Frequently Asked Questions

What is Black Friday?

Black Friday was when retailers went from being unprofitable, or "in the red" to being profitable, or in the black", at a time when accounting records were kept by hand and red indicated loss and black profit. Although Black Friday is typically the busiest shopping day of the year in terms of customer traffic, it is not typically the day with the highest sales volume. That is usually either the last Saturday before Christmas or December 23.

Why is Black Friday such a Big Deal?

The day after Thanksgiving in the United States, is historically one of the busiest retail shopping days of the year. Many consider it the "official" beginning to the holiday season. Retail stores offer deep discounts to entice shoppers into the store to buy more merchandise.

Will I be able to get these great deals online?

Yes, some of the sale items will be available online for purchase. Which items? That's anyone's guess. It varies by store and by item. The "limited" quantity items will more than likely only be available at the store. As information becomes available, we will post links to the items that are available online. Many items will become available for purchase on Thanksgiving Day.

How will I know the merchandise I'm buying is of high quality?

I understand your concern. I don't know anyone who wants to buy something that's going to fall apart within the first few days they have it. To help in your decision making, we have added a new feature to Black Friday Gear that is only available here. You will notice a little icon off to the right of the items listed. Click on that icon, and it will direct you to a professional (un-bias) review of the item. You can then judge for yourself if it's worth buying or not.

Will stores allow price matching and buy/re-buy tactics on Black Friday?

This is where you have to read the fine print. This varies by store. Many stores will honor price matching, but stores are starting to catch on to the buy/re-buy tactic. Many items that come out on Black Friday are for sale exclusively for this day. You may be buying the same item that was for sale all year, but come the big day, the item's model number may be off by a digit or two. This minor detail could possible shatter any hopes of buying what you want early, and getting the price adjustment on Black Friday. The best bet is to contact the retailer directly and find out their policy.

When do the actual ads come out?

Traditionally, the ads come out on Thanksgiving day. Depending on you local newspaper, you may receive the ads Wednesday or Friday. Check with your local newspaper to find out when you will receive your black Friday ads.

How real are these ads?

Nothing can be 100% accurate until the actual ads come out. Although, the ads posted on this site have a high probability of being the items everyone will be standing in line for, you shouldn't get your hopes up until the official release of each store's ad.