When Is Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
Black Friday is November 25th with Cyber Monday following on November 28th.
Things to Know Before You Shop
Whether you’re shopping in store or online, it’s important to remember that many retailers no longer have just a single Black Friday and/or Cyber Monday day. Instead of the 24-hour rush, you often have multiple days or weeks of various deals. This gives you more chances to find those must-have items you’re looking for. Also, make a list of everything you’d love to find in advance, then use various online tools to help you see which retailers have those items on sale and when.
Discovering Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals
Major retailers often leak their Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals weeks ahead of the big days. This gives you time to plan ahead, especially if you want to shop in-store, as hours vary drastically based on the store. There are two ways to find early circulars and ads: the retailer’s site and Black Friday/Cyber Monday circular sites. The latter gathers as many ads as possible for you to browse in a single location, which is perfect if you don’t want to jump from site to site. Some of the best sites for circulars, ads, and deals news include:
BlackFriday.com – If you don’t use any other resource in this post, use BlackFriday.com. It’s usually one of the first sites to find the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday ads. You can also sign up with your email address to get notified when anything new is added. You’ll even have deals and news about the holidays’ most wanted items. TheBlackFriday.com – Almost as good, but not quite as comprehensive, TheBlackFriday.com features most all Black Friday and Cyber Monday ads as they’re released. The biggest problem is the previous year’s ads are listed before 2022’s deals, so you’ll need to scroll to find what you’re looking for. BestBlackFriday – This is a great resource, but it’s usually slower to update than the previous two sites. Most ads for the current season don’t start appearing until November. Brad’s Deals – Brad’s Deals is a little slower to find the latest ads, but you can also search for specific items to see whether there are any current or upcoming deals, which makes it a useful resource.
Best Sites for Black Friday Deals
Obviously, everyone’s going to have their own favorite places to shop. However, there are some retailers that go above and beyond to offer the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals on a variety of items. If you want to limit how many different retailers you shop with, you’ll find electronics, toys, clothing, appliances, and more at the following sites: Obviously, these aren’t the only great stores to watch for deals, but they do offer the most variety in their deals. Some other retailers famous for great deals throughout the season include:
Kohl’s – Clothing, jewelry, toys, home goods Macy’s – Clothing, jewelry, furniture, home goods Meijer – Clothing, electronics, toys, sporting goods, and more Lowe’s – Tools and hardware Home Depot – Tools and hardware Etsy – Ideal for homemade gifts, but each seller runs their own individual sales
If you’re looking for a specific brand of electronics or gadget, such as a phone, laptop, or tablet, go directly to the source. Often, the manufacturer offers even deeper discounts, including bundles, for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. A few options to check include:
Apple Microsoft Verizon AT&T T-Mobile
Tip: Want an easy way to get everyone on board with your holiday wish list without getting the same gift twice? Consider putting your list up in Microsoft Lists and inviting your friends and family.
Scan Black Friday Deals With Price Trackers
Since many retailers start Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales in early November and continue even into early December, using a price tracker is a great way to make sure you don’t miss discounts on any items on your holiday list. You’ll get notifications the moment a price drops on an item you want, and many even let you set custom thresholds to find your perfect price. Some of the best options to use include: Consider using these browser extensions to make deal tracking even easier.
Deal Hunting Communities
Sometimes the best way to find amazing Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals is to rely on the savvy shopping skills of others. Real shoppers report deals and news to let everyone else know where to shop and where to get the best prices on specific items. Think of it as social media – but strictly for finding deals. Some of the best communities to participate in include:
Slickdeals – Users report deals they find along with any extras, such as discount codes. Other users vote on the deals, which helps the deal rank higher, helping others find it faster. Of course, you can also search for items, browse by category, check out specific communities (Black Friday 2022), ask for help in forums, and more. DealNews – An expert team handles all the searching and price comparisons to help you find the best deals online. Use filters to find the best featured deals or search for specific items. New deals are added all the time. GottaDeal – Not only can you find a featured list of great deals, but you can also join the forums to find deals posted by a large community of other shoppers. You can even ask for help in finding deals on certain items or in specific stores. Pepper – For international shoppers, Pepper is perfect. Think of it like Slickdeals – but for deals in countries throughout the world. TechBargains – Site editors and community members post the best tech deals so that you don’t have to search yourself. You can also browse by store and category or search for items.
Of course, social media is also a great place to find the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. Consider joining Facebook groups or using Reddit. Also, follow your favorite retailers on social media to see the latest deal announcements. A few Facebook groups you may want to join include:
Black Friday Holiday Deals Black Friday & Cyber Monday Deals and Sales Black Friday + Christmas Deals
For an even more active social community, turn to Reddit. Some of the best subreddits include:
r/BlackFriday r/CyberMonday r/DealsReddit
Also, search for specific categories, such as games, computers, headphones, etc., to find subreddits for just those items. You can also search for specific stores/retailers.
Tech Deals to Look for During Black Friday
While you’ll find Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals on just about anything imaginable, tech items are usually the best sellers and most wanted. However, they’re also the items that tend to sell out the quickest, so if you’re looking for any of the following, start keeping an eye on any pre-Black Friday sales: Good to Know: It’s easy to concentrate on Black Friday, but many of these products can be offered at even better prices throughout the year. This includes all the Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad, etc.. Since all of these are popular items and categories, you’ll find some of the biggest deals, with many retailers expected to shave as much as $100 or more off regular prices. Some may even offer half off or more. Tech deals aren’t limited to physical products, though. You can also grab amazing Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals on VPNs, antivirus, productivity suites, games, and much more. Developers often offer limited-time deals on annual and lifetime subscriptions around Black Friday, so if there’s something you want, subscribe to their email newsletter to make sure you don’t miss out.
Deals at Make Tech Easier
Not only does Make Tech Easier make using your technology easier, we’re also here to help you score some of the best tech deals. Check back all through Black Friday and Cyber Monday for deep discounts on your favorite tech products.
Picking the Right Time to Shop
When it was just two or three days of deals across all of the major retailers, it was a lot easier to keep track of who had the best prices on the items you wanted. But, now, it’s much harder. What if you grab an early Black Friday deal before Black Friday? Will it be cheaper on Black Friday or Cyber Monday itself? Use the resources above to check out many deals early. Many retailers are listing several weeks of deals at once. Just pay close attention to sale start dates. The key is to make a list of what you absolutely want to get. If you see a great sale, go for it. Odds are, most retailers will have similar deals on the same products. Since items may go quickly, waiting could cause you to miss out entirely. If you still have concerns about shopping online, don’t fret. Follow the Paranoid Buy’s Guide to Shopping Online. Image credit: Unsplash. All screenshots by Crystal Crowder
