Many of us have a list of holiday gifts we’re hoping to snag at a bargain this Black Friday. But just as many of us are unsure about which stores might have the best deals.
Luckily, WalletHub scoured 7,000 deals from 35 of the biggest retailers’ Black Friday ads to pinpoint the biggest discounts across product categories. Generally, shoppers can expect to find the steepest markdowns at stores like Belk (68.9%), JCPenney (65.1%), Stage (62.1%) and Kohl’s (60.8%). Shoppers are likely to find the best sales on toys at Stage (55.78%) and Belk (53.89%), whereas jewelry will be marked down 78.83% at Sears and apparel and accessories will be discounted by about 63.84% percent at Meijer.
“Many retailers offer steep price cuts or other promotions, in order to stay ahead of the competition. This comes as an advantage to shoppers, and they can find the best deals by comparing prices at different retailers,” says Jill Gonzalez, a WalletHub analyst. “For this Black Friday season, we found that the most discounted items are jewelry, by as much as 73%, as well as books (48%) and consumer packaged goods (46%).” Gonzalez explains that other good picks for Black Friday are generally electronics and appliances. “Clothing is also a great option, with many deals that can be found both online and in stores,” she says.
Here’s a breakdown of the best stores for Black Friday deals this year:
| Retailer | 2018 Avg. % Discount by Retailer | |||
| Belk | 68.9% | |||
| JCPenney | 65.1% | |||
| Stage | 62.1% | |||
| Kohl’s | 60.8% | |||
| New York & Company | 54.5% | |||
| Payless ShoeSource | 50.3% | |||
| Dick’s Sporting Goods | 49.9% | |||
| Macy’s | 48.7% | |||
| Fred Meyer | 45.3% | |||
| Shopko | 45.2% | |||
| Sears | 42.9% | |||
| Office Depot and OfficeMax | 42.6% | |||
| Lenovo | 40.1% | |||
| Meijer | 39.8% | |||
| Kmart | 37.9% | |||
| Target | 34.8% | |||
| Stein Mart | 33.0% | |||
| Staples | 32.0% | |||
| BJ’s | 31.0% | |||
| Walmart | 29.9% | |||
| Microsoft | 29.9% | |||
| Jet.com | 29.4% | |||
| Amazon | 29.3% | |||
| Best Buy | 28.7% | |||
| Newegg | 28.4% | |||
| Academy Sports + Outdoors | 28.0% | |||
| HP | 27.5% | |||
| Dell Home | 27.4% | |||
| Costco | 25.1% | |||
| Harbor Freight | 23.5% | |||
| Big Lots | 22.9% | |||
| Sam’s Club | 22.3% | |||
| Ace Hardware | 21.9% | |||
| Gander Outdoors | 18.0% | |||
| True Value | 16.3% | |||
| All Retailers | 37.0% |
Source: WalletHub
The best store discounts, on average, by product category:
| Retailer | Apparel & Accessories | Computers & Phones | Consumer Electronics | Consumer Packaged Goods | Toys | Appliances |
| Academy Sports + Outdoors | 29.14% | N/A | 46.28% | N/A | 20.67% | 28.06% |
| Ace Hardware | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Amazon | 45.61% | 27.08% | 29.69% | 28.31% | 23.62% | 27.53% |
| Belk | 61.86% | N/A | 41.32% | 44.06% | 53.89% | 56.64% |
| Best Buy | N/A | 29.48% | 28.58% | N/A | 40.37% | 26.55% |
| Big Lots | N/A | N/A | 32.82% | N/A | 38.53% | 50.02% |
| BJ’s | 28.24% | 28.44% | 28.98% | N/A | 28.91% | 31.76% |
| Costco | N/A | 24.16% | 26.79% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Dell Home | N/A | 25.23% | 38.02% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Dick’s Sporting Goods | 41.69% | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Fred Meyer | 47.90% | 25.70% | 51.96% | N/A | 40.34% | 52.50% |
| Gander Outdoors | 34.63% | N/A | 23.41% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Harbor Freight | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| HP | N/A | 27.47% | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| JCPenney | 62.99% | 39.24% | 32.08% | 58.15% | 47.41% | 35.63% |
| Jet.com | N/A | N/A | 32.58% | N/A | 43.91% | 25.38% |
