Black Friday Ads And Thanksgiving Store Hours For 2020 - GameSpot

In the United States, Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year, known as the best time to save money on big-ticket items like TVs, consoles, games, and other tech. With the holiday season approaching, it's also the best time to cross names off your shopping list and snag a deal or two for yourself. (After this year, you deserve it.) Since COVID-19 is still a very real threat in the US, Black Friday 2020 is going to look much different from previous years, however. Health officials are urging families to forego Thanksgiving dinner altogether and to stay home. Those planning to do their holiday shopping the day after Thanksgiving will have to make new plans if they want to get the best items on sale before gift-giving season begins.

Fortunately, online shopping exists, and Black Friday has been developing a strong online presence with each passing year. With companies like Amazon proving that huge online sales like Prime Day can be a major success with shoppers, retailers have been making more and more noteworthy Black Friday deals available online every year, and 2020 will be no exception. In fact, with major retailers looking to avoid the mass crowds of holiday shoppers that normally push into stores on Black Friday, there's even greater incentive to make sure the best deals are also available online--and earlier than ever.

So what has been confirmed so far regarding each major retailer's plans for Black Friday 2020? What is each retailer's Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday schedule? Where can you find the hottest items, like the newly-released PS5 and Xbox Series X, this Black Friday? Here's what we know right now about Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday shopping this year.

Are stores open on Thanksgiving and Black Friday?

Most stores will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, but open on Black Friday. If you must do your holiday shopping in-person, you can find a list of major retailers that will be open on Black Friday below. One of the few stores that will be open on Thanksgiving Day is Big Lots. Find its hours, as well as the hours for several other major retailers, below.

Stores open on Thanksgiving 2020

The following store(s) are open on Thanksgiving Day. We will keep this list updated as more retailers report their holiday shopping hours.

Big Lots

Thanksgiving hours: 7 AM to 1 PM
Black Friday hours: 6 AM to 11 PM

Stores open on Black Friday 2020

The following stores will be closed on Thanksgiving, but open on Black Friday. Find the hours for each below.

Bed Bath and Beyond

Thanksgiving: Closed
Black Friday: 6 AM to 9 PM

Best Buy

Thanksgiving: Closed
Black Friday: 5 AM to 10 PM

Costco

Thanksgiving: Closed
Black Friday: 9 AM to TBD

GameStop

Thanksgiving: Closed
Black Friday: 5 AM to 10 PM

Kohl's

Thanksgiving: Closed
Black Friday: 5 AM to TBD

Office Depot/Max

Thanksgiving: Closed
Black Friday: 9 AM to 8 PM

Target

Thanksgiving: Closed
Black Friday: 7 AM to TBD

Walmart

Thanksgiving: Closed
Black Friday: 5 AM to TBD

Stores closed on Thanksgiving 2020

Ace Hardware
Ashley Homestore
Bath & Body Works
Bed Bath & Beyond
Best Buy
Bloomingdale's
Costco
Dick's Sporting Goods
Gap
GameStop
Home Depot
JCPenney
Kohl's
Lowe's
Macy's
Michaels
Nordstrom
Office Depot
Office Max
Old Navy
Petsmart
Sam's Club
Staples
Target
TJ Maxx
Walmart / Sam's Club

Walmart led the charge in announcing the closure of all Walmart and Sam's Club locations on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, November 26), breaking a decade-long tradition in which Black Friday offers would be available in-store as early as Thanksgiving evening. Soon after, Target, Best Buy, and GameStop announced they would be closing their doors on Thanksgiving as well.

While certainly the best decision to allow employees more time with their families and to avoid huge crowds in stores on Thanksgiving, this is a major change to the typical rhythm of Black Friday, as we're used to seeing some of the best doorbuster deals kick off on Thanksgiving Day. As a result, we expect to see some great online-only doorbusters this Thanksgiving and an overall shift in the deals schedule.

Of course, some stores traditionally close on Thanksgiving Day every year, such as Apple and Costco, and it's likely they'll remain closed to shoppers this year as well. We'll keep this list updated as we learn of more major store closures.

More Black Friday deals go live tonight

Now that Black Friday week is here, the biggest deals are starting to go live. Amazon's Black Friday sale began last week on Friday, November 20, while Target and Best Buy both launched their main Black Friday sales on Sunday, November 22. Notably, GameStop and Walmart kicked off their Black Friday sales this evening. Black Friday deals will be going live all week long, so now's the time to be checking your favorite retailers' websites and browsing for offers. As always, Black Friday deals will run through this weekend and get a rebrand as Cyber Monday deals on November 30.

To avoid the massive rush of Black Friday shoppers visiting stores in mid to late November, Black Friday-level deals started rolling out much earlier this year to space out the promotions. Target's Black Friday deals began on November 1, and the retailer has been offering "Black Friday pricing" throughout the entire month. Meanwhile, Best Buy released its first batch of Black Friday deals in October during Amazon Prime Day, and Amazon and GameStop have offered pre-Black Friday deals all month long.

