Every year, millions of shoppers treat Black Friday like the finish line. They hold out, load their carts, and hit submit at midnight — convinced they’ve timed the market perfectly. Sometimes they have. Often, they haven’t. The holiday shopping calendar is more complicated than a single day, and the best time to buy each gift category varies by weeks or even months depending on what you’re shopping for.

This guide gives you a precise, category-by-category breakdown of when retailers actually cut prices the deepest — from October pre-holiday deals through January clearance. Use it as your personal holiday shopping calendar and stop leaving money on the table.

How Retailers Plan Their Holiday Markdown Calendar

Retailers don’t set prices randomly — they follow a playbook. Understanding the rhythm helps you exploit the gaps.

October: Early access sales kick off. Retailers (especially Amazon and Target) launch pre-holiday deals to capture budget-conscious shoppers before the Black Friday noise. Prices aren’t always the lowest of the season, but inventory is full and competition among shoppers is low.

Early-to-mid November: “Pre-Black Friday” sales proliferate. Many categories — especially electronics — see their best discounts here, not on Black Friday itself. Retailers front-load deals to drive early revenue and avoid the logistical crunch of the final week.

Black Friday / Cyber Monday: The most hyped sale event of the year, but not universally the deepest. Black Friday is consistently strongest for TVs, video games, and toys. Cyber Monday skews toward tech accessories, software, and apparel. Many “Black Friday prices” are available for the entire week before and after.

Post-Christmas (Dec 26 – Jan 1): Clearance hits. Anything gift-adjacent — clothing, home goods, toys, décor — gets marked down 50–70% as retailers clear shelf space. This is the best time to buy for next year or for anyone on your list with a flexible timeline.

January Reset: New model years arrive. Electronics, appliances, and sporting goods see secondary markdowns as 2025 inventory makes way for new SKUs. Prices drop without the competitive frenzy of the holiday period.

The takeaway: timing by category beats timing by event. Here’s exactly how to play each one.

The Category-by-Category Holiday Timing Guide

Electronics & TVs

Best window: Early November (pre-Black Friday week) and the week before Super Bowl (late January)

Electronics is where holiday shopping calendar timing matters most. The conventional wisdom — wait for Black Friday — is partially right for TVs but wrong for almost everything else.

For TVs specifically, Black Friday week delivers genuine discounts of 25–40% on mid-range models. But the deeper, less-crowded TV deals arrive in late January, when new model year inventory forces retailers to liquidate previous-year sets. A 65-inch TV that was $799 in November may hit $549–$599 in the last week of January.

For laptops, tablets, and smartphones, pre-Black Friday sales (the first two weeks of November) often match or beat Black Friday pricing — without the out-of-stock risk. Retailers run these deals specifically to move units before competitors do.

Pro tip: Use a price tracker like CamelCamelCamel or Honey to verify that a “Black Friday price” is actually lower than the October baseline. About 30% of “sale” prices aren’t new lows at all.

For a deeper breakdown by device type and sale event, see our full Best Time to Buy Electronics guide.

Toys & Games

Best window: Black Friday week through Cyber Monday; post-Christmas for 50%+ clearance

Toys are one category where Black Friday genuinely delivers. Retailers treat toy pricing as a loss-leader to drive foot traffic and basket size. Expect 30–50% off popular toys, board games, and LEGO sets during the full Black Friday–Cyber Monday window.

The catch: inventory on hot items runs out fast. If a specific toy is on your list, buy it by the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Waiting for deeper deals on a sold-out item costs you more in secondary market markups than you’d ever save.

For flexible gift-givers, post-Christmas toy clearance is exceptional — 50–70% off anything that didn’t sell through. The selection is unpredictable, but the savings are real.

Pro tip: Video games follow a different cycle. New releases rarely discount before January; back-catalog titles drop 40–60% during Black Friday and again in January digital sales on PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo storefronts.

Clothing & Apparel

Best window: Cyber Monday for current-season styles; post-Christmas for 50–70% clearance on everything

Clothing doesn’t follow Black Friday as cleanly as electronics. Most apparel discounts during the holiday season are 20–30%, which is solid but not exceptional. The real clothing deals arrive in two waves:

Cyber Monday skews heavily toward apparel — online-first retailers like Gap, J.Crew, Nordstrom Rack, and Amazon Fashion run their steepest clothing discounts (30–50%) on the Monday after Thanksgiving.

