $137.98$229.99 (save 40%)
BEST APPLE DEAL:AirPods Max, last year’s premium over-ear headphones with noise cancellation, a transparency mode, and spatial audio — $439.01$549 (save 20%)
BEST SMART HOME DEAL:Google Nest Mini (2nd Gen) is a compact smart speaker that’s now half off its usual retail price — $24.99$49 (save $25) + 3 months of YouTube Premium for free
BEST LAPTOP DEAL:Samsung Chromebook 4, a super durable laptop from late 2020 that packs an Intel Celeron N4020 processor and 32GB of storage — $129$199.99 (save 35%)
BEST FITNESS DEAL:Peloton Bike+ is an upgraded version of the cult-favorite spin bike that features a larger, swivel-able HD touchscreen and automatic resistance detection — $2,145$2,495 (save $350) + 2-month Peloton app subscription for free
BEST GAMING DEAL:GameStop is having a “buy two, get one free” sale on select pre-owned video games, including brand new titles like Call of Duty: Vanguardand Forza Horizon 5 — save up to $99.99
BEST AIR FRYER DEAL:Ninja Air Fryer (4 quarts), a reliable pick that’s already sold out once at this price — $69$119.99 (save 42%)
Did it hurt? When you realized we’re in the thick of our second pandemic holiday shopping season?
A handful of stores began soft-launching their Black Friday sales in October to get a jump on the ongoing supply chain mess that’s clearing inventories and putting products on backorder. Now, with less than two weeks to go until the big day (Friday, Nov. 26), all major retailers are bringing out some best-ever deals to help savvy shoppers avoid shipping delays.
Below, you’ll find a complete list of all the Black Friday doorbusters that are live right now (with sales grouped by retailer, category, and brand). We continue to update this post as more deals pop up, but don’t hold out too long if something on your shopping list is already enjoying a discount — it may not be in stock for much longer.
The best Black Friday deals at each retailer
Amazon: The retail mega-giant kicked off this year’s festivities on Oct. 4 and continues to drop holiday doorbusters every day in the lead-up to its 48-hour Black Friday event on Nov. 25 and 26, which will supposedly feature “more deals than ever before.” (Its inventory tends to change the most, so check back often — you can find out what’s up for grabs by visiting its Early Black Friday Deals page, installing its mobile app, or by asking your smart home device, “Alexa, what are my deals?”) At the time of writing, its best deals included deep discounts on the new Fire TV Omni and Fire TV 4-Series smart displays, a $99 Honeywell Home smart thermostat, and a new all-time-low price for this year’s fancy Fitbit Luxe. Like in previous years, it pays to be an Amazon Prime member: Subscribers get 30-minute early access to select Lightning Deals, which go quick once they’re live. (Click here to sign up for a free 30-day trial.)
Bed Bath & Beyond: This year’s slow-burner, BB&B is currently on its third early Black Friday sale of November but has yet to reveal its official holiday ad scan. No matter — getting in there ASAP will save you up to 50% on bedding, kitchen appliances, and cookware. (Highlights include $50 off the new Ninja Foodi XL Pressure Cooker Steam Fryer and this $250 Cuisinart stand mixer that comes with a $50 gift card.) Want to save even more? Join its Beyond+ membership program — subscribers get 20% off every purchase and free standard shipping through Jan. 31, 2022; click here to start a free trial (normally $29 annually).
Best Buy: The electronics store’s official Black Friday sale begins a whole week early (on Friday, Nov. 19), but again, don’t bother waiting: It’s also treating the entire month of November like one big Black Friday celebration, running thousands of deals across multiple events that are all covered by its new “Black Friday Price Guarantee.” (Early doorbusters include a $999 iMac, up to $60 off Alienware gaming accessories, and a 50% markdown on a limited-edition Keurig K-Mini.) My Best Buy and Best Buy Totaltech members can also shop some exclusive “Member Mondays” series of deals at the beginning of each week, so there are plenty of opportunities to save.
Dell: A few other stores beat Dell to the punch this year — it’s usually among the first to release its holiday ad scan — but its official Black Friday event began earlier than everyone else’s on Monday, Nov. 15. Deals are going fast; get in there ASAP to score up to 20% off select gaming PCs, up to 30% off XPS laptops, and up to 45% off monitors. (Psst: This 27-inch QHD gaming monitor comes with a free $50 gift card on top of a $260 discount.)
