It's that time of year when retailers slash their prices for a limited time, meaning loads of bargains are up for grabs, but when does Black Friday end and how long have you got to take advantage of discounted prices from a host of retailers?
Black Friday deals began on Friday 24th November and extend well beyond the day itself and throughout the weekend. It can feel unclear how long you actually have to shop before prices return to their pre-sale levels. Plus deals frequently change throughout the sale period, so you might also be weighing up Black Friday vs Cyber Monday and which has the better discounts.
Here's everything you need to know to make sure you can take advantage of lower prices while you can.
Quick links to Black Friday sales
- Amazon: Up to 50% off toys, baby gear, homeware and more
- Marks and Spencer: Up to 50% off selected toys
- John Lewis: Up to 20% boys and girlswear
- The Entertainer: Up to 70% toys
- Argos: Save up to half price on selected toys including LEGO
- Very: Early Black Friday deals
- House of Fraser: Up to 70% off selected brands
- Sephora: Up to 25% off make up, skincare and fragrance
- Cartwright & Butler: Save on luxury food hampers & more
- Mamas and Papas: Offers, sets and bundles
When does Black Friday end?
Black Friday itself ends at 11.59pm, but while Black Friday is technically just one day, discounts normally continue over the weekend and into Cyber Monday, which this year takes place on 27 November. So in most cases, depending on the retailer, prices will be slashed on a range of products until 11.59pm on 27 November.
Historically, retailers' Black Friday discounts dropped on Black Friday itself, but many start cutting prices much earlier, usually starting in early November. Some retailers even dub the month Black November, offering 30 days of deals and discounts.
What is Black Friday?
Black Friday is an annual sales event that takes place in November each year, but it's only in recent years that it's grown in popularity in the UK. Before that, it was primarily a US-focused sale event, taking place the day after Thanksgiving.
The exact date of Black Friday changes each year, but as Thanksgiving always falls of the fourth Thursday of November, Black Friday is always the day after.
Not every retailer will slash their prices on Black Friday, but many will, including Amazon, Argos, eBay, Asos, Boots and John Lewis.
How long does Black Friday last?
While Black Friday is technically just one day, the discounts usually last longer. However, the exact duration will depend on the retailer. At a minimum, deals tend to be up for grabs for four days, starting on Black Friday, running through the weekend, and ending at the end of the following Monday, which is called Cyber Monday.
But in recent years, retailers have been extending the time frame, often dropping deals in advance of Black Friday itself. With some retailers, this is a couple of days earlier, with others, this could be weeks earlier.
Some retailers might extend the discounts until the end of November too, but most tend to end the sale at the end of Cyber Monday.
Our top family-friendly picks of the Black Friday sales
How often is Black Friday?
Black Friday takes place once a year, towards the end of November. But that's not your only chance to bag a bargain. You'll find that retailers also have a big sale in the summer, as well as throughout January, and if you look online, you can usually find end of season stock in clearance sections on retailers websites all year round.
If you are an Amazon fan, and have a Prime membership, you'll find deals and discounts available all year, but that the discounts ramp up during 48-hour sale events that run at specific times of the year. Amazon Prime Day tends to take place over a couple of days in July, and the online giant slashes loads of prices over the four days of Black Friday weekend. For the last couple of years, the mega retailer has added another sale event to its roster in October. While it's essentially just another Prime Day, it's usually called something different. In 2022, it was called the Prime Early Access Sale, and in 2023, it was called Prime Big Deal Days.
Why is it called Black Friday?
There are a couple of reasons Black Friday is called Black Friday, mostly relating to huge crowds hitting the shops and retailers making lots of of sales. However the very first day to ever be referred to as Black Friday was in the 1800s. It was Friday 24th September 1869, a time when catastrophic days were referred to as 'black'. This was when two financiers, Jim Fisk and Jay Gould, successfully cheated Wall Street which led the US gold market to crash.
But the term Black Friday referring to the Friday after Thanksgiving dates back to the 1950s, in the city of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. Huge numbers of shoppers and football fans would descend on Philadelphia the day after Thanksgiving. Forced to work extra hours, police were dealing with heavy traffic, crowd control and shoplifters and dubbed the chaos as Black Friday.
From the late 1980s, the term Black Friday was also used by retailers to signify their bank accounts moving from the red (meaning being in debt), to the black (meaning being in profit), amid the biggest shopping day of the year.
What is Cyber Monday and when is it?
Cyber Monday falls on the Monday after Black Friday and usually signals the final day of the Black Friday weekend. This year it falls on Monday 27 November.
Historically, Black Friday deals used to be found in store, with retailers then offering discounts online on Monday, hence why it was dubbed Cyber Monday. But now that the number of retailers offering online shopping has grown, as well as the number of online only retailers like Amazon and Asos, that distinction no longer applies. But the name has stuck.
What is Cyber Monday for?
In the past, Cyber Monday used to be when retailers would offer discounts for online shoppers, after slashing the prices in store on Black Friday. But more recently, and especially since the pandemic when a lot of retailers had to close or impose limitations on their physical stores, there is not really any difference between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The name is still used by a lot of retailers, and tends to signify a final day of discounts rather than online only deals.
If you're looking to take advantage of Amazon's discounts as a Prime member, it helps to understand the hidden benefits of Amazon Prime, including how you can get free Deliveroo Plus for 12 months.
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