Post-Christmas clearance is where serious apparel shoppers operate. Dec 26 through Jan 10 is when current-season clothing hits 50–75% off. If you’re buying coats, sweaters, or boots for next winter, this is the only window that makes sense.

Pro tip: Don’t buy next-season clothing in November at 25% off when you can buy current-season clothing in January at 65% off. The calendar year doesn’t reset the value of a good coat.

Jewelry & Accessories

Best window: Valentine’s Day (mid-January to Feb 14) for fine jewelry; Black Friday/Cyber Monday for fashion accessories

Fine jewelry rarely sees meaningful Black Friday discounts — jewelers protect margins closely. The real promotional cycle for jewelry is Valentine’s Day, when retailers run their most aggressive promotions of the year starting in mid-January. If someone on your holiday list wants fine jewelry, consider delivering it as a slightly late Valentine’s gift and saving 20–35% versus November pricing.

Fashion jewelry, watches, and accessories are a different story. These follow the apparel cycle: Cyber Monday for 30–40% off current styles, post-Christmas for clearance on seasonal pieces.

Pro tip: Department store jewelry counters (Macy’s, Nordstrom, Kohl’s) run stacking promotions during the holidays — a 30% off sale plus an extra 15% off coupon can compound to 40%+ savings that fine jewelry boutiques never offer.

Home Goods & Appliances

Best window: Black Friday for small appliances; post-Christmas and January for large appliances and furniture

Small appliances (air fryers, coffee makers, Instant Pots, vacuums) are genuine Black Friday winners — expect 30–45% discounts and these deals are widely available. Buy them during the full Black Friday week, not necessarily on the day itself.

Large appliances (refrigerators, washers, dryers, dishwashers) follow a different calendar. The best prices of the year are typically in September and January, when new model years arrive and retailers need to move floor models. If you can plan ahead, avoid buying a refrigerator in November — you’ll pay a premium over what the same unit costs two months later.

Furniture and bedding discount most during holiday weekends (Black Friday, MLK Day, Presidents’ Day) but post-Christmas is underrated — furniture clearance in late December and early January can hit 40–60% off floor models.

Pro tip: For major appliances, check if your retailer offers a price adjustment window. Buy in late October or early November, then request a price match if it drops further during Black Friday week.

Sporting Goods & Outdoor Gear

Best window: Post-Christmas through January for winter gear; early November for fitness equipment

Sporting goods are tricky because the category splits sharply by season. Winter gear (skis, snowboards, insulated jackets, boots) sees its steepest discounts post-Christmas, when the season is underway but retailers need to move inventory. January can bring 40–60% off ski equipment at REI, Backcountry, and specialty retailers.

Fitness equipment spikes in demand every January (New Year’s resolutions) but discounts arrive slightly earlier — watch for pre-Black Friday deals in early November when retailers anticipate the January rush and price aggressively to get inventory moving.

General outdoor gear (camping, hiking, cycling) discounts during Black Friday at REI in particular, which runs its famous member dividend sale. Non-members should still check — REI’s Black Friday discounts are often 20–30% across the catalog.

Pro tip: REI’s used gear program (REI Used) offers year-round discounts of 30–50% on returned and refurbished equipment, with no seasonal timing dependency.

Beauty & Personal Care

Best window: Black Friday and Cyber Monday; also watch for brand-specific “gift set” sales in early December

Beauty is a Black Friday category. Sephora, Ulta, and major drugstore chains run their most aggressive promotions during the Black Friday–Cyber Monday window — typically 20–30% sitewide with additional gift-with-purchase offers. Gift sets and holiday bundles are abundant and represent strong value per dollar.

One nuance: prestige beauty brands (La Mer, Tatcha, Dior Beauty) rarely discount on Black Friday. If a luxury skincare or fragrance item is on your list, watch for brand-specific events in early December — many run their own promotional periods outside the Black Friday window.

Pro tip: Beauty advent calendars are released in October at face value and sell out fast. By Black Friday, leftover stock is marked down 30–40%. Set a reminder to check availability the week before Thanksgiving.

