The best Black Friday deals for 2021, all in one place

UPDATE: Oct. 25 2021, 5 p.m. EDT This story has been updated to include the latest deals and details about new sales at Best Buy, Dell, and Macy's.

Here are the best early Black Friday deals as of Oct. 25:

• BEST ROBOT VACUUM DEAL: eufy RoboVac G30 Verge — $149 (save $200.99)

• BEST TV DEAL: TCL 55-inch Class 6-Series Mini-LED QLED 4K smart TV — $699.99 (save $250)

• BEST SMART HOME DEAL: Lenovo ThinkSmart View — $129.99 (save $220)

• BEST KITCHEN DEAL: Bella Pro Series 4.2-qt. Analog Air Fryer — $29.99 (save $30)

• BEST APPLE DEAL: Apple 21.5-inch iMac with Retina 4K display (8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) — $999.99 (save $500)

• BEST GAMING DEAL: Madden NFL 22 — $38.99 (save $20.01)

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Did it hurt? When you realized we've entered our second pandemic holiday shopping season?

Ready or not, Black Friday is coming

Yes, stores are already cramming your inbox with early Black Friday deals. Yes, it's only October. It may seem a bit preemptive, like those neighbors who insist on putting up their Christmas decorations before the leaves fall, but they actually have a very good reason to get a jump on this year's sales. (No, it's not just a good, old-fashioned cash grab in response to some strong holiday spending forecasts.)

Shipping delays and supply chain chaos

Under circumstances absolutely no one had on their bingo card, pickles and paper bags have gotten as elusive as Playstation 5s. Blame the Delta variant, which continues to inflame pandemic-related material scarcities, labor shortages, and shipping delays across industries of all kinds. Unsurprisingly, this ordeal has left manufacturers and retailers scrambling; Walmart, Home Depot, and Ikea have actually gone so far as to charter private cargo ships to make sure their shelves are stocked for the holidays.

As such, finding the best deals this Black Friday will be a question of availability more so than price.

"There will always be sales, but they won’t be as deep and as plentiful," Bain & Company's Aaron Cheris told CNBC last month. (He's the head of the consulting firm's Americas Retail practice.) "As a retailer or a brand, I don’t have the same motivation when I know I’m going to stock out."

Since planning ahead will be your best defense against backorders and "sold out" notices, we're rolling out our Black Friday coverage way earlier than usual this year. (The early bird gets the Nintendo Switch bundle, so to speak.) We'll be updating this post with the best deals as sales pop up — in the meantime, here are all the must-know details you'll need ahead of time.

What is Black Friday?

Black Friday is a shopping holiday that takes place every year on the day right after Thanksgiving. It used to be synonymous with viral fistfights and stampedes and lines that stretched around city blocks before 3 a.m., but COVID-19 has turned it into a mostly online event.

When is Black Friday?

While Black Friday proper falls on Nov. 26 this year, most stores have already begun trickling out their holiday doorbusters.

Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday — what's the difference?

The National Retail Federation officially coined the term "Cyber Monday" in 2005 after it noticed that in previous years, the Monday after Thanksgiving saw a massive uptick in online sales. It credited the phenomenon to two factors: Online retailers were starting to vie for a piece of the Black Friday pie, and shoppers were waiting to peruse the deals on their faster work computers come Monday morning. (At the time, office PCs had better broadband than home setups.)

Last year's Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales effectively bled together since in-person shopping wasn't really a thing. We'll almost certainly see that repeat this coming November.

What stores will be open for in-person shopping this Black Friday, if any?

Most major retailers' Black Friday hours are still TBD, but we already know that Walmart, Best Buy, Target, Kohl's, and Bed Bath & Beyond will close their doors on Thanksgiving Day. (That's another big change from pre-pandemic years, when many stayed open on the federal holiday so that eager shoppers could get a jump on their best deals.) If you feel the urgent need to do some post-pie shopping that day, you'll have to crack open your laptop instead.

Don't forget to order a little something nice for yourself this year. You earned it. Credit: Vicky Leta / Mashable

Here are the best deals at each retailer

Amazon: Starting Oct. 4, Amazon is dropping "Black Friday-worthy deals" every day in the lead-up into the actual holiday. Find out what's up for grabs by visiting its Epic Daily Deals page, installing its mobile app, or by asking your smart home device, “Alexa, what are my deals?” The last time we checked, its best offers included a $249 discount on an M1-equipped MacBook Pro, $100 off the fancy AirPods Max, and savings of up to 80% on select Ubisoft and EA video games. A bunch of Samsung TVs, tablets, appliances, and wearables were also enjoying some heavy discounts on the site as part of a random Samsung Week sale that runs through Oct. 31 — peep this all-time-high $502 markdown on the 55-inch The Frame.

