Black Friday 2022 is getting closer so we're starting to prepare ourselves for the year's biggest sales extravaganza. We may be a couple of months away from seeing the first Black Friday deals but they'll be here before you know it. And with offers arriving earlier each year, we want to be sure you don't miss out on a bargain.
So, check out our guide to Black Friday 2022, which includes all the key info you need, analysis of last year's sales, some predictions for this year's deals and our advice to make the most of the event during this time of high inflation and credit squeeze.
Black Friday 2022 falls on November 25 this year, but we expect to see deals pop up as early as late October. At last year's Black Friday sale, we saw offers earlier than ever, thanks to sales launched by retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart as they tried to combat shipping delays and supply issues.
In fact, according to Adobe Analytics (opens in new tab), spending was actually down 1.3% on Black Friday itself compared to last year. However, if you look at November as a whole, consumers spent $109.8 billion during that period, which was up 11.9% compared to 2020. This also aligns with what we saw as the best deals were launched in the weeks leading up to Black Friday. When it came to the big day, we were left disappointed as there weren't many new offers.
It's clear our worries about product availability played into that, too, so we took advantage of early Black Friday deals at the big-name online retailers. Early holiday shopping was a smart move as we noticed best-selling items like the AirPods Pro, the Apple Watch 6, MacBooks, and Amazon's own devices were out of stock in the run-up to Black Friday proper. We also saw price increases on certain items, including the AirPods Pro and MacBook Pro, which is unusual based on previous years.
So what were last year's hottest Black Friday deals? According to Amazon (opens in new tab), the Echo Dot, Fire TV Stick, Echo Show 5, AirPods, Beats Studio Buds, and the Revlon one-step hair dryer rounded up the top sellers. Adobe (opens in new tab) also reported that laptops, TVs, the Nintendo Switch, Apple Watch, and toys from brands like Hot Wheels, Nerf, and Paw Patrol were last year's Black Friday best-sellers. We expect a mix of that during the Black Friday 2022 deals event, plus new gadgets released this year.
Below you'll find more of our predictions for this year's sale, as well as how to find the best Black Friday deals, the top retailers to follow and a look back at last year's biggest bargains. We continue updating this page with all the latest news in the months ahead, so make sure to bookmark this page as your one-stop shop for Black Friday 2022.
When is Black Friday 2022?
When is Black Friday 2022? The official Black Friday date for this year is November 25, 2022. The actual date shifts every year, but the day of the week stays the same: it's always the Friday after Thanksgiving.
At last year's sale, retailers kicked off their Black Friday deals earlier than ever due to concerns around shipping delays and supply issues. While we can't predict what will happen at this year's sale, we do think the trend of retailers offering early Black Friday deals is here to stay.
Where are the best places to find Black Friday deals?
Most online retailers offer Black Friday deals, but it's our job to sort through the thousands of offers to find the very best bargains from the bunch. You'll typically find the best Black Friday deals from big-name retailers like Walmart, Best Buy, and Target, with Amazon leading the pack.
Amazon is a Black Friday favorite, not only because they offer record-low prices but because they offer discounts on a wide variety of categories. So whether you're looking for tech items like laptops, TVs, or AirPods or searching for discounts on clothing, kitchen appliances, or toys - Amazon is likely to offer Black Friday deals on the product you're after.
Other retailers that offer impressive Black Friday deals include Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Dell, Home Depot, Lowe's, and Overstock. It can be overwhelming with so many retailers and promotions, but that's where our deal expertise comes in. We go through every retailer to pick out the very best Black Friday deals so you can make sure you're getting the lowest price available. We also keep a live list of the best Black Friday sales from all the top online retailers, so you can easily jump to the offer you want.
If you don't want to wait till November to shop for Black Friday deals, we've included the current sales from the top online retailers just below.
Amazon: daily deals on tech, home items, clothing, and more (opens in new tab)
Best Buy: savings on 4K TVs, laptops, and headphones (opens in new tab)
Dell: save up to $250 on best-selling laptops (opens in new tab)
Home Depot: save on tools, appliances, furniture, and more (opens in new tab)
Kohl's: save on clothing, shoes, and accessories for the whole family (opens in new tab)
Lowe's: appliance deals from Samsung, Whirlpool, and LG starting at $99 (opens in new tab)
Overstock: 70% off furniture, decor, and appliances + free shipping (opens in new tab)
Target: save on furniture, tech, and clothing for the whole family (opens in new tab)
Walmart: save on TVs, laptops, kitchen appliances, and more (opens in new tab)
How do I get the best Black Friday deals in 2022?
