Best Buy unveils its Black Friday plans: Early access to deals starts right before Halloween

The Black Friday creep is in full effect at Best Buy.

The tech retailer announced its 2023 holiday calendar Tuesday, revealing that its Black Friday deals will arrive in three phases starting just before Halloween. (Now that's spooky.) According to the press release, paid members of its My Best Buy program will get exclusive early access to "some of our hottest Black Friday deals" from Friday, Oct. 27 to Sunday, Oct. 29 before they open to everyone on Monday, Oct. 30. The full Best Buy Black Friday sale will then be a nine-day affair beginning on Friday, Nov. 17, or a week before the actual holiday, and running through Saturday, Nov. 25.

SEE ALSO: Everything you need to know about Black Friday 2023: The first early deals arrive in late October

Best Buy's holiday calendar caps off with a Cyber Monday Savings Event featuring "savings [of] up to 50% on top gifts" from Sunday, Nov. 26 to Monday, Nov. 27 (or actual Cyber Monday), but additional deals will likely succeed it. Last year, Best Buy hosted a series of 24-hour flash sales called 20 Days of Deals throughout December.

Credit: Best Buy

Best Buy's Black Friday announcement comes at the midway point of its monthlong holiday sneak peek festivities, which have been divvied up into several smaller savings events. (This includes a 48-Hour Flash Sale that directly competed with Prime Big Deal Days, Amazon's October Prime Day sale.) It's the first major retailer to unveil any sort of Black Friday plans this year.

While Oct. 27 may feel premature, Best Buy Black Friday deals have arrived even earlier in years past: In 2022, they began trickling out on Oct. 24.

Black Friday at Best Buy: What to know ahead of time

Best Buy's official Black Friday sale will likely include its best discounts of the holiday season, but we strongly recommend looking for items on your wish list there well ahead of time: All Best Buy Black Friday deals (early and not) will be available in limited quantities with no rain checks, and items that sell out right away may not get restocked later on. This is especially true for items included in its new Best Buy Drops program, which will continue throughout the holidays on the Best Buy mobile app.

Past Best Buy Drops have featured limited-time deals and restocks. Credit: Best Buy

Shoppers trying to hatch a long-term game plan should also know that while Best Buy offers a Holiday Price Match Guarantee, it will be null and void from the first day of its Black Friday sale on Nov. 17 through actual Cyber Monday on Nov. 27.

If something you buy there does get cheaper elsewhere during that period, you can always return it: Almost any items purchased in Best Buy stores and on its website from Oct. 27 through Dec. 30 will be eligible for return through Jan. 13, 2024.

Best Buy has yet to reveal its stores' hours for Black Friday 2023, but confirmed that they will be closed on Thanksgiving (Thursday, Nov. 23). Its Black Friday deals will still be up for grabs online and on the Best Buy app that day.