Halloween decorations are just coming down, and we’re still weeks away from Thanksgiving, but Black Friday discounts are already filling shopping carts.
What used to be retail’s biggest shopping day has turned into a weeks-long promotional marathon. Discounts are dropping earlier, retailers are stretching their calendars, and the year’s biggest shopping event is starting long before Black Friday itself.
The appetite for early shopping is there. According to the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) 2026 Winter Holiday Spending Highlights, 43% of consumers planned to start holiday shopping before November. But here’s the catch: NRF’s October Holiday Consumer Survey found that 64% still expect to do most of their holiday shopping over Thanksgiving weekend.
So, what’s the strategy behind the early start, and is it actually working?
The Race to Be First
For retailers, getting ahead of Black Friday is about more than beating competitors to the discount.
It’s about getting a piece of consumers’ holiday budgets before someone else does.
A five-year analysis from Coupons.com found that 74% of retailers historically launched Black Friday promotions before Thanksgiving week. This year, some of retail’s biggest names are taking that strategy even further.
- Best Buy kicked things off before October 30th, with weekly deal drops leading into a 10-day Black Friday event
- Target is turning November into a series of shopping moments, beginning with Early Black Friday November 5th – 7th and daily deals through Christmas Eve
- Walmart is spreading the action across three promotional events from November 12th through December 2nd
Despite different promotional calendars, retailers are racing toward the same goal of winning shoppers’ attention and holiday spending before the biggest shopping weekend even begins.
The Discount Dilemma
There’s a catch to making Black Friday last longer. When everything is a Black Friday deal, what makes any one deal stand out?
In 2023, half of the most popular Black Friday discounts were available three days before the event. By 2025, that window had expanded to seven days, according to Coupons.com.
But as discounts become easier to find, urgency becomes harder to create. Lola Blankets kicked off its sale on November 1 with 50% off eligible products, while Kohl’s is offering an extra 20% off during its November 6–8 Early Black Friday event.
With deals arriving weeks before Thanksgiving, shoppers have more incentive to buy early, but also more reason to wonder whether an even better offer is around the corner. For example, Lola Blankets offered 55% off during Black Friday 2025, potentially giving returning shoppers a reason to hold out for deeper savings.
But price isn’t the only consideration. Others may see a comparable discount as a chance to check something off their holiday list, secure their preferred colors or styles before inventory runs low, and avoid the Black Friday rush. For retailers, early promotions can create urgency through more than discounts alone, making convenience, availability, and confidence in the offer part of the equation.
Winning the Weeks, Not Just the Weekend
Starting earlier is only half the strategy. The bigger opportunity is giving shoppers a reason to come back as Black Friday approaches.
Sephora is using tiered discounts of 10–20% to reward loyalty, while Ulta Beauty is rolling out weekly early Black Friday deals of up to 50% off to keep shoppers engaged. Both approaches create distinct shopping moments rather than relying on one prolonged promotion.
The timing matters, especially with 64% of consumers still planning to do most of their holiday shopping over Thanksgiving weekend. Early promotions can build momentum, but the real test is whether that interest translates into incremental sales when holiday shopping reaches its peak.
First to Market, or First to Be Forgotten?
The early Black Friday strategy makes sense on paper. Reach consumers before competitors, spread demand across more days, and create more opportunities to convert.
But the earlier everyone starts, the harder it becomes to claim an advantage simply by showing up first.
As retailers stretch Black Friday further into November, are brands creating new demand and breaking through the noise, or just giving consumers more to scroll past?
