Black Friday is a ways off, but that doesn’t mean it’s too early to think about deal-shopping later this year. Here’s what we expect from Black Friday 2022.
Black Friday 2022 is still a ways off, but if you’re already planning your yearly shopping in light of ongoing shortages and supply chain problems, then it’s not too early to start thinking about what you’re aiming to buy this year. That’s especially true if you don’t have a Prime membership to take advantage of Amazon Prime Day deals, as Black Friday (and by extension Cyber Monday) are the only sales that are really comparable. Although that could change with the inaugural Amazon Prime Early Access Sale in October.
And because Black Friday sales are so big and offer discounts on virtually everything money can buy, it’s always a good idea to be prepared. Your preparation here can even help you navigate upcoming summer sales like Prime Day, if you plan to do some summer deal-hunting as well. Whatever your reasons may be for being here, though, we’ve got your back with this in-depth guide that lays out what we expect to see from the 2022 Black Friday sales and everything else you need to know.
Black Friday is an annual retail blowout event that takes place the day after Thanksgiving, which falls on November 24 this year. That means that officially, Black Friday 2022 starts November 25, but the sales themselves usually start earlier — more on that in a bit. Originally a one-day affair, Black Friday now runs through the entire post-Thanksgiving weekend and right into Cyber Monday, with many retailers blending the two sales into a singular event.
The beginnings of Black Friday are a not well-known, and there are several prevailing theories. In the U.S., the day after Thanksgiving has marked the beginning of the Christmas shopping season since the 1950s or possibly even earlier. The term “Black Friday” actually pre-dates the shopping event, too, originally referring to a 19th century gold market crash, with the “Black” moniker typically referring to negative events such as financial crises. How the term eventually came to refer to a post-Thanksgiving sales event is unclear, and although it may be something of a misnomer, the name has stuck and been a part of common parlance in the U.S. since the mid-2oth century.
The origins of Cyber Monday are less murky. A much more recent invention that dates to 2005, this event was originally intended to be an online-only counterpart to Black Friday that took place on the Monday following Thanksgiving. Today, however, it’s no surprise to find most retailers offering their Black Friday deals online as well, so “Cyber Monday” could be considered a misnomer, too. Although many shoppers still flock to brick-and-mortar retail stores to fight over the best bargains, you don’t have to in order to shop the 2022 Black Friday sales. You can do it right from the comfort of your couch, and with our guide and our ongoing sales coverage, we can direct you right to all the best Black Friday deals to save you even more time and money.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are rivaled only by Amazon Prime Day when it comes to discounts and sheer sales volume, so this is one of the best (if not the best) times of the year to find high-end, brand-name stuff at the lowest prices you’ll see.
