Do prices really drop on Black Friday?
So far, for most products, no. On Sunday, November 15, 5.5% of the 46,814 products we're tracking at 1,220 US stores were cheaper than on October 15, by a median of 15%. 90% were the same price, and 4.5% had gone up.
Black Friday is Friday, November 27. We check again every 6 hours until Cyber Monday (Monday, November 30). Last checked Sunday, November 15 at 8:46 AM ET.
- Cheaper than on October 15
- 5.5%
- median drop 15%
- At least 10% cheaper
- 3.3%
- 2.1% at least 20% cheaper
- At the lowest price we've recorded
- 4.5%
- and cheaper than on October 15
- Dearer than on October 15
- 4.5%
- median rise 23%
What about "sale" prices?
13,272 of these products show a "was" price, claiming a median 29% off. Only 9.4% of them are actually cheaper than on October 15, and only 13% of those "was" prices had ever been charged, by our records.
Day by day
The last check each day, against each product's price on October 15.
| Day | Products | Cheaper than Oct 15 | Median drop | At lowest price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, Nov 15 | 46,814 | 5.5% | 15% | 4.5% |
By department
| Department | Products | Cheaper than Oct 15 | Median drop | At least 10% cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home, Furniture & DIY | 4,022 | 6.5% | 15% | 3.9% |
| Technology & Computing | 1,298 | 6% | 17% | 4.2% |
| Fashion & Clothing | 3,738 | 6% | 10% | 2.9% |
| Bags, Accessories & Jewelry | 1,906 | 6% | 12% | 3% |
| Shoes & Footwear | 660 | 5.9% | 38% | 5% |
| Sports, Fitness & Outdoors | 544 | 5.3% | 13% | 3.1% |
| Pets & Pet Care | 465 | 4.3% | 28% | 3.7% |
| Beauty, Health & Personal Care | 2,046 | 3.8% | 18% | 2.7% |
| Baby, Kids & Family | 363 | 3.6% | 30% | 3% |
| Gifts, Cards & Occasions | 586 | 2.4% | 20% | 1.5% |
How to check a price before you buy
- Look the product up. Search for it to see every US store's price for the same product and the lowest price we've tracked.
- Ignore the crossed-out price. Judge the price you'd pay against other stores and against what it has cost before.
- Not ready to buy? Press Watch this price on the product page and we'll email you if it drops.
How we measure it
- Records: US stores' product feeds, published through affiliate networks. We record a price every time it changes, since June 2026.
- Products: a random sample of products in stock at US stores on Sunday, November 15, priced in dollars at $1 or more, that we had tracked since at least August 1 and had a price for on October 15. Up to 60 per store, and only stores with at least 15, so a few very large catalogues don't decide the result. We check the same 46,916 products every 6 hours; one that's out of stock or gone is left out of that check.
- Cheaper or dearer means at least 1% below or above the product's price on October 15. Changes of more than 90% down or 200% up are treated as feed errors and left out.
- At the lowest price we've recorded means cheaper than on October 15 and no higher than the lowest price in our records for that product.
- Departments: only products we've placed in a department, and departments with at least 150 of them.
- We don't name stores: the point is the pattern, and one store's feed can be wrong.
Questions
- Do prices really drop on Black Friday?
- So far, for most products, no. On Sunday, November 15, 5.5% of the 46,814 products we're tracking at 1,220 US stores were cheaper than on October 15, by a median of 15%. 90% were the same price, and 4.5% had gone up.
- How much do prices drop on Black Friday?
- Of the products that were cheaper than on October 15, the median drop was 15% on Sunday, November 15. 3.3% of all the products we track were at least 10% cheaper, and 2.1% at least 20% cheaper.
- Are Black Friday "was" prices real?
- 13,272 of these products show a "was" price, claiming a median 29% off. Only 9.4% of them are actually cheaper than on October 15, and only 13% of those "was" prices had ever been charged, by our records.
- Is Black Friday the cheapest time to buy?
- Not reliably. In our figures, most products cost the same as they did on October 15. Compare stores and check a product's price history before you buy.
- When is Black Friday 2026?
- Black Friday 2026 is Friday, November 27, and Cyber Monday is Monday, November 30. Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26.