Black Friday is on 27 November, but many major retailers will start sales in the lead up to the official date
CHOICE has tips and advice for how to buy kitchen appliances, home tech and travel with our dedicated guides and reviews
Be wary of retailers trying to upsell you on extended warranties this Black Friday
Black Friday is on 27 November this year, but this major shopping event is likely to have discounts running for about two weeks or even more.
Depending on the retailer, Black Friday deals will likely start in mid-November, and run through to Cyber Monday on 30 November.
With so many retailers running Black Friday sales, it can be difficult to know what’s a genuine discount and what’s not as good as it looks, so we’ve got advice on how to buy what’s on your wish list and what you should avoid.
Black Friday is a hugely popular sales event in late November during which many major retailers and brands offer significant discounts on their products both instore and online.
The sales used to be contained to the Friday and weekend, but the event has since exploded in popularity and discounts are now usually available for roughly a two-week period.
The Black Friday sale started to appear in Australia in the early 2010s, and is now considered to be the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.
Cyber Monday is a separate sales event that follows Black Friday, and was originally associated with online-only discounts. These days, Black Friday and Cyber Monday often offer the same deals online and instore.
Last year, Australians spent $23.8 billion over the two-week Black Friday sales period – up 4.6% year-on-year. It remains to be seen how cost of living pressures will change spending habits this sales season.
Black Friday falls on the Friday after Thanksgiving in the United States, which means this year it will be on 27 November.
Cyber Monday always follows on the Monday after Black Friday, and this year it falls on 30 November.
While these are the official dates, you can expect several major Australian retailers such as David Jones, Myer, JB Hi-Fi, The Good Guys and more to start their sales a little earlier. Online retailers will follow suit, so expect the likes of Amazon and eBay to offer Black Friday deals ahead of time.
A newer event on the shopping calendar is Small Business Saturday, which will be on 28 November in 2026. This day encourages consumers to shop locally and support small businesses.
Black Friday deals will be available in many physical stores, but some may be online-only.
How good are the discounts and are they worth waiting for?
Black Friday deals from major retailers are likely to range between 20% and 50% off, though in some cases you might see discounts of up to 70–80%.
There is mixed sentiment when it comes to the November shopping season. When we conducted a survey in October last year, 55% of respondents agreed it’s worth waiting for Black Friday sales because of the large discounts on offer.
At the same time, just over half of the respondents (52%) agreed that the discounts offered in Black Friday sales aren’t always genuine.
It seems that the prevalence of discounts available throughout the year is contributing to some of the mixed feelings around Black Friday. Of those surveyed, 51% said it’s hard to tell the difference between Black Friday and other sales events.
We suggest monitoring prices of items you want throughout the year by signing up to retailers’ email newsletters or following them on social media, so you can catch and compare offers as they come through.
You may also want to use price trackers such as BuyWisely and CamelCamelCamel to monitor and compare product prices across different websites.
In our October survey last year, respondents told CHOICE they were most interested in buying clothes, shoes, small kitchen appliances, manchester and tech in the Black Friday shopping period.
But consumers aren’t just buying products – Commonwealth Bank data says experiences such as travel and dining has attracted a growing proportion of Black Friday spending in recent years.
Clothes and shoes
In our CHOICE survey, 42% of respondents said they were interested in buying clothes or shoes during the Black Friday sales.
We follow sales closely and our buyers are always seeing where the best deals are to be had on a wide variety of goods.
The biggest discounts may be limited to last season’s stock.
For clothes and shoes, CHOICE buyer Narelle Cornelius advises looking beyond the appealing price reductions and being realistic about what’s on sale – which can be limited – and whether it suits you.
“They usually have limited stock, colour and size options,” says Narelle. “Retailers are hoping the promise of big discounts gets people in, caught up in a frenzy and starting to buy things they don’t want or need.”
Because many clothing retailers are now offering deals at almost every turn, Narelle says it pays to keep an eye on bargains at other times. Some of these other sales may offer more savings than Black Friday, or include discounts on the items you’re actually after.
“With sales happening all year round, people would be better off keeping a close eye on their favourite stores and websites for sales,” she suggests.
Of the shoppers we surveyed, 27% told us they would be on the lookout for small kitchen appliances on Black Friday, while 16% said they’re hanging out to buy larger kitchen aids, such as bread makers and bench mixers.
We’re always testing these sorts of devices in the CHOICE labs, so here are our tips on how to grab a good appliance during the sales.
Air fryers
If you’re looking to get on the air fryer bandwagon, make sure you’ve got enough space in your kitchen, and look for a model with a viewing window and internal light to save you from repeatedly having to open it during cooking.
Keen for a coffee machine? See whether you’re better off with a manual, automatic or pod machine with our coffee machine guide.
No matter what configuration you’re after, it’s worth keeping an eye out for machines with clear and simple controls, and you’ll want a good milk frother if a cappuccino or flat white is your coffee of choice. For the best models in our tests, see our home espresso coffee machine reviews.
Kitchen mixers
These kitchen gadgets can mix cake batter, whip egg whites, knead bread and so much more, so it’s no wonder these appliances are a popular Black Friday purchase.
