When does Black Friday 2022 start? Official date and where to find early deals

These days you’re hard-pressed to find someone - at least someone with access to shops or the internet - that isn’t aware of the Black Friday event.

Traditionally, Black Friday begins each year on the Friday following Thanksgiving. However, as brick-and-mortar retailers have struggled to compete with e-commerce, many have extended the Black Friday window.

Black Friday is a relatively recent invention but has quickly become an important date in the diary for people looking to get some incredible offers in the lead-up to Christmas. Many outlets offer major discounts across their product ranges to encourage shopping during the holiday period. Many also use the event as an excuse to consider major purchases for electronics and appliances as they hit record-low prices.

Black Friday 2021 will be on 25 November

So, Black Friday will go ahead this year on Friday, shock, 25 November, and that will be followed, as is now tradition, with Cyber Monday a few days later on 28 November. Expect the majority of retailers to have offers running throughout the entire weekend.

Pre-Black Friday sales already available

In the years leading up to the pandemic, many retailers had begun their Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving. In the past two years, however, many retailers have moved away from this practice, ensuring that the majority of their employees can spend the holiday with their families.

Rather than starting on Thanksgiving, some retailers have started doing a pre-Black Friday sale that begins the week before the main event. And as the trend grows, the likes of JCPenney, Walmart, Target, and Best Buy and many others have also given the green light to sales teams to get ahead of the game by launching ‘pre-Black Friday’ offers. By the time you read this you may have already benefited from some deals.

While some shoppers are reluctant to return to the high street - it’s so much comfier at home - online sales are predicted to continue to benefit and could reach new record levels when the official event arrives. It is expected that in the United States, consumers will spend around $50 billion on Black Friday.

Head along to your favorite stores and check out what’s on offer, although it’s always a good idea to go knowing what you want to buy so that your basket doesn’t fill up with unnecessary items due to seductive marketing. The guys at techradar.com are a very good source of comparison.

Another tip is to not always get overly excited by the stated discount - check previous prices and at competitors’ stores before pressing the pay button.