Walmart Black Friday deals start at 12:01 a.m. ET on Thursday, Nov. 12, on Walmart.com, and at 6 a.m. local time in its stores. That is the first of three sales events running through Dec. 2, according to the company’s Oct. 26 announcement.
The schedule favors people who shop online, and paying members most of all. Walmart+ members get the first 24 hours on the most sought-after items in both Black Friday events. In the main event, Walmart.com opens four days before the stores do.
Three events over 14 days, with stores starting later
Walmart’s release lays out the calendar. Online start times are Eastern, and store times are local.
- Early Black Friday Deals, Nov. 12–15: Walmart.com at 12:01 a.m. ET on Nov. 12; stores at 6 a.m. the same day.
- Black Friday Deals, Nov. 23–29: Walmart.com at 12:01 a.m. ET on Nov. 23; stores on Friday, Nov. 27, at 6 a.m.
- Cyber Monday, Nov. 30–Dec. 2: Walmart.com at 12:01 a.m. ET on Nov. 30. The release gives no store time.
That adds up to 14 days of deals, up from 10 last year, as Retail Dive noted. Our own count from Walmart’s 2025 release matches. Last year’s events ran Nov. 14–16, Nov. 25–30 and Cyber Monday on Dec. 1. The online-first pattern isn’t new: last year’s second event was also online only until Black Friday.
Stores won’t be open in between. In an Oct. 7 holiday update, Walmart said, “Stores will be closed again on Thanksgiving and Christmas this year.” Thanksgiving is Nov. 26, the day before store deals for the second event begin.
Walmart+ members get a full day’s head start
Each Black Friday event has “hot Deal drops”. Walmart+ members can buy them from 12:01 a.m. ET on the first day, which Walmart pitches as early access to “some of the most sought-after toys and gifts of the season.” Whatever is left opens to everyone 24 hours later, at 12:01 a.m. ET on Nov. 13 and Nov. 24.
Separately, the release says “select online-only Deals will be reserved exclusively for Walmart+ members for the first 24 hours, while supplies last” in both Black Friday events. It doesn’t say which deals fall into that group.
That is a longer lead than last year, though on fewer items. In 2025, members got “five hours early access online” to each event, from 7 p.m. ET the evening before, according to the 2025 release. That included Cyber Monday, where this year’s release mentions no early access.
Walmart is also selling Walmart+ and Sam’s Club Plus together for $120 a year. The release says the membership auto-renews and terms apply.
What Walmart has, and hasn’t, said is on sale
As of Nov. 11, Walmart’s announcement lists no individual products or prices. It promises savings on “thousands of items” and “thousands of gifts under $20.” It also points to Walmart’s Top Toys list, which has 25 toys priced under $25.
Retail Dive pointed out that the 2025 announcement did name specific products. We couldn’t check individual Walmart.com listings, so this story quotes no item prices from third-party deal lists. Some of Walmart’s deals run only while supplies last.
Many shoppers will be in Walmart this month for groceries anyway. The chain holds 21% of US grocery spending, according to Numerator data cited in our story on DoorDash and Instacart.
How Walmart’s dates line up with Target, Amazon and Best Buy
Black Friday is Friday, Nov. 27, and Cyber Monday is Nov. 30. “Not stated” means the retailer’s own page doesn’t say.
| Retailer | Event | Online start | In-store start | Member early access | Thanksgiving, Nov. 26 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walmart | Early Black Friday, Nov. 12–15 | 12:01 a.m. ET Nov. 12 | 6 a.m. Nov. 12 | Walmart+, 24 hours early on hot Deal drops | n/a | Walmart, Oct. 26 |
| Walmart | Black Friday, Nov. 23–29 | 12:01 a.m. ET Nov. 23 | 6 a.m. Nov. 27 | Walmart+, 24 hours early on hot Deal drops | Stores closed | Walmart, Oct. 26, Oct. 7 |
| Walmart | Cyber Monday, Nov. 30–Dec. 2 | 12:01 a.m. ET Nov. 30 | Not stated | Not stated | n/a | Walmart, Oct. 26 |
| Amazon | Black Friday Week, Nov. 19–30 | 12:01 a.m. PST Nov. 19 | Online event | Not stated | Online event | Amazon, Nov. 10 |
| Best Buy | Black Friday, Nov. 19–28 | Nov. 19 | Not stated | Double rewards for paid members | Stores closed | Best Buy, Oct. 27 |
| Target | Black Friday | Not announced | 6 a.m. Nov. 27 | Not stated | All stores closed | Target, Nov. 5 |
Amazon’s Pacific start is 3:01 a.m. Eastern. Target ran early deals Nov. 5–7 and promises “sales for key moments like Black Friday and Cyber Monday”, without dates.
Read together, the calendars put Walmart’s second event in a crowded spot. Amazon and Best Buy both open their main sales on Nov. 19, four days before Walmart’s Black Friday Deals go live online.
Walmart won’t refund the difference if a price drops
Here Walmart’s rules differ most from its rivals’. Its price match policy says Walmart.com doesn’t adjust prices “for items previously purchased on Walmart.com that have since decreased in price.”
In a Walmart store, staff will match the price of an identical item advertised on Walmart.com. That excludes Walmart.com prices on “special events”, which the policy says includes Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. Walmart doesn’t match competitors’ prices at all.
Target and Best Buy do offer some protection. From Nov. 1 to Dec. 24, Target matches its own price if it drops later in the season. Best Buy says that if the price of a product it sells drops during the holiday season, “we’ll match it”, excluding marketplace products.
What Walmart offers instead is time. Its return policy, updated Nov. 2, says “most items purchased between October 01 through December 31 are returnable until January 31.”
Listed exceptions include wireless phones, major appliances and Dyson products. Normally, consumer electronics have 30 days. Marketplace sellers can set different rules.
Best Buy takes back most purchases made Oct. 30 through Dec. 31 until Jan. 15, 2027. At Target, electronics bought Nov. 1 through Dec. 24 can come back until Jan. 24, 2027. Apple and Beats products and mobile phones must go back by Jan. 8.
Whatever you buy, check the receipt against the advertised price before you leave. The FTC’s case against Dollar General turned on exactly that gap between the shelf and the register.
The next date on the calendar is Nov. 19, when Amazon and Best Buy open their main sales. Walmart+ members get first access to Walmart’s second round of hot Deal drops at 12:01 a.m. ET on Nov. 23.
