Amazon’s Black Friday sale can be iconic, with Lightning Deals popping up every five minutes and prices that can rank among the best of the year. But the retailer doesn’t handle Black Friday the same way that other stores do.

If you’re wondering, “How does Black Friday work on Amazon?”, check out our guide on what items will likely be on sale for the retailer’s Black Friday event, as well as how to snag the ones that are worth your effort.

What to Expect From the Amazon Black Friday Sale in 2022

When Will the Amazon Black Friday Ad Be Released?

Amazon doesn’t release the same type of Black Friday ad that other retailers do — you won’t find a 60-page circular in your local Sunday paper or on the website itself. That said, they’ll likely provide information about what to watch for during the event. We expect the Amazon Black Friday press release to drop around November 16 this year.

Will Amazon Be Open on Thanksgiving?

Amazon has opened physical stores over the last several years, but it’s still primarily an online retailer. And the fact that it’s been closing some stores and focusing on other areas only reinforces that online presence even more. All that to say that of course Amazon will be open on Thanksgiving — it’s open all the time!

When Does the Amazon Black Friday Sale Start?

Amazon has never been one to relegate Black Friday to just one day, and in the past often had an entire week dedicated to Black Friday deals. But during 2020 and 2021, we saw the season of Black Friday stretch out even more. In 2020, Amazon started listing Black Friday-type deals long before the holiday itself, and last year was no different.

Amazon has already started rolling out its holiday deals, but the bulk of the best deals will likely show up around Black Friday.

In 2022, Amazon hosted the year’s second Prime Day event on October 11-12. Immediately afterward, it launched its “epic holiday deals” for consumers to shop. That said, the bulk of the best deals will still likely show up closer to the holiday itself. This year, those deal drops should happen around November 20 at the latest.

Also remember that a lot of Amazon’s offers around Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday are limited-time Lightning Deals. They’re short-lived and could sell out in the blink of an eye, so it’s important to be aware of what’s coming up. That way, you can grab these deals before they’re gone.

When Is the Best Time to Shop During Black Friday?

When comparing Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, we’ve found that Turkey Day has often boasted more deals than the other two days. But the day with the best deals can change from year to year. Some years we’ll see more Staff Picks — offers that we consider “the best of the best” — on Thanksgiving, only for Black Friday or Cyber Monday to reign supreme the following year. For example, in 2020, we listed more Staff Pick deals on Black Friday than we did on Thanksgiving. But last year, Thanksgiving won out in both the number of Staff Picks and the number of deals we listed overall.

What this means is that there’s no easy answer on the best time to shop. If you’re looking for the best deals on Amazon, it’s worth paying attention throughout Black Friday week and into Cyber Monday — especially if you have items left on your list after Thanksgiving is over.

Does Everything on Amazon Go on Sale for Black Friday?

Amazon has deals on a huge variety of categories, but certain ones are bigger and more popular than others. For example, last year Amazon’s early Black Friday deals on PCs and gaming were popular among Deal News readers, as were offers on toys and games. Home and garden items also tend to be big in most of Amazon’s notable sales, including Prime Day and Black Friday; there’s no reason to expect this year will be any different.

SEE ALSO: Target Black Friday Deals 2022: What Can You Expect From This Year’s Sales?

We’ll likely see a high number of deals on Amazon products, too, such as Kindles, Echo devices, and Fire products. But just because these items come from an in-house brand doesn’t mean they’ll all be worth adding to your cart. Last Black Friday, noteworthy deals included the Halo Band for $55, a 10th-generation Fire HD 8 tablet for $45, a Fire HD 8 Plus tablet for $55, a Fire HD 10 tablet for $75, and a Ring Floodlight outdoor camera for $140. All of these are Amazon-branded products, and all of these deals earned our Staff Pick badge.

One type of deal you should watch for is bundles, as Amazon tends to feature these kinds of offers around Black Friday, especially. For instance, last year Amazon had a 2nd-gen Echo Show 5 bundled with a Blink Mini camera for $50, a Ring wired doorbell with an Echo Show 5 for $62, and an Echo Show 5 bundled with two Blink cameras for $110. Amazon also likes to bundle services with its products. Last year we saw the Echo Auto with six months of Amazon Music Unlimited for $15, plus a Kindle Paperwhite with four months of Kindle Unlimited for $105.

Note that while Amazon doesn’t do the same kind of doorbusters that other retailers do, its Lightning Deals are probably the closest you’ll get to that kind of limited-time, in-demand offer. Just remember that in the past, Lightning Deals have rolled out as quickly as every five minutes and can sell out very fast, depending on the type of offer.

How Can You Get the Most out of Amazon Black Friday Deals?

While Amazon has gone all-in on Prime Day events — to the point of offering two this year — you do not have to be a Prime member to shop Amazon Black Friday sales. That said, Prime members may get additional benefits, so it may still be worth having the membership for the month of November. For example, Prime members could receive early access to select Lightning Deals; that could be the difference between grabbing one and missing out altogether.

Prime members may receive early access to select Lightning Deals, so it could be worth joining the program for November.

Of course, 2-day shipping is one of Amazon’s biggest perks, and this year we aren’t expecting the same delays that we did in 2021. Because of that, you may be able to put the shipping perk to good use during Black Friday shopping this year.

One of the best steps to take is to download the Amazon app and then browse upcoming offers before they start. If you see any Lightning Deals you’re interested in, mark them as “watching” by clicking the button. Then, when the deals go live, you should receive a notification alerting you to that fact, so you can add them to cart before they sell out.

Additionally, if there are deals you’re even kind of interested in, add them to your cart ASAP. You’ll then have 15 minutes to complete your order. If you don’t, the offer will expire and go back to the pool for other shoppers to grab.

Other shoppers will be using this same strategy, so if you see a waitlist available for an item, be sure to join it. If someone ditches the item in their cart, you’ll have another chance to grab it.

What About Amazon’s Cyber Monday Sale?

When Does Cyber Monday Start for Amazon?

Amazon wastes no time when it comes to big sales, and we don’t expect the approach to its Cyber Monday event to be any different. The odds are good that it’ll roll out deals as soon as the clock rolls over from Black Friday to Saturday; don’t expect much of a break between the shopping events!

SEE ALSO: How to Get Black Friday Doorbusters in 2022

What Will Be on Sale? What Will Be the Best Deals?

Given that Amazon is primarily an online business, you can expect them to go all out for Cyber Monday and the days following. Expect another stint with thousands of deals to shop across a huge variety of categories.

Last year, popular Amazon offers among our readers on Cyber Monday included an extra 20% off Amazon Warehouse deals, an extra $5 off $20 print book purchases, and a smart garage control for $17. Amazon order-via-Alexa deals were also pretty popular, with prices starting at $40 on a small selection of smart home products.

If you’re an avid reader, note that the book coupon should come back again this year. It’s been a popular promotion from Amazon for the past few years, so keep an eye out for it to return again.

Can’t wait to shop? Check out all the best Amazon deals available right now!