Everything you need to know about Black Friday 2026, according to our deals expert | CNN Underscored
The biggest shopping event of the year will be here before you know it. Other sales like Labor Day and Amazon’s October Prime Day event have come and gone, meaning that Black Friday discounts are next on the docket. Given that Black Friday sales start earlier each year and the shopping holiday only continues to expand its scope as time goes on, knowing when to shop online can be just as intimidating as dealing with the in-person chaos of shopping at a store right at midnight. That’s why the team here at CNN Underscored is already planning to help save you money through the entire season.
Before November arrives and the deals start going live, I am putting my decade of expertise to work by filling you in on all you need to know about Black Friday and Cyber Monday. From the ways to score the best discounts to some early offers on the best gifts that I believe are worth shopping before all the commotion next month, you’ll find all the insight to shopping smarter this holiday season down below.
This year, Black Friday is on Nov. 27. It’s the final Friday of the month and means that the massive, post-Thanksgiving savings event will arrive closer to the actual start of the holiday season.
I’ve been covering Black Friday deals for over a decade, and if there’s one trend I’ve noticed over the years, it’s that sales go live earlier and earlier. It used to be that Black Friday was just isolated to the weekend following Thanksgiving, but now it takes up most of November and even carries into early December. Gone are the days of one-day-only doorbusters and midnight store openings, as big players like Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart look to kick off sales events as early as possible. For 2026, I am predicting that the first batch of early deals will begin on the first day of November. Brands will hold limited-time sales that give shoppers a taste of what is to come on Black Friday while helping them beat the rush.
While there will be quite a few chances to shop early deals, the official savings will likely go live the week of Nov. 15. If past years are any indication, Thursday, Nov. 19, will be when major retailers officially launch their annual shopping events to give shoppers even more time ahead of Thanksgiving week to get their shopping done.
If you’re looking to shop as early as possible this year — meaning now — I’ve found some deals that are worth a closer look. Below, you’ll find an assortment of discounts that deliver the best prices of the year, match the previous Prime Big Deal Days prices from earlier in October or are some of the first chances to save so far.
Ello makes the best glass meal-prep containers that CNN Underscored editors have tested with its Duraglass series. This higher-end set of the brand’s Color Lock containers are made of the same oven- and dishwasher-safe glass but with a smooth ceramic coating that does an even better job at resisting stains and odors. This pack comes with five of the containers alongside five airtight plastic lids and is on sale for the first time ever in these blue hues.
Our favorite fleece jacket is now at least 30% off as fall weather begins dropping temperatures. Directly from Columbia, you’ll be able to save on six new colors as well as older options, while Amazon is offering as much as 39% in savings across some of last year’s styles in a more limited assortment of sizes. The Benton Springs fleece is crafted from plush 250gsm MTR filament fleece that’s an ideal weight for layering under heavier winter coats without overheating.
Now voted the best cordless stick vacuum our editors have put it to the test, Dyson’s new V8 Cyclone delivers that CNN Underscored seal of approval for $150 less than usual. The new stick vacuum can be converted into a portable cleaning machine by using the included crevice tool, dirt brushes and extension hose that allow you to put its upgraded suction power and 60-minute run time to use all around your home or even your car, thanks to the bundled cleaning kit with extra accessories. It matches its lowest price to date at Dyson and Walmart ahead of Black Friday and likely won’t drop any lower come November.
Podiatrists and shoe experts alike recommend these Hoka Clifton 10 running shoes for runners with plantar fasciitis. They offer excellent arch support for less now that they’re at least 20% off at several retailers. Each storefront has its own assortment of sizes and styles, many of which are selling for their respective lowest prices yet. Given that Hoka just launched the new Clifton 11 and these sales are meant to clear out stock, there’s no telling if these discounts will last through Black Friday. I’d recommend shopping now to score the widest range of colors and sizes before they sell out for good.
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If you live in an area with tons of trees, you likely fear October and the falling leaves that come with the changing season. Sure, using a rake to round up all the debris will technically get the job done, but you’ll save yourself time, back pain and money by taking saving on this discounted electric leaf blower. Unlike other models that have earned our editors’ praise, this Ego Power+ option has a backpack design that takes some of the strain off your arms and makes it even easier to corral foliage into one spot. It’s on sale for only the second time this year with this week’s rare 27% markdown.
Lululemon just added these joggers to its We Made Too Much section with $30 in savings attached. There’s only a single, red style available at a discount, which will elevate your fall workout attire with a roomy, oversized fit that is made from a soft cotton SuperLoft fabric and has a comfortable fleece lining.
Adding our favorite air fryer to your countertop doesn’t have to run you full price. The Ninja Crispi has largely skipped out on savings events throughout 2026, but now, ahead of the Black Friday shopping season, you can score its lowest price since before last February’s big football game on several colors of the appliance. Each one includes 6-cup and 4-quart glass containers that double as the frying baskets, serving dishes and leftovers containers.
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The end of the year is inching closer, and if one of your goals for 2026 was to achieve a brighter smile, time is running out. With just a few months left before the calendar flips over, these at-home whitening strips are useful for improving the shine of your teeth in a hurry. Our editors were impressed by their performance, and today’s $11 discount means you can score the year’s best price on the pack of 22 treatments.
If you’re shopping for a new piece of cozy outerwear now that temperatures are beginning to drop, this 50% discount on a full-zip jacket from The North Face will be worth adding to your cart. The stylish fleece comes in a few on-sale styles and is available in most sizes.
If you can wait until Black Friday to score the lowest price ever on Apple’s beloved AirPods Pro 3, you’ll likely be able to see them drop down to $169. Today, however, you can still save $50 and score the third-best price of the year on the true wireless earbuds and enjoy them for an extra month and a half before that potential discount arrives at the end of November. Whether you can be patient or not, these are still some of the best earbuds around at any price point and my personal favorite for pairing with an iPhone or iPad.
