Black Friday · Dates · Anyone planning the Thanksgiving weekend around shopping
Black Friday 2026: the date, store hours and when the sales really open
By Siddharth Kumar · Updated September 2026
Black Friday 2026 is Friday, November 27, the day after Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 26. Cyber Monday is November 30. Most major US retailers, including Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Macy’s and Kohl’s, have closed on Thanksgiving Day since 2020 and open early on Friday morning, with 6 a.m. local time the most common opening in 2025 and Kohl’s earlier. Online sales open well before the doors do: Amazon’s 2025 beauty event began November 21, Sephora’s on November 24, and most retailers publish their ads the week of November 16. Because Thanksgiving falls late in 2026, the window between Black Friday and Christmas is four days shorter than in 2025, so expect early-access deals to start slightly sooner.
As an Amazon Associate, MySecretCart earns from qualifying purchases. Your price never changes. Full disclosure.
The date is the easy part. Black Friday 2026 is November 27, and Cyber Monday is November 30. The questions that actually shape a plan are the ones around it: which stores are open on Thanksgiving, what time the doors open Friday, when the online sales start, and how a late Thanksgiving changes the shape of the season. This page answers each with the 2025 pattern as the guide, because retailers repeat their own habits year to year, and closes with a simple calendar for the two weeks that matter. Fragrance-specific timing is on our page about when Black Friday perfume deals start.
| Retailer | Thanksgiving Day 2025 | Black Friday opening 2025 | Plan for 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walmart | Closed | 6 a.m. local | Closed Thanksgiving; early Friday opening; online deals in waves from early November |
| Target | Closed, now permanently | 6 a.m. local | Closed Thanksgiving; Friday early opening; week-long online deals |
| Best Buy | Closed | 6 a.m. local | Closed Thanksgiving; Friday early opening; doorbusters online at midnight |
| Macy’s | Closed; parade in the morning | 6 a.m. local | Closed Thanksgiving; Friday early opening; ad published mid-November |
| Kohl’s | Closed | 5 a.m. local | Closed Thanksgiving; earliest of the department stores Friday |
| Sephora and Ulta | Closed | Mall or store hours, typically early morning | Online events open the Monday of Thanksgiving week or earlier |
| Amazon | Online only | Online only | Beauty event opened November 21 in 2025; expect around November 20 |
The 2026 dates
Thanksgiving 2026 is Thursday, November 26. Black Friday is Friday, November 27. Small Business Saturday is November 28 and Cyber Monday is November 30, with the extended online window most retailers now run through Tuesday, December 1 or Wednesday, December 2. Because Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November it moves each year, and 2026 puts it at the latest end of its range. That leaves 27 days from Black Friday to Christmas Eve, four fewer than 2025. Retailers respond to a compressed season by starting earlier rather than by shortening, so expect the first “Black Friday” online deals in the first week of November and early-access windows around November 20.
Thanksgiving Day: the doors stay shut
The era of Thanksgiving evening doorbusters ended in 2020, when the pandemic closed stores on the holiday, and it has not come back. Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Macy’s, Kohl’s, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Costco and most mall anchors have stayed closed on Thanksgiving every year since, and Target has made the closure permanent. A handful of grocery and convenience chains open for reduced hours, and pharmacies typically do. For a shopper this means two things: there is nothing to line up for on Thursday night, and the online deals that used to wait for Thursday evening now open days or weeks earlier. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade still runs Thursday morning, and the store itself opens Friday.
Black Friday morning: when the doors open
In 2025 the common opening time was 6 a.m. local, used by Walmart, Target, Best Buy and Macy’s, with Kohl’s opening at 5 a.m. and many mall stores following the mall’s extended holiday hours, which often start at 6 or 7 a.m. Retailers publish their exact hours in the Black Friday ads the week of November 16, and individual store hours can differ from the chain default, so the store locator is the final word. The in-store doorbusters that justify an early alarm are now a shrinking part of the event, concentrated in televisions, small appliances and toys; for beauty and fragrance the in-store and online offers are almost always identical, and there is no reason to be at a Sephora or an Ulta at opening.
