Should you wait on a Black Friday deal? Probably not.

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Most of the Black Friday messages you receive focus on urgency. There are a lot of messages like “these deals won’t last” and “get it before it’s gone”. It’s understandable if you’re insensitive to that messy language, but it’s not all that exaggerated. As we cover shopping events year after year, one thing remains true: the deals never really last long.

Just by looking at the facts we know this to be true; Through tools like Camelcamelcamel, you can view the complete price history of a product on Amazon. But the most abundant evidence may be our own experience shopping and tracking deals.

The last Prime Day event, Prime Big Deal Days, was the latest shopping event where I actually considered the lifetime of a deal. Even when I was working sales, finding deals, and tracking prices, I still found time to load essential items that were on sale into my Amazon cart. However, I never got around to actually checking, so when I signed back in, the value in my cart had increased by $30. This is the clearest example I’ve experienced of how deals can fall apart once the event is over.

But with Black Friday, things are a little complicated. What used to be a one-day event now lasts for weeks leading up to Black Friday and several days thereafter. So, this begs the question: do you really need to rush to shop Black Friday deals? Kind of.

How long do Black Friday deals last?

Alas, “How long do Black Friday deals last?” There would be a definite answer to the question. It will definitely make my work easier. However, with early Black Friday deals, deals days, and then Cyber ​​Weekend and Monday deals, it’s often unclear when the savings actually begin and end. This year, Black Friday takes place on November 28, but savings now start well before the event and last even longer.

In 2025, we’re finding that most retailers are extending Black Friday savings by about two weeks, with many sales starting on November 20 and ending on December 2. When this is the case, there is a sense of urgency and you should be ready to buy.

Why should you rush to shop Black Friday deals?

So why rush into the deal? As mentioned above, if a deal doesn’t provide a specified window of availability, you should grab it before it ends. By November 20, we are finding that most of the retailers have started their sales and expect the prices to remain stable till Black Friday. Don’t plan deals well in advance of Black Friday and expect the most sought-after deals to sell out before then.

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But with this sense of urgency, it’s easy to get lost in looking at markdowns without knowing if it’s really a good deal. So if you’re still feeling cautious about jumping into a deal, there are three things you can do to make sure you’re not walking into a deal that isn’t really that good.

Leading up to and throughout Black Friday, our job at Mashable is to scout out deals and find the best deals for you. If we’ve written about a deal, it’s because it deserves your attention. Additionally, we always pay attention to when products reach their lowest prices.

If we haven’t written about a product, do your own research to see if it’s a guaranteed good deal. If you’re shopping on Amazon, we recommend using a tool like CamelCamelCamel to check the price history of a product to see if it has reached its lowest recorded price.

For example, Amazon’s Kindle reached an all-time low during Amazon’s 2025 Black Friday sale, as recorded by CamelCamelCamel. A drop in price means it’s time to buy.

Check the retailer’s price matching policy

If you want to buy a product before it sells out, but are concerned that its price may still drop further, check out the retailer’s policy on price matching. Unfortunately, price matching is no longer common.

In July 2025, Target joined the ranks of Amazon and Walmart in ending its generous price-matching policy. However, Target and Best Buy still have a holiday price match guarantee. This means that if they lower their price after you buy, you can request a price match.

Otherwise, for retailers like Amazon, which do not have a price matching guarantee, you will have to return and then purchase the item again.

Make sure you’re chasing a product, not a deal

During big shopping events, it’s easy to get caught up in the exciting deals and forget what you really need. So, the best advice we can give you is to chase a product, not a deal. Go on Black Friday and know what you want to buy. Maybe it’s a kitchen appliance you’ve been dying to try or a new pair of headphones you desperately need. Whatever it is, keep your eye on the prize and keep an eye on the price of the product before the event (again, price tracking tools come in handy for this). If it reaches that low before Black Friday, you know you’re ready to buy. And whatever you do, don’t get hyped up by all the other deals, just buy what’s on your list.

Don’t wait until the day after Black Friday

It used to be that Black Friday marked the beginning of savings, but now, it’s essentially the finale of the shopping event. With sales starting in early November, by the time you get to Black Friday on November 28th, it’s basically the end of the sales. In our experience, the later you join the sale, the more likely the product will sell out. So, depending on when you’re shopping really determines when you need to click “Add to Cart”. If it’s a week before Black Friday, you may want to wait to make a purchase. If it’s the day after Black Friday, buy as soon as possible.

That being said, my biggest advice is don’t wait until the day after Black Friday to shop. Even if you’re still waiting for Cyber ​​Monday, sometimes the best deals end at midnight. Consider Cyber ​​Monday your last chance to shop for deals, not your best chance.

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black friday cyber monday