Amazon shocked deals writers this week by announcing that its Black Friday deals are starting a week earlier than usual. This year, Amazon's Black Friday deals are starting on November 17th.
I've covered Black Friday for years, and year by year the deals have started earlier and earlier. Lots of other retailers have already dropped their deals, and November is increasingly an entire month of deals.
That means there's already lots on sale on Amazon to consider before this Friday. What's more, there's also invite-only deals to consider. However, Amazon is far from the only game in town this Black Friday, and you may be better off shopping elsewhere.
When are Amazon's Black Friday deals?
In a press release, Amazon announced that its Black Friday deals are running 'From November 17 through November 27', so you have ten days to find a good deal. That's a big change from last year, where we saw deals throughout the month, but the official sale date was just 48 hours.
That's good news for shoppers, because it takes some of the stress out of finding deals in a relatively short sales window. However, that means there could be run on stock, because if that air fryer you're desperate to nab on markdown is on markdown for ten days, it could go pretty fast.
It also means ten days of pretty rapid change. Amazon says that 'new deals will drop as often as every five minutes' over the sales period, so what's on sale this Friday may not be on sale on the official Black Friday.
What's on sale in Amazon Black Friday deals?
There will be literally hundreds of thousands of deals. For example, Amazon say there will be up to $400 off De'longhi coffee machines. Our resident barista Laura is a big fan of these machines, so it's a saving worth having, but these machines can start at $700, so will still be pretty expensive. I'm more interested in up to '44% off select Ninja kitchen appliances', as these often top our buying guides. I'm also excited to see up to 37% off select KitchenAid mixers, because KitchenAid rightly dominate our guide to the best stand mixers.
What's already on sale?
However, Amazon have already been rolling out some early Black Friday deals, and some of our favorites have been on markdown. I've caught some products at prices we haven't seen since the summer Prime Day event, and some for the cheapest price they've been all year.
Are there better deals away from Amazon?
There are lots of better deals at sites other than Amazon. This month, I've been most impressed with Walmart, where deals started on have consistently had lower prices than Amazon for lots of products. Target have up to 40% off Shark, Ninja, and Keurig. Nordstrom's official deals won't drop until Black Friday itself, but the Fall Sale has up to 60% off Le Cruset, Jo Malone and Staub. If that's not enough, Best Buy and Wayfair have huge discounts on large appliances, which you can't really buy at Amzon.
FAQ
When is Black Friday?
Black Friday deals occur throughout November, but this year the day itself falls on Friday 24 November, followed by Cyber Monday on the 27th. After that, your next opportunity to grab a discount are the after-Christmas sales.
Do I need a Prime account for Amazon Black Friday deals?
No. Unlike Amazon Prime Day, you don't need a Prime account. However, there will be Prime-exclusive deals over the sales period, so if you want to make the most of the sales it could be worth getting a Prime account.
