Black Friday deals 2023: when is it and what to expect

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Last year's best deals

While the 2023 Black Friday deals event might seem like eons away, there's no time like the present to prepare yourself for the shopping extravaganza. Our Black Friday deals guide is taking a look back at last year's event, plus we're covering everything you need to know about the 2023 sale, such as the date, when deals will kick off, and what bargains you can expect.

Analyzing what happened last year can give us a good indicator of what might happen at the 2023 Black Friday sale. While retailers braced for sluggish sales due to inflation, according to Forbes, online sales were actually up 2.3% compared to 2021, with $9.12 billion spent over the holiday weekend. That could be due to retailers offering steep discounts to clear out excess inventory, which wasn't an issue in previous years' sales.

So what were consumers buying? Amazon reports that the most popular sale categories included Home, Fashion, Toys, Beauty, and Amazon devices, and stand-out items were the Echo Dot, Fire TV Stick, Apple AirPods, and the Nintendo Switch.

This year's Black Friday deals event lands on November 24, which means there's plenty of time to prepare, but if you're interested in doing your homework now, our guide is covering what deals you can expect, what retailers offer the best Black Friday sales, and when you can expect offers to launch. We'll update this guide with all the latest Black Friday news as soon as it drops, so make sure to bookmark this page as your one-stop Black Friday 2023 shop.

Black Friday 2023: key information

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When is Black Friday 2023?

Black Friday 2023 falls on November 24. The actual date shifts, but the day of the week stays the same: it's always the Friday after Thanksgiving.

While Black Friday deals will officially kick off on November 23, based on years past, we can predict that retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart will launch early sales. At last year's sale, we saw Black Friday deals popping up as early as October, thanks to Amazon's 2nd Prime Day sale, which launched earlier that month.

What Black Friday deals do we expect to see in 2023?

We can predict what Black Friday deals we'll see at the 2023 sale by looking back at last year's event. Last year's bestselling categories, according to Amazon, included Home, Fashion, Toys, Beauty, and Amazon devices. This matched up with Amazon's top-selling items, like the Echo Dot, Fire TV Stick, and Apple AirPods. Other popular offers were the Nintendo Switch, LG's C2 OLED TV, Fullstar's vegetable chopper, and the Revlon one-step volumizer hair dryer.

We expect to see the same mix of items on sale during the 2023 Black Friday Deals event, such as Amazon devices, as well as Apple's latest and greatest devices which are revealed in October.

Black Friday 2023: our buying advice

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Where to find the best 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.

Walmart is another Black Friday favorite, thanks to a handful of early sales that the retailer typically launches in the run-up to Black Friday proper. The retailer also offers special prices and early access to its Black Friday sales for Walmart Plus members, which is something to consider if you're interested in the subscription.

Other retailers that offer impressive Black Friday deals include Best Buy, 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.

Amazon: daily deals on tech, home items, clothing, and more
Best Buy: savings on 4K TVs, laptops, and headphones
Dell: save on best-selling Inspiron and XPS laptops
Home Depot: save on tools, appliances, furniture, and more
Kohl's: save on clothing, shoes, and accessories for the whole family
Lowe's: appliance deals from Samsung, Whirlpool and LG
Overstock: big savings on furniture, decor, and appliances + free shipping
Target: save on furniture, tech, and clothing for the whole family
Walmart: save on TVs, laptops, kitchen appliances, and more

How to get the best Black Friday deals in 2023?

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 2023, 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.

When to shop for the best Black Friday deals?

Early holiday shopping was a smart move for Black Friday 2022, as we saw the best deals were launched in the weeks leading up to the day itself once again. When it came to the big day, we were disappointed as there weren't many new offers.

Last year, we noticed best-selling items like the AirPods Pro, the Apple Watch, MacBooks, and Amazon's own devices were out of stock in the run-up to Black Friday proper as folks took advantage of the early low prices. That wasn't entirely the case this time around. Some items sold out, sure, but there were fewer out-of-stock messages throughout Black Friday overall.

Ultimately, if there was a good offer even in the weeks leading up to Black Friday, then you should feel confident that you can take advantage of early Black Friday deals at the big-name online retailers.

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 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.

Last year's best Black Friday deals

Taking a look back at last year's Black Friday deals can give us a good idea of what will be on sale at the 2023 event. You'll find the stand-out Black Friday deals below, followed by the top offers in popular categories such as TVs, laptops, Home and kitchen, smart home, vacuums, and more.

National Tree Company Pre-Lit 6.5-feet Christmas Tree: was ~~$399.99~~ now $214.99 at Amazon
If you haven't picked out your Christmas Tree this year, Amazon's Black Friday sale is offering a massive $184.20 discount on this 6.5-foot artificial tree. The top-rated Dunhill Fir Full is pre-lit with 650 white lights that remain lit even when a bulb goes out. Plus, if you use ALEXATREE at checkout, you get a free Amazon smart plug and Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen) with your purchase (just make sure all the items are in your cart).

