Believe it or not, Black Friday is coming up sooner than you think. The big sales event is only a few weeks away, and we're here to make sure that you're fully prepared for all of the excellent deals as they appear. Walmart has laid out its plan for the shopping season, and there's plenty to look forward to. Below, you can find a detailed breakdown of when Walmart's Black Friday sales begin, the store hours, deal predictions, and so much more.
Click on one of the links below to learn more.
Jump to:
- Walmart Black Friday Dates
- Walmart+ Membership Details
- Walmart’s Store Hours
- Walmart’s Holiday Shopping Return Policy
- Walmart Black Friday Deals Predictions
- Walmart Shopping Tips
When Does Walmart's Black Friday Start?
Black Friday falls on November 24, 2023 this year. Walmart has yet to announce its official plans for Black Friday 2023, but we can make some assumptions based on how the retailer has treated the big sales event in years past.
Even though Black Friday kicks off at the end of November, plenty of retailers like to start up sales early, including Walmart. In the previous few years, the company has thrown a 'Black Friday Deals for Days' event every Monday in November leading up to Black Friday. Then came the official Black Friday sale, followed by a Cyber Monday sale event. Walmart+ members even got early access to many of those deals. Don't be surprised if that happens again in 2023.
For Walmart's official Black Friday sale last year, it began online the Sunday before Black Friday, with in-store deals beginning on Black Friday itself. If that pattern holds in 2023, you can expect Walmart's online Black Friday deals to begin on Sunday, November 20, followed by the in-store Black Friday sale on November 24.
What Is a Walmart+ Membership?
If you're looking to get early access to Black Friday savings, you'll likely be able to do so in 2023 with a Walmart+ membership. This membership offers a 30-day free trial and will then set you back $12.95/month or $98/year, but that price tag is well worth it for what you get. This includes free shipping with no order minimum, returns from home, free delivery from your closest store, and so much more. It even gets you access to Paramount+, which is a pretty stellar bonus. And last year, it also got you 7-hour early access to Black Friday deals.
You can learn more about the Walmart+ membership and sign up at the link here.
Walmart's Extended Store Hours
If you're looking to get in on the holiday shopping action in person, you'll want to know when Walmart will be open on Black Friday. Last year, Walmart stores opened bright and early on Black Friday at 5am (local time), but were closed on Thanksgiving. We expect similar hours in 2023. Regular store hours throughout the week are listed below, if you're looking to get your shopping in outside of Black Friday:
- Monday-Sunday: 6am - 11pm
Walmart Extended Holiday Shopping Return Policy
Many retailers update their return policies during the holiday shopping season, and Walmart is one such place. According to their website, "Most items purchased in-store or online from October 1, 2023, through December 31, 2023, are returnable until January 31, 2024. Marketplace seller participation varies. See the Return Policy for details."
Walmart Black Friday Deal Predictions
TVs - One thing is certain: Black Friday is the best time to buy a TV. You can find good discounts at other times of the year, but you’ll always find great deals on top TVs during Black Friday. Whether you’re looking for a TV from LG, Samsung, Sony, Vizio, or more, you’ll likely find a good deal at Walmart.
Apple Products - Black Friday is a great time to pick up Apple products, because Walmart reliably offers discounts on various Apple Watch models and iPad models. MacBooks, older iPhones, and also Apple accessories like AirPods will almost certainly get a discount. Last year, Walmart offered a $300 gift card with purchase of the then-new iPhone 14. I wouldn’t be surprised if the retailer offered a similar deal on this year's iPhone 15 and maybe even offered a discount on the Apple Watch Series 9.
Gaming PCs and Laptops - Black Friday is absolutely one of the best times to buy a laptop. Walmart typically runs big discounts on gaming laptops and budget gaming PCs from brands like Acer, Ibuypower, Asus, and more.
Video Games - Last year, Walmart had some great video game hardware deals, including Xbox Series S for $240 and Meta Quest 2 with two games for $349. you want to pick up any games you’ve missed, whether they came out this year or in previous years, you will find tons of video game deals during Black Friday. Even some of the biggest brand-new AAA games are likely to get some kind of discount during Black Friday. Just be sure to buy what you want when you see it on sale, because stock sells out. Even some Black Friday Nintendo Switch deals can go fast.
Blu-rays and DVDs - You can always count on big sales on 4K UHD Blu-rays and DVDs during Black Friday. Even if these movies and TV shows won’t be on the shelf next year, you can count on deals this year.
Walmart Shopping Tips
While Black Friday is generally the best time to get big discounts on many categories of items, there are definitely some Black Friday tips to keep in mind while shopping:
- Set a Budget - Whether you’re buying for yourself or for the people on your gift list, you don’t want to go overboard, no matter how good the deals are. Set a budget before the sales kick off, and stick to it.
- Create a Shopping List - It’s easy to go nuts buying things when you see a bunch of great deals. But the smart move is go into Black Friday with a shopping list. That way, you can buy what you need, without being sidetracked along the way by shiny deals you don’t actually need.
- Research Before You Buy - For many categories, like TVs and gaming PCs, for instance, you have tons of options. To help whittle down your options to the one you really want, you should do your research before you buy. Another question you might have is whether a Black Friday deal is actually a good price compared to normal. One of my favorite tools in this regard is Camelcamelcamel, which shows historical Amazon pricing, so you can see how often it goes on sale, and for what price.
- Compare Prices - It’s happened to me more than once — I’ll see an item on my list for 30% off, and I’ll pick it up. Then I’ll hop over to another retailer and see it marked down 50%. For most deals, you should compare prices at various retailers before buying. The Amazon Black Friday sale and Best Buy Black Friday sale are especially worth looking at for price comparisons.
- Be Wary of Search Results - Search platforms, such as Google, have a tendency to be flooded with sponsored links in the results. Be careful to avoid clicking on a sponsored ad if you're looking for reviews or searching for specific products by price.
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer who works with the Guides and Commerce teams here at IGN.
