Deals on Thanksgiving vs. Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday: What to Buy Each Day

Black Friday still boasts some of the best deals of the year, even as some people wonder if Black Friday matters anymore. Sure, the holiday extends beyond a single day now, but there's no denying that it remains one of the top shopping opportunities of the year.

Depending on the categories you're shopping, though, Black Friday might not be the day with the best deals. Read on to see the differences in offers on Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. Then check out our Black Friday predictions and guides to the best Black Friday stores to learn about the kinds of discounts you can expect in 2022.

Thanksgiving Deals Dominate

The Black Friday "creep" has accelerated over the last couple of years. In 2022, stores like Target and Nordstrom Rack rolled out early offers with October barely underway. This trend of early sales showed up in 2020 and 2021, too. But even with November having Black Friday promotions all month long, we expect Thanksgiving to still offer the best opportunity to save.

Some years Thanksgiving wins against Black Friday and Cyber Monday in one area, but not in others. For instance, in 2020 we saw more deals overall on Thanksgiving, while Cyber Monday had more Staff Pick deals, or offers we consider to be "the best of the best." But last year, Thanksgiving actually had more deals and more Staff Pick offers than Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Deals on Thanksgiving vs. Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday

To help you craft a savvy shopping plan, we took a deep dive into the DealNews archives from Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday 2021. Check out the infographic below for the best days to shop certain categories.

Ready to start shopping? Check out the best Black Friday deals available now, plus follow us on Facebook for more helpful deal info.