HP: The techies over at HP are rolling their Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals into one big ol’ sale from Nov. 25 to Cyber Monday (its “biggest savings event of the year,” per the ad scan), which plunges prices on Microsoft Office software and tons of Windows 11 laptops and PCs. As far as early pickings go, you can score a free pair of headphones when you buy an HP Pavilion 15 Laptop for 37% off; save 31% on an HP Chromebook 11a-nb0047nr; and get $50 off the HP Reverb G2 virtual reality headset during a 72 Hour Flash Sale that’s happening on its site right now.
JCPenney: The department store is keeping things pretty traditional this year with a three-day Black Friday sale from Nov. 26 to 28. But like most of its peers, it’s also putting a sprinkling of weekly deals and doorbusters up on its website all month long — $8 kitchen appliances (with mail-in rebates), $50 hardside suitcases, and up to 60% off select mattresses, anyone?
Kohl’s: After teasing some of its Black Friday offers in mid-October, Kohl’s officially dropped its ad scan and kicked off a holiday preview event from Nov. 5 to 10. Nothing explicitly Black Friday-y is going on over there at the moment, but anyone who’s hosting Thanksgiving this year should feel free to shop its Home Sale on select holiday decor, vacuums, and kitchen/dining products now through Nov. 20. (Pro tip: Enroll in the free Kohl’s Rewards program to get an extra $10 off any purchase of $50 or more with the code HOME10.) Be sure to mark your calendar for Nov. 21, which is when its official Black Friday sale begins — we’ll see the return of its excellent $15 for $50 Kohl’s Cash offer on select days.
Macy’s: The mall stalwart is offering “unbeatable” and “specially-curated” deals each week of November ahead of its big holiday sale (which begins a few days early on Tuesday, Nov. 23 and goes through Saturday, Nov. 27). Its latest markdowns come as part of a Black Friday Early Access Sale on apparel, home goods, shoes, and handbags/accessories from Nov. 16 to 22, helmed by a $26 16-cup rice cooker and a $200 markdown on a queen-sized Purple mattress.
Target: Not to be outdone by its peers, the bullseye brand is getting a head start on Black Friday with a series of weeklong Holiday Best sales — the third of which is live through Saturday, Nov. 20. (Peep this $100 Instant Pot Duo Crisp, these $100 Beats headphones, and these Disney toys and clothes that are all buy two, get one free.) Its official Black Friday sale will also be a weeklong affair (from Nov. 21 to 27); stop by to save up to $60 on Apple Watches and AirPods, snag a $250 Dyson vacuum, and score a free $50 gift card with the purchase of an Oculus Quest 2 VR headset. It’s worth noting that Target’s holiday price match policy is now in effect through Dec. 24, and you can also take advantage of two new “buy now, pay later” payment options through Sezzle and Affirm.
Walmart: The big box store has revived its popular Black Friday Deals for Days event from 2020, this time spreading it out over three sales throughout the month of November. (Like Target, it’s also nixed layaway in favor of a new “buy now, pay later” program as part of its partnership with Affirm.) Its second sale began online on Nov. 10 and continued in stores on Nov. 12; doorbusters like a $129 Samsung Chromebook 4, a $259 Cricut Maker Holiday Bundle, and 50% off a 1,500-piece LEGO set are all still available. Its third and final event will begin Monday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. ET following a three-hour preview for paying Walmart+ members (click here to sign up), then continue in stores on Black Friday at 5 a.m. local time — can’t-miss deals will include a $109 Apple Watch Series 3, $159 AirPods Pro, and the return of last year’s $299 Nintendo Switch/Mario Kart 8 Deluxe bundle.
Best tech deals
Tech the halls. Credit: Ian Moore / Mashable
23andMe: Save up to 52% on select DNA tests (starting at just $79).
Google: Get half off the second-gen Nest Mini smart speaker (now $24.99) and score a free three-month trial of YouTube Premium.
GoPro: Get $50 off the HERO9 Black and the new HERO10 Black on Amazon (now $349.99 and $449, respectively), or visit Walmart to get a HERO8 Black bundle for just $249 — that’s 29% cheaper than the camera itself.