Bed Bath & Beyond: Members of the retailer's Beyond+ program will receive early access to its Black Friday offers. (Join anytime through Oct. 31 and you'll receive a $29 bonus card, which is basically like getting the $29 membership fee back.) Check back later for deals!

Best Buy: The electronics store is holding multiple Black Friday sales this year — the latest being a weeklong Early Deals Event from Oct. 25 to Oct. 31, which features exclusive offers for My Best Buy and Best Buy Totaltech members. (Its official Black Friday sale will also start a whole week early on Nov. 19, but everything is covered by a "Black Friday Price Guarantee" tag no matter when you shop.) At the time of writing, highlights from that current sale included a $200 discount on a 75-inch TCL 4K smart TV, $160 off iRobot's self-emptying Roomba i6, $500 off a 21.5-inch iMac with 256GB of storage and a Retina 4K display, plus a bunch of Apple accessory bundles.

Dell: A two-day Cyber Sale running from Oct. 25 to Oct. 27 hints at what might be in store for Dell's Black Friday showcase, for which kickoff dates have not yet been confirmed. The sale drops prices on classic Dell devices like a 2-in-1 Inspiron 14 laptop (now $238.99 off) and this Dell 25 gaming monitor (now $170 off), as well as Alienware deals and quick buys like a $15 wireless mouse.

Kohl's: The department store ran a five-day Lowest Prices of the Season Event from Oct. 20 to Oct. 24 to give shoppers a first look at some holiday offers ahead of its official Black Friday sale (which will see the return of its excellent $15 for $50 Kohl’s Cash offer on select days). Nothing's on deck there at the moment, but check back later for deals!

Macy's: The mall stalwart has announced that it will offer "unbeatable deals" and "early-access specials" each week of November ahead of its Black Friday sale, which will begin a few days early on Nov. 23 and run through Nov. 27. A sneak peek on its website teased sub-$10 kitchen appliances, 50% off kids' playsets, and up to 70% off bedding — check back later for more deets when its first savings event kicks off Nov. 3.

Target: The bullseye brand doesn't have anything on the calendar in the wake of its Deal Days event (which ended Oct. 12), but feel free to keep shopping there anyway: Its holiday price match policy is now in effect through Dec. 24, and you can also take advantage of two new "buy now, pay later" payment options through Sezzle and Affirm. Check back later for deals!

Walmart: The big box store has confirmed the return of its popular "Black Friday Deals for Days" in November. The monthlong sale will be divided into three different events that begin on its website, with the same deals continuing in Walmart stores. (Worried something on your list will sell out? Join Walmart+ — paying members will receive online access to those holiday offers four hours earlier than everyone else, as a treat.) Like Target, Walmart has also nixed layaway in favor of a new "buy now, pay later" program as part of its partnership with Affirm. Check back later for deals — its first event begins online on Nov. 3 and continues in stores on Nov. 5.

Best tech deals

Apple's premium over-ear headphones have never been as cheap as they are right now. Credit: Apple

23andMe: Get up to 35% off Health + Ancestry DNA test kits.

Acer: Save up to 20% on select laptops.

AeroGarden: Take $35 off the Sprout indoor garden (now $64.99).

Amazon Echo: Save 44% on the first-gen Echo Show 5 (now $44.99), take $20 off the third-gen Echo Dot (now $24.99), and get 15% off when you bundle the second-gen Echo Show 8 with a Blink Mini ($139.99). A handful of used Echo devices are also 20% off.

Amazon Fire tablets: Save 25% when you buy two Fire Kids tablets.

Amazon Fire TV: Save $20 on the previous-gen Fire TV 4K with code STREAM21.

Apple: Take $100 off the AirPods Max, 25% off the new Magsafe Battery Pack, $500 off a 21.5-inch iMac, and up to $249 off MacBooks with the M1 chip. Plus, bundle MagSafe accessories for cheap and save up to $1,000 on the all-new iPhone 13 (with a trade-in and qualified activation) via Best Buy.

