Black Friday 2024: Our Predictions (and What We Know so Far)

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are quickly approaching. Before you start shopping for holiday gifts, you'll want to have a game plan in mind so you can actually save some cash. Our product testing experts and shopping editors came together to share our best Black Friday predictions and shopping tips after working Black Friday year after year.

Here at the Good Housekeeping Institute, our Lab pros have been been testing products for decades, and our commerce editors have reported on Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals for nearly 10 years. Our meticulous deal-checking process helps us find the best sales that are worth spending your hard-earned money on so that you can avoid mediocre, insignificant sales.

Black Friday falls later than usual this year, landing on November 29, 2024 — the day after Thanksgiving. Cyber Monday falls on December 2, after the weekend.

Shoppers can enjoy major savings on Black Friday, and many brands will extend their online sales through Cyber Monday (we often see deals extend well into the week following).

We've already spotted a few early sales pop up, but generally, the greatest savings will happen between November 29-December 2. While early sales will typically not be as steep as those on Black Friday itself, they give you a bit more time to order, receive and wrap your holiday gifts, all while enjoying some discounts and savings.

Some stores even offer price protection, meaning you could get a refund of the difference in prices if the sale is steepened on Black Friday, but this varies from store to store, so it's best to check the brand's refund and price protection policies.

There are some great savings already happening, and even more retailers will be kicking off their sales events early. Here's what to know:

• Amazon announced that its Black Friday Week and Cyber Monday deal events will kick off a week early on November 21 at 12:01 a.m. PST and run through December 2.
• Walmart kicked off its Black Friday savings on November 11, 2024, with weekly sales up to 70% off starting at 5 p.m. ET for all online shoppers (note that Walmart+ members can start shopping sales three hours earlier — and a Walmart+ membership is 50% off right now).
• Macy's early Black Friday event kicks off November 14, and deals include discounts on luggage, bedding, kitchenware, artificial Christmas trees and more.
• Target has kicked off its Deal of the Day event running from November 1 through December 24, with savings up to 40%. Deal of the Day events are exclusive to Target Circle shoppers, which is free to join.
• American Eagle is offering 20% off pre-Black Friday
• Wayfair is offering up to 70% off savings daily on items
• Ulta is releasing new discounts every week throughout November at up to 40% off
• GAP's Holiday Savings Event, live now, offers 50% off across the entire site.

After a few years of stores opening on Thanksgiving for early Black Friday shopping, companies have gone back to the traditional standard of waiting until the early hours of Friday morning to open.

Hours vary from location to location, but if you're hoping to score major savings in stores on Black Friday, here are the general opening times already shared by some popular retailers:

• Apple stores: 8 a.m.
• Best Buy: 6 a.m.
• Costco: 9 a.m.
• Home Depot: 6 a.m.
• HomeGoods: 7 a.m.
• IKEA: 10 a.m.
• Lowe's: 6 a.m.
• Marshalls: 7 a.m.
• Petco: 8 a.m.
• PetSmart: 7 a.m.
• TJ Maxx: 7 a.m.
• Target: 6 a.m.
• Walmart: 6 a.m.

Before heading to a store, it's best to call ahead to check for open and closing times, as these vary by location. And remember, many companies will have online discounts for Cyber Monday or the entire weekend, so check brands' websites if it looks like physical stores will be closed.

Some stores will be closed on both Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Here are the brands that skip Black Friday deals:

• REI
• Patagonia
• Allbirds

The savings tend to be comparable in-store and online, especially with more e-tailers offering limited time discounts to compete with traditional brick-and-mortar doorbuster sales, so whether you want to browse through online retailers or walk down the aisles of your local mall is entirely up to you.

Last year, less than a third of U.S. consumers planned to shop in-store, and the rate of in-store shopping is growing at a much slower rate than online shopping.

Of course, the benefit to shopping in-store is that you get your item in-hand immediately and there are no surprises: what you see is what you get without the concern of shipping delays or misleading imagery/sizing.

Shopping online is more convenient in that you can avoid crowds and travel (and even getting dressed), plus some retailers offer online-only exclusives, discounts and even products that aren’t available in-store. It really comes down to whatever you prefer — there are deals to be had everywhere, but we recommend shopping earlier than later to avoid stock and inventory issues.

Generally, we see that deals are similar on both Cyber Monday and Black Friday, so if you see an item you've been eyeing go on sale on Black Friday, we say it's better to buy early in the (sometimes likely) event it goes out of stock.

The difference in savings between Cyber Monday and Black Friday will likely be +/-10%, and in most cases, you can hang onto your receipt and ask for a price adjustment if the item goes on sale within a week of purchase anyway.

We're monitoring sales on our experts' favorite vacuums, best mattresses, top-performing headphones, children's toys and more — we are expecting discounts from 30-70% off based on past deals events and insider knowledge on what's to come.

Isabella Cavallo

Assistant Commerce Editor

Isabella (she/her) covers commerce and product-related content in the home, lifestyle, fitness, technology and beauty. She graduated from Binghamton University in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in English: Literature & Rhetoric. Before joining GH, she was an editorial assistant at Prevention, where she covered health topics and celebrity news. 

Jessica Teich

Director, Editorial Commerce & Product Reviews

Jessica (she/her) is the director of editorial commerce and product reviews with over a decade of experience as a product tester, reviewer, writer and editor of beauty and lifestyle content. Previously she was the beauty editor at USA Today's Reviewed where she launched the Beauty vertical and tested hundreds of products and has covered trends for publications like The Boston Globe and The New York Times. You can usually find her sorting through piles of beauty products — and testing the best ones on camera.