Books, Media & Gift Cards

Best window: Cyber Monday for digital; post-Christmas for physical; gift cards year-round via discount portals

Physical books rarely see dramatic holiday discounts — 20–30% at Barnes & Noble or Amazon is the ceiling. The better play for book lovers is gift cards. Third-party gift card marketplaces (Raise, CardCash) regularly offer Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Target gift cards at 5–12% below face value — a discount available every day of the year, no timing required.

Streaming services and digital subscriptions frequently run Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions — 1–3 months free, or discounted annual plans. If someone on your list wants a streaming subscription, Cyber Monday is often the one time per year those deals appear.

Pro tip: Amazon gift cards occasionally offer bonus credit (e.g., “get $10 when you load $50”) during Prime Day and the holiday season. Combine with a discounted gift card from a portal and you’re double-dipping.

The Holiday Shopping Timeline at a Glance

Use this as your month-by-month cheat sheet for what to buy when:

October

  • Beauty advent calendars (before they sell out)
  • Early electronics deals from Amazon and Target pre-holiday events
  • Lock in price-trackable items now and monitor for drops

Early November (Nov 1–15)

  • Laptops, tablets, and smartphones (pre-Black Friday pricing often matches BF)
  • Fitness equipment (before January demand spike)
  • Fashion accessories at Cyber Monday preview sales

Black Friday Week (Nov 20–Dec 2)

  • TVs and small appliances (genuine deep discounts)
  • Toys and board games (buy before inventory runs out)
  • Beauty and personal care (Sephora, Ulta sitewide events)
  • Sporting goods (REI member sale, general outdoor gear)
  • Cyber Monday: clothing, apparel, digital subscriptions, tech accessories

Early December (Dec 1–20)

  • Prestige beauty and fragrance brand events
  • Gift sets and holiday bundles across all categories
  • Last-minute electronics if you missed November pricing

Post-Christmas (Dec 26 – Jan 10)

  • Clothing and apparel (50–75% clearance)
  • Toys (50–70% clearance)
  • Home goods and furniture (floor model clearance)
  • Winter sporting goods begins its markdown cycle

January

  • Large appliances (new model year arrivals push down prior inventory)
  • TVs (Super Bowl prep drives 20–35% discounts in late January)
  • Winter gear (ski/snowboard equipment hits seasonal lows)
  • Fine jewelry (Valentine’s Day promotions begin mid-January)

Mistakes to Avoid

Assuming Black Friday has the best price in every category. It doesn’t. For clothing, large appliances, jewelry, and winter gear, Black Friday is often not the deepest discount of the year. Verify with a price tracker before you buy.

Buying too early without a price-match policy in hand. October deals are real, but prices may drop further. If you buy early, confirm your retailer offers a price adjustment window (most do, within 14–30 days) so you can claim the difference if pricing improves.

Ignoring post-Christmas clearance. The week after Christmas is the most underutilized savings window of the holiday season. Clothing, toys, home goods, and décor hit their annual lows. If your gift recipients are flexible, this is where the real deals live.

Not stacking deals. A 30% off sale is good. A 30% off sale + a cashback portal (Rakuten, TopCashBack) + a rewards credit card is better — often adding another 6–15% in effective savings on top of the sale price. Every layer compounds. For a full breakdown of how to build this stack, see Best Grocery Savings Strategies — the stacking principles apply across every retail category, not just groceries.

Waiting for a “better deal” that never arrives. Hot toys and popular electronics sell out. If you’ve confirmed a price is genuinely good (via price history, not just the retailer’s claim), buy it. The cost of waiting and missing out — then paying full price or secondary market prices — almost always exceeds the potential savings of holding out.

Make Every Purchase Count

The holiday shopping calendar rewards precision. Shoppers who know that TVs hit their floor price in January, that post-Christmas clothing clearance beats any November sale, and that Cyber Monday is built for apparel and digital goods — those shoppers consistently outperform the crowd.

Before you buy anything this holiday season, check the merchant pages on CouponCommando for retailer-specific promo calendars, stacking opportunities, and current offers at Target, Walmart, and Best Buy. Knowing what a retailer’s promotional cycle looks like is the final layer that turns a good deal into a great one.