It’s only August, but we’re already thinking about Black Friday and Thanksgiving — because despite the global pandemic and its widespread domino effect on most aspects of daily life, these two annual savings events are going to make for some epic holiday shopping.
This is the silver lining we’re focusing on ahead of what will surely be a different kind of holiday season. Considering that more and more retailers are embracing e-commerce, they’ll be competing with each other to offer consumers rock-bottom prices on all kinds of goods.
Whether you’re shopping for your home or your loved ones come November, expect deep discounts on items like women’s clothing, beauty products, laptops, furniture, appliances and so much more.
As the holidays approach, we’ll be sure to keep you up to date on every incredible Black Friday sale and other amazing deals we find — whether you’re an in-store shopper or prefer to buy online. For now, here’s what you need to know.
When is Black Friday 2020?
This year, Black Friday falls on Friday, Nov. 27. As always, it’s the day after Thanksgiving. And as always, it’s known as the biggest shopping day of the year. We’re not exaggerating when we say you can score a discount on pretty much any item.
Which retailers will be closed on Thanksgiving?
Best Buy, Sam’s Club, Target and Walmart are just a few of the major retailers that will not be open for business on Thanksgiving Day this year. But that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to purchase a new iPad after you have finished eating your turkey.
Walmart is slated to launch Walmart+, the retailer’s highly anticipated competitor to Amazon Prime, later this month — meaning you can avoid Walmart stores throughout the holiday shopping season, should you prefer. And Target has announced that it will start rolling out its lowest prices of the year, both in store and online, starting in October (and continuing throughout the season).
FYI: If you do plan to visit any of these four retailers when they are open, you will be required to wear a face mask.
Which retailers will be closed on Black Friday?
Unlike the Thanksgiving Day closures, we haven’t heard anything about Black Friday at brick-and-mortar retailers just yet. That could change, so keep checking back here for the latest updates.
And what’s happening with Amazon Prime Day?
Amazon postponed its annual sitewide discount bonanza, which is usually held in July, because of the pandemic — their pop-up Summer Style Sale was a welcome surprise, but its savings were limited to apparel and accessories categories.
This year, Prime Day will be closer to Black Friday than ever before. Amazon has revealed (vaguely) that Prime Day will occur sometime in the fourth quarter. As our sister site CNET pointed out, that narrows it down to between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31; compared to its usual July slot, Prime Day 2020 is clearly going to happen fairly close to Black Friday 2020, with less than 60 days between the two massive sale events.
What does all this mean for Cyber Monday?
It’s too soon to tell what’s in store for the other side of the Black Friday weekend. Once upon a time, Cyber Monday was the biggest online shopping day of the year — but in 2020, more than ever, it’s got some serious competition.
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