Honeywell Home: Save 41% on the WiFi Smart Color Thermostat (now $99).
iRobot: Take $100 off the WiFi-connected Roomba 692 (now $199.99), or get a self-emptying Roomba i6+ for 31% off (now $549.99).
Roborock: Get $170 off the S5 MAX (now $379.99) and $229.99 off the self-emptying S7+ (now $719.99), two hybrid robot vacuum/mops; don’t forget to apply their extra savings coupons before adding them to your cart.
Apple TV: Get six months each of Apple Music and Apple News+, a three-month trial of Apple TV+, and 30 days of FuboTV when you grab a 32GB Apple TV 4K on sale for $30 off (now $129.99).
Beats: Get half off the Solo3 wireless headphones (now $99.99), 40% off the Powerbeats Pro wireless earphones (now $149.99), and $20 off the Studio Buds (now $129.95). Plus, score some free trials of Apple Music, Apple News+, and Apple TV+ when you buy the Studio3 noise-canceling headphones on sale at Best Buy for 43% off (now $199.99).
iPad: Save $60 on an iPad Air with 64GB of storage (now $539), take $50 off the 256GB variant of the new 11-inch iPad Pro (now $849), or get up to $150 off select configurations of the latest 12.9-inch iPad Pro (starting at $999). You can also buy any iPad with cellular connectivity directly from Apple to score up to $200 back after activation.
iPhone: Get a free 128GB iPhone 13 from AT&T or a free 128GB iPhone 13 mini from Verizon with an eligible trade-in and a new data plan.
iMac: Take $49.01 off the colorful new 24-inch iMac with Apple’s M1 chip, a 7-core GPU, and 256GB of storage (now $1,249.99); get $500 off the 21.5-inch iMac with a Retina 4K display, an Intel Core i5 processor, and 256GB of storage (now $999); or save $100 on a 27-inch iMac with a Retina 5K display, an Intel Core i5 processor, and 256GB or 512GB of storage (starting at $1,699).
MacBook: Get $100 off an M1-equipped MacBook Air (starting at $899), save $150 on a 512GB M1 MacBook Pro (now $1,349), or take $49.01 off select configurations of the latest 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros with the all-new M1 Pro chip (now $2,449.99 apiece).
Mac mini: Save $99.01 on last year’s 256GB Mac mini (now $599.99), which is powered by the original M1 chip.
Peloton: Save $350 on the Peloton Bike+ (now $2,145) and get a free two-month trial of the Peloton app.
ProForm: Take 50% off the 750R Rower (now $497) and$200 off the Carbon T10 and Pro 5000 treadmills (now $999.99 and $1,499.99, respectively); you’ll get a free 30-day iFIT trial with all three.
Schwinn: Save $200 on the IC4 Indoor Cycling Bike (now $999) and get a free one-year JRNY membership.
Tonal: Save $250 on the Tonal home gym system (now $2,745).
HP: Take $50 off the HP Reverb G2 virtual reality headset (now $549).
JBL: Get up to 25% off its Quantum line of gaming headsets (starting at $29.95).
Lenovo: Get a free month of Xbox Pass Game Pass Ultimate when you snag a Lenovo Legion Slim 7 for $250 off (now $1,549.99).
LG: Save 21% on the new LG 27GP850-B 27-inch UltraGear Full HD Gaming Monitor (now $396.99).
Logitech: Save 35% on the G935 wireless gaming headset (now $109.99) and get half off the MX Master 2S mouse (now $49.99); the latter comes with a free $10 Dell gift card.
Razer: Take up to 50% off Razer peripherals (starting at $29.99) or grab last year’s excellent Razer Blade 15 gaming laptop on sale for 31% off (now $1,789.49) — this particular configuration comes with an Intel Core i7-10875H processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q graphics, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage.
Rockstar: Save 58% on a copy of Red Dead Redemption II for Playstation 4 (now $25).
SteelSeries: Take up to 25% off select gaming headsets, including the wireless Arctis 7 (now $127.33), the RGB-lit Arctis 5 (now $74.99), and the wired Arctis 1 (now $38.95).
Turtle Beach: Get half off the Recon 200 gaming headset (now $29.99).
