Black Friday (falling on 27 November in 2026) is the largest shopping event of the year, offering significant discounts—often around 24%—on electronics, clothing, home goods, and beauty products. Popular items include consoles (PS5, Switch), TVs, and appliances, with sales running from mid-November through Cyber Monday.
Many stores offer highly promoted sales at heavily discounted prices and often open early, sometimes as early as midnight or even on Thanksgiving. Some stores' sales continue to Monday ("Cyber Monday") or for a week ("Cyber Week").
Yeah, I'd say it can definitely be worth waiting, especially if you're after things like fragrances or gadgets. Some of the discounts around Black Friday in the UK are actually pretty decent, but you've got to be a bit picky since not every ``deal'' is a real one.
Black Friday refers to the day after Thanksgiving and is symbolically seen as the start of the critical holiday shopping season for retailers. In the lead-up to Black Friday, stores typically offer big discounts on electronics, toys, clothing, and other popular gift items.
Black Friday discounts average around 26% to 38%, but this varies significantly by product, with some studies showing far less genuine savings, as many retailers inflate prices beforehand, making it appear as a bigger discount than it is. While you can find good deals, research suggests many products are often cheaper or the same price at other times of the year, with some reports stating up to 80% of Black Friday items aren't at their lowest price ever during the sale.
The name "Black Friday" originated in Philadelphia in 1966 to describe the chaos caused by massive traffic jams, that resulted from shopping day after Thanksgiving.
One of the things people dislike the most about Black Friday is the huge crowds of people all vying for the same items. Some people wait outside in the cold just to save a few dollars. The biggest con of all may be the increasing trend of violence during Black Friday events in recent years.
93% of products are cheaper or the same price at other times. Similar findings to John Lewis, indicating the vast majority of their Black Friday sale items could be found for the same or a lower price elsewhere in the year. 88% of products are cheaper or the same price at other times.
Black Friday is the best time to buy big ticket items, and unsurprisingly, Adobe says electronics, video game consoles, and appliances drove the most sales during Black Friday this year.
Those who plan to shop during the busy Black Friday and Cyber Monday events expect to spend an average of $622 – roughly 4% less than last year, according to a Deloitte survey of 1,200 US consumers.
The biggest sales events in the UK are Black Friday/Cyber Monday (late November), offering massive discounts across tech, fashion, and home goods, followed closely by the post-Christmas Boxing Day sales, a traditional peak for deep discounts on everything from electronics to fashion. Other major sales include the Summer Sales (June/July) and January Sales, plus back-to-school deals in August/September.
Many people believe “Black Friday” got the name because it is when retail stores get out of the red and into the black. But the name “Black Friday” actually came to prominence because of a logistical nightmare caused by the annual Army vs. Navy football game in Philadelphia during the 1960's.
What items are not typically discounted on Black Friday?
The Brief. WalletHub found that 36% of Black Friday items offer no real savings, though some categories still have strong deals. Experts say the best buys are consumer packaged goods, apparel, accessories, and jewelry, while appliances and electronics are less worthwhile.
Black Friday discounts average around 26% to 38%, but this varies significantly by product, with some studies showing far less genuine savings, as many retailers inflate prices beforehand, making it appear as a bigger discount than it is. While you can find good deals, research suggests many products are often cheaper or the same price at other times of the year, with some reports stating up to 80% of Black Friday items aren't at their lowest price ever during the sale.
That said, shops will always have something up their sleeves to exclusively reveal on Black Friday itself, so it pays not to buy before the big day unless you're absolutely certain that something better won't come along (at the very least, make sure there's a good returns policy, just in case).
No, Black Friday is no longer just one day; while it's traditionally the Friday after Thanksgiving, sales now often start in early November and extend through the whole month, the Black Friday weekend, and culminate on Cyber Monday, creating a prolonged sales event. Many retailers offer deals for weeks, turning it into a "Black Friday Week" or even a month-long period to manage crowds and capture early shoppers.
A more accurate explanation of the term dates back to the early 1960s, when police officers in Philadelphia began using the phrase “Black Friday” to describe the chaos that resulted when large numbers of suburban tourists came into the city to begin their holiday shopping and, in some years, attend Saturday's annual ...
No, Black Friday doesn't always make everything cheaper; many studies show that a large percentage of "deals" are actually the same price or even more expensive at other times of the year, with some retailers inflating prices beforehand to make discounts seem bigger, though genuine savings can be found on certain items if you track prices and compare. While some electronics or specific products see true price drops, it's crucial to use price tracking tools and not rush, as the hype can mislead shoppers into thinking they're getting a great deal when they're not.
The We Ain't Buying It campaign – organized by many of the groups behind the No Kings protests – is asking Americans to stop shopping at Target, Home Depot and Amazon on Black Friday, one of the busiest retail days of the year, while also encouraging people to shop local and support community businesses.
While the tradition first started in the United States, in more recent years, it has been widely adopted by many shops in the UK, both physical and online. It was in the 2010s that several American-owned retailers, like Amazon, Argos and Asda, began to offer Black Friday promotions here in the UK.
What are some common Black Friday shopping mistakes?
DON'T… buy from people or websites you're unfamiliar with, without doing your research first. “Mega cheap deals are everywhere on Black Friday, but be cautious about deals on brands you're not overly familiar with,” says MyVoucherCodes shopping expert, Sarah Jane Outten.
