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?
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. 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).
Below you’ll find when Black Friday ads dropped in 2024. While there's no guarantee, these dates will give you an idea of when to start looking in 2025. 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 in 2024
The Macy’s Black Friday ad dropped Nov. 14, along with some early deals. The last page got you a special coupon that gave you an extra 10% to 20% off during the Macy's Black Friday sale (Nov. 24-30).
Macy's Black Friday ad is usually a late-night dropper -- we've seen it as last as 3 a.m. ET
Costco: Oct. 18 in 2024
Costco's an early one. The Costco Black Friday ad is really its Holiday Savings Book, which spanned Nov. 1 to Dec. 2 in 2024. We got it on Oct. 18. It revealed the entire month of deals ahead, including Costco's Thanksgiving online deals, their Black Friday sale, and their Cyber Monday sale.
Walmart: Oct. 28 and Nov. 18 in 2024 (Press Release Only)
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 in 2024, with a limited list of deals, and another on Nov. 18.
JCPenney: Nov. 1 in 2024
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.
Amazon: Nov. 13 in 2024
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, 2024, 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: No ad, sale started Nov. 21 in 2024
Best buy put out an early press release on Oct. 21 that teased some early deals and confirmed Best Buy's Black Friday sale dates of Nov. 21-30. However, just like in recent years, Best Buy didn't put out an ad. It simply sent its Black Friday deals live on Nov. 21.
Kohl's: Nov. 5 in 2024
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 drop on Nov. 5.
Target: Nov. 21 in 2024
Just as in recent years, Target has released its official 2024 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 got a Nov. 21 (at midnight pacific time) Target ad drop showing the deals for Nov. 24 - 30 (aka Black Friday week).
Lowe's: Nov. 27 in 2024
The Lowe’s Black Friday ad isn’t as predictable from year to year, but it tends to drop late. We finally saw it on Nov. 27 in 2024 and on Nov. 20 in 2023. The Lowe's ad is usually when Lowe's announces its in-store deals on poinsettias and fresh wreaths.
Home Depot: Nov. 4 and Nov. 24 in 2024
Home Depot regularly drops and early ad in early November and then its official Black Friday ad a few days before Thanksgiving. In 2024, we saw that final ad (and the reveal of the poinsettia in-store deal) on Nov. 24.
Sam's Club: Nov. 27 Sneak Peek in 2024
The November Instant Savings Book revealed the dates of the Sam's Club Black Friday sale (Nov. 28 - Dec. 1). And we got a sneak peek of the deals going live 12:01 a.m. Nov. 28.
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