Don’t forget to order a little something nice for yourself this year. You earned it. Credit: Vicky Leta / Mashable
Ready or not, Black Friday is here
Stores began cramming our inboxes with Black Friday-worthy deals in early October (starting with Amazon’s “Epic Daily Deals” event, which kicked off Oct. 4). It probably felt a bit preemptive, like those neighbors who insist on putting up their Christmas lights while the trees are still green, but they actually had a very good reason to get a jump on this year’s sales.
The global economy is grappling with some unprecedented supply chain challenges as the result of the Delta variant, which continues to inflame pandemic-related material scarcities, labor shortages, and shipping bottlenecks across industries of all kinds. (Under circumstances absolutely no one had on their bingo card, pickles and paper bags have gotten as elusive as Playstation 5s.)
Unsurprisingly, the ordeal has left most major manufacturers and retailers scrambling. Amazon is trying to lure in an extra 150,000 seasonal employees with the promise of $3,000 sign-on bonuses and higher pay for certain shifts, while Walmart, Home Depot, and Ikea have all gone so far as to charter private cargo ships to make sure their shelves are stocked for the season. Apple, meanwhile, is “predicting that we’re going to be short of demand by larger than $6 billion” heading into the holidays, CEO Tim Cook said in a recent interview with Reuters.
If you missed out on October’s whirlwind of early sales, fret not. Backorders and “sold out” notices haven’t besieged stores just yet, but mapping out a game plan now will help you avoid them when they inevitably crop up in the coming week. Here are all the must-know details you can use to strategize this holiday shopping season:
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, most stores have already begun rolling out their holiday doorbusters.
The National Retail Federation officially coined 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 year.
What stores will be open for in-person shopping this Black Friday, if any?
All major retailers with brick-and-mortar locations have made the call to stay closed 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 start perusing their best deals early. (If you feel the urgent need to do some post-pie shopping that day, you’ll have to crack open your laptop instead.) In-person shopping is making a comeback for Black Friday, but be mindful of COVID-related safety procedures and limited store capacities:
Bed Bath & Beyond:Closed on Thanksgiving; Black Friday hours TBD. Masks are required for all customers (unless you’re fully vaccinated) as well as associates, and all stores are following safety plans that include extra cleaning, free wipes and hand sanitizers, employee health screenings, and occupancy limits. Curbside and in-store pickup are available.
Best Buy:Closed on Thanksgiving; Black Friday hours TBD. Face coverings (available in stores) are recommended for all customers and required for all employees, who are abiding by enhanced safety procedures such as daily wellness checks and regular cleaning of high-touch areas. Curbside and in-store pickup are available.
JCPenney:Closed on Thanksgiving; doors open at 5 a.m. local time on Black Friday. Its mask policy varies based on local and state mandates, but all locations are following safety measures like regular nightly cleanings, socially distanced queues, contactless checkout, and capacity limits. Curbside pickup is available.
Kohl’s:Closed on Thanksgiving; stores open at 5 a.m. local time on Black Friday. The company is requiring all associates to mask up, recommending that customers in high-risk counties do the same; it’s also implemented extra cleaning and safety measures that include placing sanitizer at every register, removing beauty testers, and installing signage that encourages social distancing. Drive-up and in-store pickup are available.
Macy’s:Closed on Thanksgiving; stores are open from 6 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. local time on Black Friday. Its COVID-19 safety policy includes pre-shift wellness checks for all associates, readily available hand sanitizer, increased cleaning in high-touch areas, extra ventilation, and social distancing; masks are recommended but not required for vaccinated customers except where mandated. Curbside and in-store pickup are available.
Target:Closed on Thanksgiving; most stores open at 7 a.m. local time on Black Friday. Face masks are required for team members and strongly recommended for shoppers in areas with a substantial or high risk of transmission, per CDC guidelines, and increased cleanliness/disinfecting measures have been implemented. (Haven’t gotten a vaccine yet? You can do so at select CVS locations within Target stores.) Drive-up and in-store pickup are available.
Walmart:Closed on Thanksgiving; Black Friday hours TBD. All associates are required to wear a mask (regardless of vaccination status) in areas where there are mandates, and customers are strongly encouraged to do so, too. Stores are spraying carts after use and keeping plastic shields at registers, among other enhanced safety procedures. Curbside and in-store pickup are available.