| Kmart | 49.38% | N/A | N/A | N/A | 31.51% | N/A |
| Kohl’s | 53.17% | 35.82% | 37.16% | 21.16% | 42.32% | 41.11% |
| Lenovo | N/A | 40.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Macy’s | 46.85% | N/A | 28.43% | N/A | N/A | 31.02% |
| Meijer | 63.84% | 33.51% | 38.32% | N/A | 43.48% | 42.73% |
| Microsoft | N/A | 29.86% | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| New York & Company | 54.52% | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Newegg | N/A | 24.35% | 35.80% | N/A | N/A | 46.17% |
| Office Depot and OfficeMax | N/A | 37.94% | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Payless ShoeSource | 50.34% | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Sam’s Club | N/A | 25.31% | 18.09% | N/A | 24.81% | 24.43% |
| Sears | 50.25% | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 41.35% |
| Shopko | 46.69% | 25.32% | 35.62% | 29.42% | 26.48% | 35.75% |
| Stage* | 59.65% | N/A | N/A | N/A | 55.78% | 59.50% |
| Staples | N/A | 29.37% | 42.26% | 56.06% | N/A | N/A |
| Stein Mart | 32.27% | 30.23% | N/A | N/A | N/A | 29.96% |
| Target | 36.23% | 36.82% | 29.64% | N/A | 32.90% | 41.42% |
| True Value | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Walmart | 41.43% | 35.62% | 39.61% | N/A | 23.30% | 32.96% |
| Overall Average | 46.83% | 30.55% | 34.16% | 39.53% | 36.37% | 38.02% |
| Retailer | Furniture | Jewelry | Books, Movies and Music | Video Games (only the software) | All Other Product Categories |
| Academy Sports + Outdoors | 28.43% | N/A | N/A | N/A | 27.14% |
| Ace Hardware | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 27.85% |
| Amazon | 24.38% | N/A | 38.44% | N/A | 29.42% |
| Belk | N/A | 70.86% | N/A | N/A | 68.64% |
| Best Buy | N/A | N/A | N/A | 47.03% | 35.57% |
| Big Lots | 21.35% | N/A | N/A | N/A | 23.85% |
| BJ’s | 38.14% | N/A | 17.86% | N/A | 32.29% |
| Costco | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Dell Home | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Dick’s Sporting Goods | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 51.08% |
| Fred Meyer | 52.78% | N/A | 43.92% | 33.97% | 53.47% |
| Gander Outdoors | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 14.32% |
| Harbor Freight | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 23.38% |
| HP | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| JCPenney | 72.37% | 70.83% | N/A | N/A | 63.65% |
| Jet.com | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Kmart | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 48.99% |
| Kohl’s | 52.32% | 72.69% | N/A | N/A | 66.06% |
| Lenovo | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Macy’s | 42.78% | 52.04% | N/A | N/A | 57.63% |
| Meijer | 41.19% | N/A | N/A | 43.60% | 46.62% |
| Microsoft | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| New York & Company | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Newegg | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 41.20% |
| Office Depot and OfficeMax | 49.41% | N/A | N/A | N/A | 58.98% |
| Payless ShoeSource | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Sam’s Club | 22.27% | N/A | N/A | N/A | 20.69% |
| Sears | N/A | 78.83% | N/A | N/A | 44.31% |
| Shopko | 60.34% | 59.28% | N/A | N/A | 48.94% |
| Stage* | N/A | 74.30% | N/A | N/A | 68.61% |
| Staples | 36.96% | N/A | N/A | N/A | 44.52% |
| Stein Mart | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 40.46% |
| Target | N/A | N/A | N/A | 45.46% | 40.28% |
| True Value | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 26.69% |
| Walmart | N/A | N/A | N/A | 46.26% | 23.37% |
| Overall Average | 41.75% | 68.41% | 33.41% | 43.26% | 41.78% |
Source: WalletHub