Homework really helps. Some retailers up prices from August through to October so they can offer supposedly amazing discounts on Black Friday, so don’t be fooled by such moves.
They’re particularly prevalent in expensive consumer electronics such as TVs or laptops with product numbers rather than names, with products that were dropped down to a great bargain price suddenly being pushed back to their MSRP again.
It’s also a very good idea to be flexible: for example, if you're interested in a Samsung 4K TV it’s best to think about the features you want rather than a specific model number: the BRV553ABD34-82C-9218-X may not be discounted on Black Friday 2022, but an almost identical set with the specification you want probably will be.
So do your research on what matters and we’ll do our best to give you the right comparison needed.
However, don’t be fooled into thinking that something that looks like a five-star set is the same but cheaper - certain elements (often with regards to screen quality or image processing) won’t be as high quality to achieve that lower price point.
Black Friday deals 2022: our predictions
We can make predictions of what we think Black Friday 2022 will bring based on last year's sale event. Due to concerns around shipping delays and supply issues, we saw retailers like Best Buy and Walmart launch Black Friday deals earlier than ever, with Amazon kicking things off in early October.
Typically retailers reserve their best deals for Black Friday proper, but last year we saw the best deals leading up to Black Friday. This might be why, according to Adobe Analytics (opens in new tab), spending was down 1.3% on Black Friday compared to last year, and Thanksgiving Day stayed flat. Consumers have spent $109.8 billion in November alone, which was up significantly (11.9%) compared to 2020. This falls in line with the trend of early sales, which drew consumers to make earlier purchases and not wait for Black Friday to snag a deal online.
So what does this mean for Black Friday 2022? It all depends on if retailers will face the same shipping and stock supply issues that plagued last year's sale. We do expect the trend of earlier sales to stay, but if stock issues aren't a problem, we think retailers will reserve their best deals for Black Friday proper to help keep the hype around Black Friday alive.
While it's still early to know exactly what kind of deals we'll see at the 2022 Black Friday sale, we can make predictions on what brands and products we'll see come November. According to Adobe (opens in new tab), the hottest items at last year's Black Friday sale included AirPods, the Apple Watch, laptops, TVs, consoles, and toys from brands like Hot Wheels, Paw Patrol, and Nerf. Amazon's top Black Friday sellers consisted of its own devices like the Echo Dot, Fire TV Stick, and smart bulbs, and some interesting items included the Revlon one-step hair dryer and the Colorfulkoala yoga pants.
We expect Apple devices, toys, laptops, TVs, and Amazon's own devices to be top sellers at the Black Friday 2022 sale and new gadgets that will be released this year.
Why is it called Black Friday
Let’s take a history lesson to find how why they call it Black Friday: the first known mention of Black Friday related to this shopping experience was in November 1951, when the journal Factory Management and Maintenance (opens in new tab) used it to describe people calling in sick the day after Thanksgiving so they could have an extra day off work.
At the same time, US police were using the phrases “Black Friday” and “Black Saturday” to describe the horrendous traffic that occurred at the beginning of the pre-Christmas shopping season.
In 1961, the local government moved to change the shopping season to “Big Friday” and “Big Saturday,” but it never caught on. The notion that it was the time when retailers moved 'back into the black' was seen far later and clearly an attempt to bring positivity to the term.
The best Black Friday deals from last year's sale
Taking a look back at last year's Black Friday deals can help us get an idea of what will be on sale during Black Friday 2022. We've listed the most popular categories below, including TV, laptops, smart home devices, and appliances from all your favorite brands like Apple, Samsung, Roomba, Keurig, Instant Pot, and more.
The best Black Friday deals: under $50
$25 and under
$50 and under
The best Black Friday deals: TVs
60-85 inch TVs
50-59 inch TVs
32-49 inch TVs
- See more of the best Black Friday TV deals (opens in new tab)
Black Friday deals: laptops and computing
Laptops under $300
Laptop deals between $300-$500
Laptop deals over $500
Gaming laptops
Desktops and gaming PCs
Monitors
- See more of the best Black Friday laptop deals (opens in new tab)
The best Black Friday deals: smart home
Smart speakers
Streaming devices
Ring doorbells
Security cameras and systems
Smart displays
Kindle e-readers
More smart home deals
Black Friday deals: headphones and audio
Earbuds
Over-ear headphones
- See more of the best Black Friday Airpods deals (opens in new tab)
- See more of the best Black Friday headphones deals