Black Friday 2026: Which Big US Retailers Start Early, and Who's Closed on Thanksgiving
Quick Summary
- Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26, Black Friday is Friday, November 27 and Cyber Monday is Monday, November 30, 2026.
- As of September 24, 2026, none of the 61 retailers we track had announced 2026 Thanksgiving hours or Black Friday sale dates.
- Two answers already hold for 2026 because they are standing policies: Target is closed on Thanksgiving and REI is closed on Black Friday.
- Last year, 52 of the 61 were closed on Thanksgiving Day, and several of the biggest sales started a week or more before Friday.
- Store by store, with a source for every fact: Black Friday 2026 store hours and sale dates.
The short answer: almost nothing is announced yet
If you are trying to plan Black Friday 2026 right now, here is the honest picture. We checked 61 big US retailers on September 24, 2026, and not one of them had said when its 2026 Black Friday sale starts or what its Thanksgiving hours will be.
Until they do, the most useful thing we can show you is what each store did in 2025. That is not a forecast, and any store can change its plans. But it tells you roughly when to start paying attention.
Our retailer hours page is checked again every week until December 1. Each store has its own row, so you can bookmark just the one you care about, for example Walmart or Best Buy.
What is already settled for 2026
Two retailers don't need to announce anything, because they made their answer permanent years ago.
- Target: closed on Thanksgiving. Target said in 2021 that its stores will be closed on Thanksgiving Day moving forward. Its 2026 sale dates are not out yet. Last year its Black Friday week ran November 23 to 29.
- REI: closed on Black Friday. REI said in 2022 that it will close all its locations every Black Friday. Online orders placed that day are processed the next day.
Everyone else is still "not announced yet" on our page.
Who started early last year
The biggest thing last year's dates tell you is that Black Friday is not one day any more. Here is when the main sales ran in 2025 at the 11 stores on our list we have dates for:
| Retailer | Earlier event in 2025 | Main Black Friday sale in 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| The Home Depot | Black Friday deals ran Nov 6–26 | |
| Lowe's | Early deals Oct 30 – Nov 26 | Online from Nov 27, in stores Nov 28 |
| Kohl's | Early Access Nov 7–9 | Black Friday Week, Nov 23–29 |
| Macy's | Early Access Nov 10–13 | Black Friday Week, Nov 23–30 |
| Walmart | An event ran Nov 14–16 | Nov 25–30 (online only Nov 25–27, in stores from Nov 28) |
| Amazon | Nov 20 – Dec 1 (Black Friday Week and Cyber Monday) | |
| Best Buy | Early deals ran up to Nov 19 | Nov 20–29 |
| JCPenney | Nov 21–30 | |
| Target | Black Friday week, Nov 23–29 | |
| Sam's Club | Nov 27–30 | |
| Costco | Nov 28 – Dec 1, with online-only deals on Thanksgiving Day |
So in 2025, Home Depot's Black Friday deals were running three weeks before Black Friday, Lowe's had early deals from the end of October, and Amazon and Best Buy started their main sales a full week early. If you were waiting for Friday morning at those stores, you were late.
For many other stores on our list we have last year's Black Friday opening hours but no sale dates. Those are on the full page.
Who was open on Thanksgiving last year
On our list, closing on Thanksgiving is the norm. Last year only 9 of the 61 retailers we track were open that day, and most of those were grocery, pharmacy or dollar stores on short hours:
- Amazon: online, with its Black Friday Week sale already running
- Bass Pro Shops: open, except stores in Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island
- Kroger: open until 12 p.m.
- Whole Foods Market: most stores 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., closed in Massachusetts, Maine and Rhode Island
- H-E-B: 6 a.m. to noon
- Wegmans: most stores closed at 4 p.m.
- CVS Pharmacy: some stores and pharmacies on reduced hours
- Dollar General: regular hours in most states
- Family Dollar: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Walmart, Costco, Sam's Club, BJ's, Best Buy, Macy's, Kohl's, Home Depot, Lowe's, Publix, Aldi and Trader Joe's were all closed. Walgreens closed most stores, but its 24-hour locations kept the pharmacy open. Kohl's stores were closed while its deals stayed live on Kohls.com.
If you are cooking, the practical takeaway is simple: last year the grocers on our list that did open mostly closed by early afternoon. Buy what you need by Wednesday.
How early stores opened on Black Friday 2025
For the stores that did open for doorbusters, the earliest openings last year were at 5 a.m.: Kohl's, JCPenney and Academy Sports + Outdoors, plus Old Navy and Fleet Farm at some stores. Walmart, Target, Macy's, Best Buy, Lowe's and several others opened at 6 a.m. Hours are local store time and can vary by location.
What this means for your shopping
You can't plan around 2026 dates that don't exist yet. But last year's pattern gives you three useful habits:
1. Start watching prices in early November
If 2026 looks anything like 2025, several big sales will be live well before Thanksgiving. Note the price of the thing you want now, so you can tell a real discount from a relabelled one when the sale starts.
2. Don't count on Thanksgiving Day
Most big stores were closed last year, and the Thanksgiving Day deals we found (Amazon, Costco, Kohl's) were online. Check the store's own announcement before you drive anywhere.
3. Work out what you actually pay
A sale plus a promo code plus cashback is not the three numbers added together. Our discount stacking calculator shows the real price in the order checkout applies them, and this guide walks through the math with examples.
Looking for codes rather than hours? Our Black Friday 2026 page lists brands with a code that runs through the weekend, and Tenmomo cashback tracks the same order.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Black Friday 2026?
Friday, November 27, 2026, the day after Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 26). Cyber Monday is Monday, November 30.
Which stores are closed on Thanksgiving 2026?
As of September 24, 2026, only Target has a 2026 answer: closed, under a policy it announced in 2021. The other 60 retailers we track had not announced 2026 hours. Last year 52 of the 61 were closed on Thanksgiving Day.
Is Walmart open on Thanksgiving 2026?
Walmart had not announced its 2026 Thanksgiving hours when we last checked on September 24, 2026. It was closed on Thanksgiving in 2025. We update Walmart's row as soon as it says something about 2026.
Is REI open on Black Friday 2026?
No. REI said in 2022 that it will close all its locations every Black Friday. Online orders placed that day are processed the next day.
When will stores announce their 2026 Black Friday plans?
We can't say for sure, and nobody outside the stores can. We check all 61 retailers every week until December 1 and change a 2026 cell only when the retailer itself says something about 2026.
Related
- Black Friday 2026 store hours and sale dates, store by store
- Black Friday 2026 deals with a code and cashback
- Discount stacking calculator
- How to stack a sale, a promo code and cashback, and what the real discount is
Last updated: 2026-09-25. Retailer facts are from our retailer hours page as last checked on September 24, 2026. Anything marked 2025 is what happened last year, not a forecast for 2026.