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Black Friday is known for offering the year’s best discounts on mattresses, but you don’t have to wait to score one of the lowest prices of 2026 on this one from Saatva. The brand’s Classic Mattress is one of the best that our editors have tested for all kinds of sleepers, with a plush 3-inch Euro pillowtop, customizable firmness level and supportive hybrid design made of memory foam and coils. Today’s discount comes within $100 of the expected Black Friday and Cyber Monday price.
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I’ve tried tons of suitcases over the years, but only one has been reliable enough to tag along on trips all over the world. This Monos carry-on has accompanied me to Tokyo, Paris, Toronto and San Francisco, and will continue to earn a spot in my travel kit, thanks to its internal organization, durable yet lightweight shell and dedicated laptop compartment. This rare discount takes 15% off select colors.
Add this Anker USB-C charger to your cart while it’s down to its best price yet at Amazon. It plugs into any typical wall outlet to offer a 35W USB-C port for charging smartphones and other devices, but it also has a unique retractable cable that gives you a second way to refuel your gadgets. Today’s 40% discount is an extra $6 below the last price cut I spotted.
Black Friday is an excellent time to shop for gifts, and this discounted Lego set is at its best price ever well before November rolls around. The kit includes an assortment of nine Lego succulents that can be combined into a single centerpiece or disconnected and scattered throughout your home to add some brick-built decor to multiple rooms. Today’s Amazon discount takes 34% off and is an extra $2 below its previous October Prime Day mention.
Black Friday officially lasts a single day. If you’re not interested in shopping the early deals throughout the month of November and don’t care about the following offers on Cyber Monday, you’ll have 24 hours on Nov. 27 to shop Black Friday markdowns. Because retailers like Amazon don’t confine their sales to just a single day anymore, though, the extended Black Friday shopping period will last for around two weeks. At CNN Underscored, we refer to this as the “Turkey 12.”
As you can see from the early deals above, many big brands will be getting in on the Black Friday action! All the biggest retailers will be offering some form of sales come the end of November, including big-name storefronts like Amazon, Best Buy, Target and Walmart, as well as individual brands and retailers like REI, Lululemon, Sephora and Wayfair.
If you’re wondering if something will be on sale, odds are it will be. Just about everything under the sun, from the latest tech, home goods and fashion to appliances, furniture, mattresses, e-bikes and more will come with ample savings attached. The shopping holiday is a great chance to knock presents off your list, restock on household essentials or finally splurge on that big-ticket item you’ve been waiting to replace.
Some of the products we are specifically eyeing include the latest Apple gear, like AirPods, Apple Watches, iPads and MacBooks. Some of our favorite appliances and gear for around the home will be getting in on the savings as well. That means Black Friday will be the perfect time to save on a new Ninja appliance, Dyson vacuum and other essentials.
If answering this were as simple as writing a paragraph, we wouldn’t have jobs. Retailers are making it incredibly complicated to score the season’s best offers, flooding sale sections with thousands of offers to dig through, comparison shop and check historical pricing on. We, of course, handle this for you at CNN Underscored, searching the web for the best deals, regardless of where they’re listed.
But if previous years are anything to go on, the best Black Friday deals aren’t going to be found at just one retailer. Altland has been covering the holiday shopping season for over a decade now, and each year the competition between stores has only heated up. Amazon may undercut Best Buy on a certain product, while Walmart steps in and price matches an all-time low discount from Target. That means you’ll have to shop around to get the best price.
That’s why you can leave it to our editors here at CNN Underscored. We research to find all the season’s best deals for you, so you can cut right to the chase and save. Each team member, including Altland, deals editor Jacqueline Saguin and associate deals editor Elena Matarazzo, is dialed into a specific beat to help surface the best of the best deals. That ramps up even more throughout the holidays as the rest of the CNN Underscored team taps in to help track down discounts.
Just like any other discount, a lot can go into what makes a good Black Friday deal. At CNN Underscored, our deals experts dig into the nitty-gritty pricing history in order to see how the offer compares to previous markdowns. Most Black Friday deals worth shopping will land at the lowest prices of the year, if not the lowest prices ever. Being able to score the best discount to date is an easy way to tell if a deal is good or not, but there will also be rare sales that offer the first chances in months to save on seasonal apparel and gear, as well as price cuts that come within a few dollars of previous low prices. Our editors will be putting our expertise to work clarifying why each and every one of the discounts we cover is worth adding to your cart.
No. Lately, the difference between Black Friday and Cyber Monday has become less noticeable. It used to be that Black Friday would encourage shoppers to head to brick-and-mortar locations to score doorbuster deals, while Cyber Monday would ramp up the digital offers. Over the past several years, that is no longer the case, and many of the deals from Black Friday will last through Cyber Monday.
Tons of offers will be popping up at different points throughout Cyber Week. So, if you’re looking to shop the best discounts online, you’ll have to tune in on Black Friday, not just Cyber Monday.
CNN Underscored’s deals editors scour the internet daily for the best available sales and discounts, then put them on your radar in real time. They utilize a range of techniques and consider a variety of factors — price history checks, available coupon codes, competitor pricing — to determine if a deal is worthy of coverage (and your money).
For this article, CNN Underscored senior deals editor Rikka Altland broke down all the information you need to be a smart shopper come Black Friday and researched the deals worth shopping now. Altland has been doing just that for over a decade, and that kind of experience extends to the rest of our deals team. Being an advocate for buyers to make sure we’re only recommending the best prices on the best products is what we’re all about, and that focus comes across in our work.