When the online sales actually start
The date on the calendar is now the least useful signal for online shopping. Amazon opened its 2025 Black Friday beauty event on Friday, November 21 and its broader deals earlier still. Sephora’s holiday sale opened Monday, November 24. Target, Walmart and Best Buy ran week-long online events starting the weekend before Thanksgiving, with a second wave on Thanksgiving Day itself and doorbusters at midnight Eastern going into Friday. FragranceNet opened on Wednesday, November 26. Publisher deal roundups went live on Friday morning, which is useful for discovery and too late for anything that sells out. The pattern for 2026: the first real deals around November 20, the main event from Thanksgiving evening online, and the full weekend through Cyber Monday with the best selection on Friday and Saturday.
Cyber Monday and the days after
Cyber Monday, November 30, is the last day of the main window and the day retailers push what has not sold, often with an online-only code. Most extend their sales through Tuesday, December 1 or Wednesday, December 2. After that, prices on the headline items return toward normal and the popular products in sale ranges are gone, though clearance on gift sets and slower lines begins. Shipping cutoffs for Christmas arrive earlier than usual in 2026 because of the compressed calendar, so anything bought on Cyber Monday should be ordered with standard shipping in mind. For fragrance specifically, the percentages are the same across the whole window and selection is what shrinks, which is why our Black Friday versus Cyber Monday page argues for buying early.
A two-week calendar
Week of November 16: Black Friday ads published; read the ones for the stores you care about and note code days and doorbuster dates. Friday, November 20: expect Amazon and other early-access online events to open. Monday, November 23: Sephora-style holiday events open; loyalty tiers may get a day earlier. Thursday, November 26: Thanksgiving, stores closed, online deals refresh in the evening. Friday, November 27: doors open around 6 a.m. local; the fullest selection of the whole window. Saturday, November 28: Small Business Saturday; independents and decant sellers run their own promotions. Monday, November 30: Cyber Monday, online codes, last full day. December 1 and 2: extended sales close; selection is thin. Then watch shipping cutoffs.
The verdict
Black Friday 2026 is November 27, stores are closed on Thanksgiving and open around 6 a.m. Friday, and the online sales that matter open a week earlier. Plan around the ads the week of November 16 and the early-access windows around November 20, not around the Friday itself. The late date means shipping deadlines arrive sooner than usual.
Who should skip this
Skip the early alarm if you are shopping for beauty, fragrance, clothing or most electronics; the online offer is the same as the store offer. Skip Thanksgiving evening entirely; nothing opens.
How we chose
Dates are fixed by the US federal Thanksgiving holiday. Store closures and opening times reflect the retailers’ published 2025 holiday hours as reported by deal trackers and retail press, and the pattern since 2020. Online sale windows are the retailers’ published 2025 dates. Retailers confirm 2026 hours in their mid-November ads; check the store locator for a specific location.
Frequently asked
What day is Black Friday 2026?
Friday, November 27, 2026. Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26 and Cyber Monday is Monday, November 30.
Are stores open on Thanksgiving 2026?
Most major retailers, including Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Macy’s and Kohl’s, have closed on Thanksgiving every year since 2020 and are expected to stay closed. Some grocery chains and pharmacies open for reduced hours.
What time do stores open on Black Friday?
In 2025 the common opening was 6 a.m. local time at Walmart, Target, Best Buy and Macy’s, with Kohl’s at 5 a.m. Retailers confirm exact hours in their ads the week of November 16; check the store locator for your location.
When do Black Friday online sales start?
Well before the Friday. In 2025 Amazon’s beauty event opened November 21 and Sephora’s holiday sale November 24, with major retailers running online events from the weekend before Thanksgiving. Expect similar timing in 2026.
How long until Christmas after Black Friday 2026?
Twenty-seven days from Black Friday to Christmas Eve, four fewer than in 2025, because Thanksgiving falls late. Expect earlier shipping cutoffs.
Related guides
- Is Perfume Cheaper on Black Friday? What 2020 to 2025 Show
- When Do Black Friday Perfume Deals Start in 2026?
- Black Friday vs Cyber Monday for Perfume: Which Is Better?
- Does Dior Sauvage Ever Go on Sale? Where and When
- Which Dior Sauvage to Buy on Black Friday 2026
- Does Chanel Perfume Ever Go on Sale? The Honest Answer
- Does Creed Aventus Ever Go on Sale? Where It Really Does
- Does Tom Ford Perfume Go on Sale for Black Friday?
- Does Baccarat Rouge 540 Ever Go on Sale? Black Friday Truth
- Which Bleu de Chanel to Buy on Black Friday 2026