But before you buy one, work out which type will suit you. Whether you should go for a single or twin tool attachment model will depend on your budget and what you like to cook.
It’s also important to think about which attachments and speed settings will best cater to your cuisine of choice, and how much storage space you have available in your kitchen. Get more info with our kitchen mixer buying guide.
For other popular kitchen appliance buys, make sure you’re not settling for second best by checking out our reviews of toasters, kettles and microwaves.
One in five survey respondents told us they’re interested in grabbing a phone or TV during the Black Friday sales, while 17% said they’ll be on the hunt for a new computer.
Smartphones
Battery life and camera quality are features that can vary between phone models, and you’re going to want to make sure that whatever you’re buying meets your standards. See how popular models compare in our latest smartphone review.
Tech items such as TVs are a popular buy on Black Friday.
TVs
Got your eye on a new TV? We recommend making sure the screen size matches the space where you plan to put it. Sitting too close to a big TV means you’ll start seeing the pixels (dots) that make up the screen.
Make sure you can connect any devices you’re planning to use with it, as most new TVs only have HDMI ports. You should also check the unit’s model number – this will tell you what year it was made and can help you identify the latest model or drive a hard bargain on something older.
Data from the Commonwealth Bank found that travel spending reached $2.2 billion over the two-week Black Friday spending period in 2025, which was up 8.4% year-on-year.
With this in mind, we expect to see several airlines, accommodation providers and tour operators hosting sales this Black Friday.
Be cautious when booking accommodation and travel experiences, as scam sites will attempt to look like legitimate pages. Read our advice for protecting yourself from scams when overseas.
What to avoid on Black Friday
As with any sales rush, Black Friday has its fair share of pitfalls that can confuse shoppers who are just trying to get a good deal. Our main advice is to not make hasty buying decisions – particularly when retailers try to upsell you something at checkout.
Extended warranties
When buying an expensive product, the retailer might offer you extra protection that goes beyond the manufacturer’s warranty.
These extended warranties (sometimes also called “protection” or “product care” plans) come at an extra cost, but most of them aren’t worth it.
We’ve found many carry the same or weaker protections as your existing consumer rights.
Most extended warranties sell you rights you already have under the Australian Consumer Law.
These rights are given to you under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) and decree that expensive products should last a reasonable amount of time, such as a few years.
If staff are trying to upsell you an extended warranty – something former retail workers have in the past told us they were directed to do – ask what rights it will give you beyond your ACL rights.
Finally, pay close attention at the checkout: we’ve seen retailers adding these products to your total purchase both instore and online without making it obvious.
In Australia, you’re protected under the ACL, whether you’ve bought a product in a bricks-and-mortar store or online.
Companies based overseas that sell products here online need to adhere to the ACL as well, but while that’s the case in theory, in practice you might find it difficult to get a satisfactory resolution if you have problems with something you’ve bought from them.
Retailers need to provide a remedy (refund, replacement or repair) for a faulty product, but they’re not obliged to give you a refund or exchange if you just change your mind or find that something doesn’t fit.
So, if you’re stocking up on Christmas gifts and aren’t sure whether your mum will love that vacuum cleaner, check the store’s returns policy before you buy. Find out more about what you’re entitled to with our guide to using your consumer guarantees.
Research designed and analysed by CHOICE with fieldwork by Dynata (ISO 20252/26362 accredited and an AMSRO member). The survey ran 18–19 October 2025 via Dynata’s weekly omnibus. Results are based on 977 respondents aware of Black Friday from a nationally representative sample of 1,009 Australian adults, weighted by age, gender and location to the 2021 ABS Census.
Liam Kennedy is a Journalist with the Editorial and investigations team. He answers consumers' most burning questions, from which scams to be aware of and how to save money, to whether new services and products are worth using and how the latest developments in consumer news could affect them.
Prior to CHOICE, Liam worked in production in daily news radio and podcasting.
Liam has a Bachelor of Communication (Journalism) and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from the University of Technology Sydney. LinkedIn
Liam Kennedy is a Journalist with the Editorial and investigations team. He answers consumers' most burning questions, from which scams to be aware of and how to save money, to whether new services and products are worth using and how the latest developments in consumer news could affect them.
Prior to CHOICE, Liam worked in production in daily news radio and podcasting.
Liam has a Bachelor of Communication (Journalism) and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from the University of Technology Sydney. LinkedIn
Alice Richard is a Content creator and marketer. Alice writes on a range of topics, from health insurance to heaters and BBQs to bargain-hunting, always with the aim to help consumers find the best products to buy, and which to avoid.
Alice can take vast amounts of data from CHOICE product tests and turn it into content that is easily digestible and fun for readers.
Alice has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland.
Alice Richard is a Content creator and marketer. Alice writes on a range of topics, from health insurance to heaters and BBQs to bargain-hunting, always with the aim to help consumers find the best products to buy, and which to avoid.
Alice can take vast amounts of data from CHOICE product tests and turn it into content that is easily digestible and fun for readers.
Alice has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland.
For more than 60 years, CHOICE has been fighting the good fight for Australian consumers.
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