Dyson: Save $100 on the V8 Fluffy cordless vacuum (now $299.99).

JBL: Save up to 40% on select JBL Tune headphones.

Kindle: Save 31% on a certified refurbished Kindle (now $54.99), or grab a certified refurbished 32GB Kindle Paperwhite from 2018 for 26% off (now $169.99).

Lenovo: Take $220 off the ThinkSmart View (now $129.99) and up to 20% off select monitors.

Microsoft: Save $250 on a 128GB Surface Pro 7 (now $649.99).

Philips: Get $50 off the Hue White & Color Ambiance A19 LED Starter Kit (now $139.99).

Samsung: Take $30 off the new Galaxy Watch 4, get up to 34% off select Samsung TVs (including The Frame), save 33% on the Galaxy Buds+, and score a 39% discount on the 24-inch Samsung CRG5 curved gaming monitor during a special Samsung Week sale on Amazon.

Sennheiser: Get up to 54% off its headphones (starting at just $19.95).

Skullcandy: Save $30 on the Indy Evo true wireless in-ear headphones in Chill Grey or True Black (now $39.99).

Sony: Save up to 19% on select Sony X85J 4K UHD smart TVs.

TCL: Get $250 off its 55-inch 6-Series Mini-LED 4K smart TV (now $699.99) and save up to 23% on select Roku smart TVs 50 inches and up.

Best robot vacuum deals

Robot vacuums: Because no one's ever sat on their deathbed wishing they'd spent more time cleaning. Credit: Bissell

Bissell: Save $100 on the SpinWave Wet and Dry Robotic Vacuum (now $299.99).

Ecovacs: Get up to 40% off its robot vacuums, vacuum/mop hybrids, and cleaning accessories.

eufy: Take 57% off the RoboVac G30 Verge (now $149) and 37% off the RoboVac 15C MAX (now $175.99).

iRobot: Save $160 on the Roomba i6 (now $389.99).

Shark: Take $130 off the Shark AV993 IQ (now $249.99) and $55 off the Shark Ion Robot 750 (now $144).

Best kitchen deals

Save on some fancy French cookware from Le Creuset. Credit: Le Creuset

Bella: Get 50% off the Pro Series 4.2-qt. Analog Air Fryer (now $29.99).

Chefman: Save $45 on the 8-quart TurboFry Touch Easy View Air Fryer (now $54.99),

Instant Pot: Get 25% off the 6-quart Duo Plus (now $89.95) and 44% off the Air Fryer Lid attachment (now $49.95).

Keurig: Take 50% off the Limited Edition Jonathan Adler K-Mini machine (now $49.99).

Le Creuset: Take 40% off the French brand's 3.5-quart Sauteuse (now $179.95).

Best house and home deals

Tuft & Needle makes some of Mashable's favorite beds-in-a-box. Credit: Tuft & Needle

Amazon: Save up to 30% on select rugs and bedroom and office furniture.

Tuft & Needle: Take 10% off select mattresses.

Best fitness deals

Peloton whomst? Credit: NordicTrack

NordicTrack: Get $700 off the Commercial 2950 Treadmill (now $2,499.99), $400 off the Commercial S22i exercise bike (now $1,599.99), and $600 off the RW200 Rower (now $699.99).

ProForm: Take $500 off the Pro 5000 Treadmill (now $1,199.99).

Schwinn: Save $100 on the IC4 exercise bike (now $899.99).

Best gaming deals

"Though the game takes a few hours of play to hit its stride, 'Valhalla' is by far the best 'Assassin’s Creed' title of this era," Mashable entertainment reporter Alexis Nedd wrote last year. Credit: Ubisoft

2K: Get 29% off NBA 2K22 for Playstation 5 (now $49.99) — that's its highest discount to date.

Alienware: Get 29% off the Alienware 25 gaming monitor (now $279) and save just over a grand on the beefy Alienware Area-51m R2 gaming laptop (now $2,099.99).

EA: Save up to 80% on select digital titles for Xbox, including Madden NFL 22 and Mass Effect: Legendary Edition.

JBL: Take up to 25% off its Quantum line of gaming headsets.

MSI: Get $400 off a GS75 Stealth Gaming Laptop (now $1,349).

Ubisoft: Save up to 80% on select digital games, including Immortals Fenyx Rising and the Gold and Ultimate Editions of Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla.

Best toy deals

Check back later for deals!

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