In recent years, we’ve seen Black Friday sales transition from a single day after Thanksgiving to multiweek extravaganzas that require calendars to plan. And the first stage of all that hype? Black Friday ad drops. Black Friday ad scans are how retailers preview their deals, and they provide valuable intel to shoppers about where to shop and when the sales kick off. They're also unpredictable.
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When do Black Friday ads come out in 2024?
It varies by store, and most stores don’t stick to the same schedule each year. We see some ads drop in late October, while Black Friday purists — we’re looking at you, Home Depot — still wait until nearly Thanksgiving to unveil the good stuff. Meanwhile, some major retailers have ditched traditional ad scans entirely and opted for press releases.
Based on the past few years of Black Friday ad releases, we can still make pretty solid predictions for when to expect ad drops from your favorite stores. Note: Plenty of retailers these days run multi-round Black Friday sales and release multiple ads (one for early deals and then another for the official Black Friday deals). Our dates in the calendar are for those official Black Friday deals, not the early ones.
Below you’ll find all of our best educated guesses on when to check for those ad scans in November 2024. If you want to see these ads the second they drop, you'll have to stay up. Most Black Friday ads drop at midnight PT, CT, or ET.
Macy's: Nov. 14
The Macy’s Black Friday ad dropped Nov. 14, along with some early deals. Check out the last page for a special coupon that'll give you an extra 10% to 20% off during the Macy's Black Friday sale (Nov. 24-30).
Costco: Oct. 18
Costco's an early one. The Costco Black Friday ad is really its Holiday Savings Book, which spans Nov. 1 to Dec. 2. We got it on Oct. 18. It reveals the entire month of deals ahead, including Costco's Thanksgiving online deals, their Black Friday sale, and their Cyber Monday sale.
Walmart: Oct. 28
Walmart Black Friday has been a multiweek event for the past few years. For the last couple years, it's done away with the traditional ad scan and gone the press release route to announce the dates of its Black Friday sale events and preview deals. We got the first announcement on Oct. 28 this year, with a limited list of deals.
JCPenney: Nov. 1
For the past couple of years, JCPenney has dropped its Black Friday ad on Nov. 1, and the exact same thing happened in 2024 when JCP sent us their 20-page print ad scan. See the full scan and our favorite deals.
Amazon: Nov. 13
Amazon doesn't do a traditional ad scan, but instead drops a press release with details on deals to expect and the dates of its Black Friday sale. On Nov. 13, Amazon dropped a press release announcing its sale dates (Nov. 21-29) and deals to expect, including up to 55% off tech, 50% off toys, and more.
Best Buy: Nov. 21 (Predicted)
In mid-November, expect a press release (Best Buy hasn't done Black Friday ads for a couple years), that reveals Best Buy's sale dates and specific deals. We also saw an earlier press release on Oct. 21 that teased some early deals and confirmed Best Buy's Black Friday sale dates of Nov. 21-30.
Kohl's: Nov. 5
Kohl’s releases their Black Friday ad relatively early, as they tend to have deals spread throughout the month. In 2024, we saw the Kohl’s Black Friday ad for both its Early Access event and its official Black Friday sale on Nov. 5.
Target: Nov. 21 (Predicted)
In the past, Target has released its official Black Friday ad a week before the big day. That's because Target follows a predictable schedule with all its weekly ads, previewing the upcoming week's a couple days before deals start on Saturday. So we expect a Nov. 21 ad drop showing the deals for Nov. 24 - 30 (aka Black Friday week).
That's just for the Black Friday Week ad, however. Target also usually does several weeks of early Black Friday deals, which are already underway.
Lowe's: Nov. 25 (Predicted)
The Lowe’s Black Friday ad isn’t as predictable from year to year, but it tends to drop late. We saw it just a few days before Thanksgiving last year, on Nov. 20. So accounting for the fact that Black Friday falls later this year, we expect to see the ad around Nov. 25.
Home Depot: Nov. 4 (Another ad predicted Nov. 27)
Home Depot regularly drops its official Black Friday ad the day before Thanksgiving. If the pattern stays the same, you should look for this year’s Home Depot Black Friday ad on Nov. 27, 2024. That will be the ad that overlaps with Black Friday itself (and the lowest prices). However, Home Depot also runs an early monthlong Black Friday sale, and that ad dropped Nov. 4.
Sam's Club: Nov. 28 (Dates dropped, no ad yet)
Be on the lookout for the official Sam’s Club Black Friday ad with deals dropping about a week before Thanksgiving. However, the November Instant Savings Book reveals the dates of the Sam's Club Black Friday sale: Nov. 28 - Dec. 1.
Sam's Club gets creative with the name of its Black Friday sale. Last year, it called it the "Thanks-Savings Event."
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