Though it may seem strange, this is a natural progression of the way Black Friday has been unfolding in recent years. Black Friday ad scans usually start to leak in late October, and some retailers have designated the entire month of November as a major deals period in the past. Gone are the days when Black Friday stuck to a single week--the frenzy has been expanding for several years now, so it's no huge surprise that those promotions kicked off in October or early November at some stores as part of an overall holiday push. This year, however, you won't have to push through any crowds to get the best offers, as retailers are avoiding in-store exclusives.

Black Friday 2020 retailer ads and sales schedules

All major retailers have released their Black Friday 2020 ads in addition to offering early Black Friday deals throughout the month of November. Though retailers are kicking off their main Black Friday sales this week, it's still helpful to browse their Black Friday ads, which highlight the very best offers.

Walmart Black Friday 2020 ad and schedule: Walmart is one of the best places to shop for Nintendo Switch exclusives this Black Friday. It will also have limited stock of the PS5 and Xbox Series X on sale tonight, online only, so be on the lookout.
- November 4-8: First round of Black Friday deals
- November 11-15: Second round of Black Friday deals
- November 25-29: Main Black Friday deals
- November 26 (Thanksgiving Day): Stores closed, deals still available online

Best Buy Black Friday 2020 ad and schedule: Best Buy is one of the best places to grab a deal on a game this Black Friday, but it also has numerous discounts on PC gaming hardware, like gaming monitors, headsets, and SSDs.
- November 22-29: Most deals available at Best Buy
- November 26: Thanksgiving doorbusters
- November 28: Best Buy's Cyber Week sale begins

Target Black Friday 2020 ad and schedule: Target will have great deals on games and tech accessories.
- November 15-21: Electronics, beauty, and apparel deals
- November 22-28: The big Black Friday sale that features products from every category, including video games, tech, and entertainment
- November 26 (Thanksgiving Day): Stores closed

GameStop Black Friday 2020 ad and schedule: GameStop's Black Friday sale has a fantastic offering of game deals this year, including the best prices on first-party Switch games, sports games, and more.
- November 22-25: Early Black Friday sale
- November 25-29: Main Black Friday sale available online
- November 26 (Thanksgiving Day): Stores closed, deals still available online
- November 27 (Black Friday): In-store deals available; stores open at 7 AM local time

Newegg Black Friday 2020 sale and schedule: Newegg will be the place to go for all your gaming laptop, PC, and tech needs this holiday season.
- November 1-3: Kickoff sale
- November 4-8: PC gaming sale
- November 9: 23: Early Black Friday sale
- November 23-30: Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale

Kohl's Black Friday 2020 ad and schedule: Kohl's always has some great Black Friday deals, including an underrated offer that gets you $15 in Kohl's Cash for every $50 you spend. If you shop at Kohl's often anyway, this is a fantastic offer to take advantage of.
- November 22-27: Black Friday sale is live online and in stores; stores open at 8 AM local time
- November 26 (Thanksgiving Day): Stores closed

Costco Black Friday 2020 ad and schedule: If you're shopping for a TV, smart device, tablet, or another pricey electronic, Costco's Black Friday sale is essential. It also has a ton of great gaming deals.
- November 5-19: First batch of online and warehouse savings
- November 20-30: Second batch of online and warehouse savings
- Thanksgiving Day: Online-only savings (stores closed)
- November 27-30: Final batch of online and warehouse savings

Dell Black Friday 2020 ad and schedule: Dell's Black Friday ad was the first to roll out, all the way back in October. Some of Dell's best laptops are on sale now, so don't overlook this one.
- November 2-28: Black Friday sale begins
- November 16-28: Doorbuster deals
- November 30: Hourly doorbuster deals
- November 29-December 7: Cyber Monday sales

Where To Buy PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on Black Friday

Black Friday 2020 is bringing several opportunities to buy the PS5 and Xbox Series X

If you're looking to buy the newly-released PS5 or Xbox Series X/S during the holiday shopping rush, it's going to be tricky. Launch day has come and gone, but stock is still pretty limited. We're staying up-to-date on which retailers will have the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in-stock on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and beyond in our order guides below.

Walmart will restock the PS5 and Xbox Series X on its website on November 25 during its Deals For Days event. You can expect them to be available online at 6 PM PT / 9 PM ET. Meanwhile, GameStop will have a minimum of two PS5 and two Xbox Series X units in retail stores when they open at 7 AM local time on Black Friday (November 27). We suggest calling your local store ahead of time for availability. It's possible other stores will have consoles available too--these restocks will most likely happen online-- but no advance notice has been given.

Best Black Friday 2020 deals available now

In the leadup to Black Friday 2020, we've been tracking the best early deals as they go live at various retailers, but now the biggest offers are starting to go live. You can find some of our key Black Friday roundups and deals lists below, and we'll keep adding more as the savings roll in.

Best Black Friday 2020 game deals

Best Black Friday 2020 gaming deals by console

Best Black Friday 2020 tech and accessory deals

More Black Friday 2020 deals

We'll be covering all the best Black Friday 2020 deals on games, accessories, consoles, and more here at GameSpot, so keep checking back as we update this story with more information. Be sure to follow GameSpot Deals on Twitter for the hottest discounts, including lightning deals that will sell out fast during Prime Day and Black Friday, and sign up for our deals newsletter to keep up with the latest sales below. Plus, check out more of the best Black Friday tech deals, business deals, and fashion and beauty deals.