Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2023: From Costco to Target, here’s what deals you can find

Cortlynn Stark, The Sum
·5 min read

It’s the season of giving — and sales.

The 2023 Deloitte holiday retail survey found consumers are expected to surpass prepandemic spending for the first time.

Here’s what you need to know about the best holiday deals in stores and online across the country:

Black Friday deals in stores and online

Black Friday Deals

→ Great deals: We've got you covered with toys, tech and more on Black Friday.

→ Find more Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

From our Partners

Amazon: The tech giant’s Black Friday sales are already underway, running from Nov. 17 to Nov. 24. Then, from Nov. 25 to Nov. 27, Amazon is offering more deals for Cyber Monday. Some products are 70% off.

Best Buy: Best Buy’s sales began Nov. 17 and will run until Nov. 25, followed by Cyber Monday sales on Nov. 26 and 27. Best Buy stores are closed on Thanksgiving.

Costco: Costco is running Early Black Friday Savings from Nov. 13 to 27, with online-only savings beginning Nov. 23 and Black Friday Weekend Savings from Nov. 24 to 27.

Home Depot: Sales at Home Depot began Nov. 15 and go until Nov. 29 in stores and online. Home Depot is closed on Thanksgiving Day.

Target: Target shoppers can find Black Friday deals from Nov. 19 to 25 and Cyber Monday deals Nov. 26 and 27. The top deals go up to 50% off. Target stores are closed Thanksgiving Day, but most reopen at 6 a.m. on Nov. 24.

Walmart: The retail giant has three events, two for Black Friday and one for Cyber Monday. The first round of Black Friday deals began Nov. 8 online and Nov. 10 in stores. The second starts Nov. 22 online and Nov. 24 in stores. The Cyber Monday sale is on Nov. 26, with sales up to 80% on certain items. Walmart+ members can get early access to the sales. Walmart is closed on Thanksgiving Day.

Where are the best places to shop?

Some companies, such as Amazon and Target, have already started offering deals. But some stores have better discounts than others.

WalletHub surveyed more than 3,500 deals from 13 of the largest retailers to find out which offered the best deals. Overall, stores offered an average of 35% off.

JCPenney topped the list with an average discount of 59.1%. Costco offered the smallest average discount at 17.1%.

Here’s how the retailers stacked up based on their average discounts:

  • JCPenney: 59.1%

  • Macy’s: 58.2%

  • Belk: 54.8%

  • Kohl’s: 48.8%

  • Target: 32.7%

  • BJ’s: 30.1%

  • Best Buy: 29.8%

  • Amazon: 28.5%

  • Walmart: 26.9%

  • Dell: 25.8%

  • Newegg: 22.4%

  • The Home Depot: 20.8%

  • Costco: 17.1%

Just like the best deals can depend on the seller, the type of item you’re buying can affect how good of a deal you’ll get. WalletHub found the highest discounts were found in jewelry, while the lowest were offered for computers and phones.

What to watch out for

WalletHub’s 2023 Holiday Shopping Survey found that more than 1-in-3 Americans are passing on gifts because of inflation. The Consumer Price Index rose 3.2%, according to data released Nov. 14 from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The WalletHub survey found 28% of people plan to spend less this year compared to 2022 on holiday shopping and 1-in-5 people will apply for a new credit card to help pay for it.

“As consumers, we love getting a deal and it is easy to buy things just because something is on sale,” Ishani Banerji, clinical assistant professor at Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business at Clemson University, said in WalletHub’s Best Places to Shop on Black Friday (2023).

To move away from impulse shopping, Banerji recommended making a list of products, setting a strict budget or asking yourself if you would buy the item were it not on sale.

Consumers should also be wary of reference prices. These are the prices a retailer says a product usually sells for compared to the sale price, Banerji said, adding that consumers should try to verify the reference price as they can be “artificially inflated so that the sale price seems like a good deal.”

Forbes recommended comparing deals across different retailers and using a credit card to get points or cashback. Consumers should also be cautious of a doorbuster deal, an extremely low-priced item, as these could come with drawbacks.

Also, take note of the return policy and warranty information and be sure to pass that information along to the person you’re gifting the item to, according to the Better Business Bureau.

Black Friday Deals

→ Great deals: We've got you covered with toys, tech and more on Black Friday.

→ Find more Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

From our Partners

What is The Sum?

The Sum is your friendly guide to personal finance and economic news.

We’re a team of McClatchy journalists cutting through the financial jargon so you know how these issues impact your life. We verify information from diverse sources and keep the facts front-and-center, making finance and economic news add up for you.

Ready to take the first step to getting your finances under control? You can sign up for our five-week budgeting newsletter at thesum.news.