Black Friday 2018

Find the best shops for Black Friday around the world

What is Black Friday?

Black Friday is an annual event where stores offer the biggest discounts and savings of the year. During the five-day long weekend from Thanksgiving through to Cyber Monday in 2016, customers have spent around US$12.8 billion in the US alone. Of that amount, US$ 3.3 billion was spent online on Black Friday itself. With stats like these, you can see why it is one of the largest sales events of the year. Due to the growth in Black Friday deals being offered around the world, these figures are only set to increase.

How did Black Friday start? What does it mean?

This shopping event has its roots in the US in the 1930s, with the first being held in 1932. However, the name “Black Friday” wasn’t introduced until the 1960s. As the end of November is the start of the Christmas season, offering massive sales became a great way to clear old stock and prepare for the holiday shopping season. At the time, most bookkeeping was done by hand, with retailers using pen and ink. Due to the huge volume of sales and revenue of this shopping event, red ink – used to denote losses – was replaced by black ink, a sign of a positive balance sheet. Retailers looked forward to their “Black Friday” balances all year, and the name stuck. Over the years, this tradition has developed into a huge sales event, with bigger and better discounts being offered every year.

When is the Black Friday sale? What time does it start?

Black Friday always falls on the Friday immediately after Thanksgiving. In 2018, Black Friday will be held on 23th November. Some retailers begin to offer discounts in the run-up to Black Friday, while others have flash sales for a few hours only during the day itself. Stores are likely to operate extended opening hours to cope with the crowds of shoppers. Online stores will announce the starting dates of their Black Friday sales in advance, so make sure you keep checking your favourite shopping websites to know when the sales will begin.

When is Black Friday 2018?

In 2018, Black Friday will be held on 23rd November. The actual date of Black Friday changes every year, since it is always on the day after Thanksgiving Thursday. Because Black Friday is usually around a month before Christmas, it is the perfect time to get your Christmas gift shopping done.

Cyber Monday vs. Black Friday

Cyber Monday is the sister event to Black Friday, held on the Monday immediately after Black Friday. In 2018, Cyber Monday will be on Monday the 26th of November. Cyber Monday was originally set up as the online alternative to Black Friday, aimed specifically at online shopping. However, in reality, many retailers offer online discounts on Black Friday as well as Cyber Monday, linking the two days together into a long weekend filled with special offers.

How does Black Friday work?

Retailers will announce when Black Friday sales start in advance, so be sure to hold off any online purchases until the event starts. Some stores will have different offers available throughout the day, while others offer a generic discount across their departments. In previous years, certain brands offered limited edition products produced specially for Black Friday. Follow the website to keep up-to-date with the best offers.

What if I don’t want to wait for Black Friday sales?

When it comes to online shopping, there’s no need to wait for Black Friday! Great deals and discounts can be found throughout the year on websites like CupoNation (global), Blogdechollos in Spain and Serialdealer in France. If there’s something you need to buy now, we suggest looking for a coupon or discount code that can be used immediately. But if your purchase can wait until November, we expect retailers to offer even bigger discounts during Black Friday.

Are there sales leading up to Black Friday?

In order to whet their customers’ appetites, many stores and retailers offer Black Friday deals before the event itself. To find the best opportunities for incredible savings, look for Black Friday discounts in the days leading up to the actual event. Follow your favourite retailers online and set aside some time to do your online shopping.

Who will be participating in the Black Friday sales?

Due to the huge success of Black Friday, more and more stores have started offering the most amazing deals. The Black Friday madness has even pervaded the online-only shops. Big-brand retailers like Amazon have Black Friday discount that help shoppers save big on their Christmas shopping.

Are there Black Friday deals online?

Of course – some of the best Black Friday sales are found online! While it started as an in-store event back in the 1930s, Black Friday shopping has undergone a huge transformation. With the recent increase in e-commerce, Black Friday deals can be found both in-store and online. For the savvy shopper, online deals mean no more lining up outside their favorite shops on a cold November day. And most large retailers, such as Walmart, have incorporated Black Friday offers into their online stores.

Isn’t it better to shop in-store for Black Friday?

Like most things in life, it is entirely up to the customer whether they like shopping online or in-store. If you love the thrill of getting caught up in the bargain-hunting spirit and grabbing the best deals before anyone else, in-store Black Friday shopping can be a huge rush. For the more relaxed shoppers, hunting for the best deals online offers a much more comfortable experience. Besides, even if you do love the in-store atmosphere, you can catch up on any deals you may have missed out on when you get home!

Who has the best Black Friday deals?

Most large stores take part in Black Friday and offer products with up to a massive 70% off. We expect electronics and household items especially to have great discounts during Black Friday. Other products including cosmetics, toys and clothes have also been sold at enormous discounts in previous years. The best deals for this year’s Black Friday will be announced close to the day, so keep on the look out!

Can I trust Black Friday online guides?

If you already know and love online shopping, you’ve probably come into contact with a Black Friday online shopping guide or handbook about “How to save on Black Friday”. While some of these guides are trustworthy, there are also many scammers out there who profit from the searches for the best deals. We recommend to only use proven savings sites, like CupoNation, or to look for curated deal pages with your most wanted items. But never forget to do your own research before you click on a deal to be sure you are not scammed. Watch out for products with a big discount, when in fact the product was previously sold at an inflated price. Here on Black-Friday.sale, we handpick all the deals with our global team of editors. We promise to show you only the hottest deals and discounts out there!

Do coupons work on Black Friday?

Of course they do! Most coupons work on top of the Black Friday discounts, so you could save twice as much!

Are there any other large shopping events that help me to save money?

As online shopping has become an integral part in our lives, more and more online shopping events are being held. For example, this summer saw a worldwide Back to School deals. October has the Diwali sales celebrating one of the largest gift-giving holidays in India. Likewise, China has its Singles Day on November 11th, where young Chinese people celebrate being single. Originating in the 1990s, the day was chosen because of the number one being prominent in the date. Australia has its Click Frenzy sale starting on November 14th. This online sale day was inspired by the American Cyber Monday, a day of online discounts. During the last week of November, there is a worldwide sale on Black Friday, not to forget the Cyber Monday sale, just after Black Friday. In many parts of the world, the Christmas season is also a great time to find incredible savings throughout December, followed by the January sales in the new year.

Worldwide Black Friday news