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4: $450 off, or up to $1,000 off with a trade-in at Samsung
Samsung's offering its best deal this year so far with its Black Friday promotion on the Galaxy Z Fold 4. You can get a flat $450 discount on an unlocked device right now - larger that any other retailer. Or, choose to trade in, and get up to $1,000 off both carrier or unlocked devices. While we've seen devices bundled in with the Galaxy Z Fold 4 before, this is easily the best straight discount we've seen since the device was launched.

The best Black Friday deals: TVs

The best Black Friday deals: Laptops and printers

The best Black Friday deals: home and kitchen

Keurig K-Cafe Essentials Coffee Maker: was ~~$99~~ now $79 at Walmart
Walmart has the Essentials version of the Keurig K-Cafe coffee maker at just $79 as part of its early Black Friday sale. It's not as flashy as its premium sibling – which sports a nickel-colored finish, metal handle, metal drip tray, and is on sale at Amazon right now – but as for features and settings, it's exactly the same machine. We may see the K-Cafe drop even lower on Black Friday itself, but this deal looks set to last for a few weeks yet.

The best Black Friday deals: smart home

The best Black Friday deals: vacuums

Hoover MaxLife PowerDrive Swivel XL: was ~~$119~~ now $59 at Walmart
This half-price deal on Hoover's high-performance HEPA-filtering upright delivers a lot of power for not much money. It makes cleaning any floor surface a breeze, and its powerful Dual Cyclone makes light work of even ground-in dirt. Swivel steering makes it maneuverable as well as powerful, and there's a telescopic wand, crevice tool, and upholstery/dusting tool too. If you're disappointed with your current affordable vacuum, this is a worthwhile upgrade.

The best Black Friday deals: mattresses

Saatva Classic mattress: from $935 at Saatva
Editor's pick - The Saatva Classic is a luxurious innerspring hybrid mattress that's available in three different sleep feels and two sizes, and it's our favorite mattress overall right now. Our exclusive discount knocks $400 off all orders over $1,000, which means a queen costs $1,395. Our deal runs through November and undercuts the general Saatva Black Friday mattress deal quite considerably on almost all models and sizes. If you're on a smaller budget, enjoy the body-hugging feel of memory foam, or share a bed with a particularly restless partner, check out the Nectar memory foam model below instead. Otherwise, we'd confidently recommend the Saatva to pretty much everyone.

Nectar Memory Foam mattress: was ~~$544~~ now from $359 at Nectar
Best memory foam mattress - The Nectar is a great all-rounder memory foam mattress that will suit plenty of tastes and sleep styles. The Black Friday sale knocks 33% off everything, which takes the price of a queen down to $669. In our Nectar mattress review, we found it delivered good pressure relief and motion isolation, making it a good choice for anyone with achy joints, or who shares a bed with a partner. It comes with a lifetime warranty and a year's risk-free trial, so you'll have plenty of time to make sure it suits you.

Helix Midnight mattress: was ~~$849~~ now from $699 at Helix
Best for side sleepers - The Helix Midnight is a softer memory foam mattress that's especially geared toward side sleepers. Right now, there's between $150 and $250 off all sizes for Black Friday, with two pillows thrown in for free. That drops the cost of a queen size down to $999. In our Helix Midnight mattress review, our testing panel was especially impressed with this mattress' temperature-regulating properties and found the softer sleep feel provided welcome cushioning around the shoulders and hips in a side sleeping position, as well as effectively absorbing motion from anyone you're sharing the bed with. You'll get free US shipping and a 100-night trial to make sure it suits you.

DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid mattress sale: from $599 + free $599 bundle at DreamCloud
Cheaper alterative to Saatva - The five-layer DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid is the cheapest model in the US, with a design that includes gel-infused memory foam for pressure relief and innerspring coils for bounce. It's topped off with breathable cashmere. The Black Friday deal Flash Sale knocks 25% off everything, and gets you a bundle of bedding worth $599 too. With this offer, a queen sized DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid is $899.

The best Black Friday deals: smartwatches

Apple Watch SE (1st Gen, GPS + Cellular): ~~$309~~ $229 at Walmart
The budget-friendly Apple Watch SE is reduced to just $229 Walmart. The design is very similar to the more premium Apple smartwatches, but it has a smaller screen and doesn't feature the same always-on function. This is also the older first-generation model, but it still comes with all key health and fitness tracking features, such as heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and GPS. At this price, it's a solid, affordable option for most users.

The best Black Friday deals: Headphones

The best Black Friday deals: Gaming

Mackenzie Frazier is the deals editor in the US for TechRadar at Future plc. She's been sharing deal advice for Future for the past three years and loves to find products that the consumer wants at the best possible price. She's had eight years of experience working in the e-commerce space and loves being a mom to her baby boy.