If there’s one thing you hear over and over as Black Friday and its sibling sale days get closer, it’s that there are no “real deals” to be found anymore. While it’s certainly true that the days of huddling outside of a big electronics retailer after stuffing yourself with, well, stuffing have fallen by the wayside, that doesn’t mean you can’t save quite a bit on Black Friday.
I’ve been closely involved with this particular shopping event for over a decade now, and while the rules have changed there are still plenty of ways to save. Here’s what we’ve learned along the way, and the tools you can use to make sure you’re saving as much as possible this year.
When does Black Friday start?
If you’re reading this, Black Friday has already started in some sense. Some of the same discounts you will find across Amazon, Walmart and others are the same discounts you’ll find at the end of November. That doesn’t mean these deals aren’t worth exploring, and it certainly doesn’t mean there won’t be a much larger selection of things to save on as we get closer to Black Friday. Here’s what we know about the big sales that have been announced so far:
Amazon
While we’re still waiting for an official announcement from Amazon regarding its Black Friday plans, the retailer always has a massive presence for this event. Last year Amazon’s Black Friday event technically ran from Nov. 21st-29th, but we found quite a few deals at the lowest price of the year starting Nov. 1st and remaining at that price through to the end of Cyber Monday. It’s a good idea to check Amazon regularly ahead of its officially announced event so you can save ahead of everyone else.
Walmart
Not only will you find discounts on everything from TVs and gaming accessories to kitchen appliances and outdoor gear at Walmart, but you’ll be able to start shopping much earlier than Black Friday. Walmart is hosting a pair of big sales in November, one starting on the 14th and 28th called “Whoknewville”. These sales are expected to be both online and in stores, but Walmart is also planning a separate Cyber Monday sale that will only be online.
Best Buy
There are some Black Friday deals already available at Best Buy, if you’re a fan of shopping early. Oct. 31 kicked off the start of Best Buy’s month-long Black Friday event, filled with what the retailer calls doorbusters launching every Friday until Nov. 20. After that last doorbuster day, a lot of the sales from previous sales days will come back and remain on sale with new Black Friday offers until Nov. 29th. Best Buy will then transition to Cyber Monday sales until Dec. 1st.
For more Black Friday retailer announcements, check out the full list from our colleagues at BlackFriday.com.
How do I save the most during Black Friday?
For as long as sales have existed, there have been companies getting caught increasing the price on something a couple of weeks before the sale and then returning that product to its regular price in order to call it a discount. We’ve all seen or heard about it happening, but the good news is we live in 2025 and there are some tricks you can use to make sure you’re not being taken advantage of when trying to save some cash.
Trust us, we’re here to help
CNET’s team of shopping experts spend every single day looking at sale prices for products and services of every variety. We know what a good deal looks like, and we’re never going to show you a deal that is artificially inflated or not worth your time. Helping you save money is the whole reason we sit at our desks each day, and during Black Friday and Cyber Monday we look over tens of thousands of discounts to make sure you only see the good ones.
You can also get great deals sent directly to your phone every day with our Deals Text group, and we send even more deals straight to you during Black Friday.
Price Trackers
Use a tool like Keepa to keep an eye on products like the DJI Phantom 4, which has seen some big price fluctuations.
Some retailers have become so big, or are capable of updating pricing so quickly, we now have third-party publicly available tools for checking the history of a product’s pricing. Here are the ones we recommend:
- CamelCamelCamel: One of the oldest and most reliable Amazon price history tools out there. All you need to do is paste the link from your Amazon product into this website, and it will show you the price history.
- AisleGopher: Same basic idea, drop in a link and see the history. This price history tool is focused on Walmart price history, with some caveats. This tools works best on products Walmart itself is selling, which means third parties that sell through Walmart don’t always work.
- Keepa: You can also use this tool to track pricing at Amazon, but this tool has a very good Chrome extension that will show you the price history without having to leave the Amazon page you are currently looking at. Just scroll down to the Keepa insert, and you’ll be able to see the price history.
Keep an eye out for coupons to make Black Friday deals even better
Way before Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping days start, keeping an eye out for coupons that can be used any time is a great way to save more. Every retailer does this a little differently, but there are some general tips that can help any time.
- Annual Digital Services: We usually see at least one or two great deals on popular streaming services, VPN apps and even online gaming during Black Friday. Before you click that buy button, be sure to check for any additional coupons that allow you to save if you buy a whole year in advance instead of only saving on the first couple of months of the service.
- Amazon Coupons: Price trackers and AI tools frequently miss Amazon coupons, because they’re clickable on the page with the product instead of something that much always be entered in at checkout. Be sure to take a look below the price on an Amazon page to ensure you’re not missing out on further discounts.
- RetailMeNot: Our colleagues spend all day, every day finding the most secret coupons possible for just about every retailer. Many of these can be applied in addition to Black Friday discounts, so be sure to check in with RetailMeNot before you check out.
How does price matching work during Black Friday?
It’s OK to compare prices while you are in a store. If you find a better deal, you can often ask for the retailer to match the competing store’s price.
It always sounds like a good idea, but the truth is price matching has a lot of caveats and exclusions to be aware of. This is especially true during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Each retailer handles price matching a little differently, here’s what we know so far:
- Walmart: Last year, the retail giant did not allow price matching on products purchased earlier in the month. If you buy something from Walmart and the price drops as we get closer to Black Friday, there likely won’t be any way to price match.
- Best Buy: Shoppers have been able to successfully price match in past years, so we expect that will still be possible for Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year.
- Costco: Historically, Costco has not allowed price matching for any shopping event either in stores or online. It is unlikely that will change for this event.
- Target: In past years, price matching has been encouraged for most products at Target. It’s likely Black Friday and Cyber Monday price matching will be possible this year.
