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What were once two separate deal shopping days, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, have basically merged into one giant shopping festival. The lines really started to blur when the world shut down in 2020 and brick-and-mortar stores hosted online sales in lieu of in-person Black Friday events. In 2025, those lines are practically non-existent. We certainly can’t see them.
While major retailers are running holiday sales throughout November, savvy shoppers know that Black Friday, Cyber Monday, (and a few days around them) still remain two of the biggest shopping days of the year thanks to their ability to trigger record-low prices on big-ticket items (like TVs, Apple devices, smartwatches, gaming consoles, and of course Amazon’s own devices). This includes discounts that beat Amazon’s highly publicized October Prime Day deals.
Black Friday 2025: Get live updates on the latest sales, doorbusters and deal drops
Black Friday vs Cyber Monday – What’s the difference?
In the era of MySpace and AIM – that is, in 2005 – the National Retail Federation introduced the term “Cyber Monday” after realizing that the Monday after Thanksgiving saw a flood of online sales. This probably happened because buyers were snagging deals at work on Monday morning using their fast Internet connections, or at least that’s what they attributed to it. Of course, and the fact that online retailers also wanted some bread from their holiday shopping. Thus, two distinct deal shopping days were born: Black Friday, for those who wanted to shop in stores the day after Thanksgiving, and Cyber Monday, for those who preferred to shop from the comfort of their homes.
These days, there is very little – if any – The real difference between the two due to the so-called “death of retail”. Everyone and everything is online, so why wouldn’t there be a Black Friday? Based on our years of experience covering both, we can truly say that there is no “better” day to buy. It really depends on what you’re looking for and how much demand it is.
Are there better deals on Black Friday or Cyber Monday?
If you see a solid deal, grab it, no matter what sale heading it falls under. Now there is not much difference like in previous years in terms of discounts on special products. However, there are still rules to follow in some product categories: The more dramatic and extensive the TV deals for Black Friday, the more likely the watch is to sell out before the time reaches Cyber Monday, while waiting until Cyber Monday to double-check that there isn’t a new, better laptop deal is often wise.
But with the blurred lines of Cyber Week, many of these deals will be lost. As noted on BlackFriday.com, “Some TV deals during Black Friday will feature attractive discounts And Cyber Monday, but they may not have the specifications you’re looking for.” TL;DR: The deals will be great for both days of shopping, but it all depends on what you’re looking for. If you see specifications listed under a product at a price you like, go for it to be safe. Also, as a best practice, check out Camelcamelcamel.com for price history details from Amazon.
How long is Black Friday?
It’s honestly silly to even call it Black Friday at this point. It’s not just on Fridays anymore – it’s a month-long affair. In 2025, Best Buy kicks off the holiday shopping season on Halloween (I know, it’s scary). Walmart and Target also followed closely behind, launching their first Black Friday sales events in early November. Amazon and Best Buy’s official Black Friday sales will run from November 20th through Black Friday, which is November 28th this year.
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Once the clocks stop at midnight on Friday, it’s officially Cyber Monday (yes, even though it’s actually Saturday). We don’t make rules. The deals won’t change much, but the search terms and official site banners will.
When do Cyber Monday deals start?
Officially, Cyber Monday starts on Monday, December 1st in 2025. unofficialIt basically starts at the end of the second Black Friday, with retailers starting sales as early as Saturday, November 29 in the form of “Cyber Monday” deals. So basically, it’s easy to think of the semantics – and the cyberweak language – as interchangeable.
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black friday cyber monday