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- Special Interest
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- Shopping
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- United States
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- Friday after Thanksgiving
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- 🛍️
Black Friday rings in the holiday shopping season every Friday after Thanksgiving. This day marks the unofficial start of gift-buying, with retailers offering massive discounts both in-store and online. Prepare your shopping list, set your alarms for early bird specials, and dive into the year’s best deals!
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Expected Black Friday Deals
Black Friday 2026 is expected to deliver unparalleled savings across all retail categories. While we await official 2026 promotions, history shows that major retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Macy’s will launch doorbuster deals on electronics, home goods, apparel, and toys. Expect deep discounts on popular tech gadgets from Apple and Samsung, as well as fashion items from brands like Nike. Online-exclusive offers will also be prevalent, with many sales starting even before Thanksgiving week. We will update this page with confirmed live deals as November 27 approaches.
Platform Guide for Black Friday
Tag @nationaltoday_ and use #BlackFriday. Share your best hauls, deal finds, or shopping strategies with engaging Reels and Stories.
TikTok
Tag @www.nationaltoday.com and use #BlackFridayDeals. Create short videos reviewing products, showcasing unboxing, or highlighting must-have discounts.
Mention National Today (facebook.com/nationaltoday) and use #BlackFriday. Join community groups to share tips, compare deals, and discuss shopping plans with friends and family.
Black Friday Hero
The Savvy Shopper
History of Black Friday
First, there’s Thanksgiving — a day to be grateful for all life’s blessings. The next day, Black Friday, encourages you to give way to your greed by spending as much money as possible. Welcome to the official start of the holiday season! But the story of Black Friday is full of “official” and unofficial versions of its origins, starting with the name.
Black Friday originally referred to September 24,1869 when a scheme to manipulate America’s gold markets backfired resulting in numerous bankruptcies across the country. Even more troubling is the unsubstantiated story that southern slave owners allegedly got a “good deal” if they bought slaves on the Friday after Thanksgiving — “Black Friday,” indeed!
But, the story that’s most well-known about Black Friday is that retailers marked the day when filled coffers from holiday shoppers helped businesses go from being “in the red” to “in the black.” Although popular, this story is also not quite accurate. So, what is the actual story of Black Friday? We have to go to Philadelphia for that.
Philadelphia cops complained about “Black Friday” when they were stuck working off days and overtime the day after Thanksgiving. Packed downtown streets with hordes of shoppers, tourists, and fans in town for the next day’s Army-Navy game, meant that Black Friday was a haven for shoplifters as well as a crowd-controlling nightmare for the police.
Unfortunately, the idea that Black Friday was also a retailers’ headache did not entice Philly’s shoppers. By 1961, Philadelphia retailers decided “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” turning a negative into a positive by way of reinvention. In the 1980s, “Black Friday” became synonymous as a day for big deals in national retail. Today, Black Friday invites you to shop ‘til you drop for the best bargains of the year.
Black Friday timeline
When the bottom falls out of the gold markets due to manipulations by two shady Wall Street financiers, “Black Friday” is used for the first time to describe the day that launched bankruptcies.
Amazon takes in a whopping 45.1% of all online sales, which is three times more than Walmart - Amazon’s biggest competitor.
Amazon and Walmart were the places to grab the best Black Friday deals.
Based on preliminary data provided by Black Friday.com, 61% of the buying public will shopped on Black Friday last year.
How Businesses Can Celebrate Black Friday
Local businesses can capitalize on Black Friday by offering unique, community-focused deals that stand out from big box retailers. Host a ‘Shop Local’ event with special discounts for neighborhood residents, or partner with other small businesses to create a collective shopping experience. Promote limited-edition products or services, and emphasize personalized customer service to attract shoppers looking for an alternative to mass-market sales. Use social media to highlight your exclusive offers and engage with your local customer base.
Black Friday - Survey Results
Data gathered by a top Charlotte Marketing Agency
Black Friday Traditions
Waiting in line over night
Many people carb up on Thanksgiving dinner for the long, dark, cold wait in line outside their favorite store to get in when the doors open on Black Friday.
Black Friday FAQs
When is Black Friday?
Black Friday 2026 falls on Friday, November 27, kicking off the busiest shopping weekend of the year with unparalleled deals.
How many people shop on Black Friday?
In 2025, over 200 million Americans shopped during the five-day Thanksgiving weekend, with a significant portion participating on Black Friday itself. This trend is expected to continue in 2026.
What is the economic impact of Black Friday?
Black Friday 2025 sales reached record highs, contributing billions to the U.S. economy, with analysts forecasting continued strong growth for 2026 as consumer spending remains robust.
Is Black Friday a federal holiday?
No, Black Friday is not a federal holiday in the United States, despite its widespread observance and the fact that many businesses and schools close. It always follows Thanksgiving, which is a federal holiday.
Black Friday Activities
Create a new tradition
Establish an annual tradition with friends or family members. Whether it means waking each other up at 4 a.m. to hit the stores at 6 a.m. or staying home in your pajamas and eating Thanksgiving leftovers together, Black Friday is the perfect opportunity to start a new yearly practice.
Donate winter clothes to people in need
Don't want to shop on Black Friday? Gather up all the winter items you no longer use and deliver them to your local shelter or thrift store. With winter just around the corner, needy families will be grateful to receive the extra help.
Wait in line with family and friends
If you’re really not looking forward to a cold, overnight stay in a tent but you can’t watch the Super Bowl without a new 55 inch flat screen; get friends and fam to hang out with you! Bring some playing cards, dominoes or chess, crank up the music and lay out a spread of Thanksgiving leftovers for a fun, new Black Friday tradition!
Take the Black Friday Quiz
Why We Love Black Friday
It's an integral part of the American experience
Participation in the Black Friday madness is a rite of passage for all Americans. Doorbusters, camping out in front of the store in the wee hours of the morning, long lines, shouting matches — they're are all a part of the American Black Friday experience.
It helps us bond
For many Americans, Black Friday isn't so much about the shopping as the tradition of getting up before the sun rises and doing a fun activity together with friends or family members. (And later, yeah, it’s totally about the shopping!)
It gives us seriously great deals
Black Friday may be the holiday we love to hate, but the deals are undeniably awesome. Even those of us who hate to shop are willing to step outside of our comfort zone on Black Friday, if it means we get that TV for 75% off!
Black Friday dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | November 28 | Friday |
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