Black Friday 2026: Walmart, Costco, and Amazon Schedules

2026 Black Friday: Latest Plans from Walmart, Costco, and Amazon

Abstract

Black Friday has not arrived yet, but Costco’s discounts are already rolling out in stages, Walmart will run three deal waves, and Amazon sellers face inbound cutoffs and peak-season fees. The three calendars move on different clocks, so brands need to set pricing, inventory, and fulfillment ahead of each window.

Figure 1: 2026 Black Friday theme graphic. Source: WeCross illustration

Preparations for Black Friday promotions in U.S. retail are already underway.

On October 26, Walmart formally announced three waves of 2026 Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions, running from November 12 through December 2. Costco had earlier released its Holiday Savings catalog, with offers running from October 30 to November 30 and spanning the entire month of November. Amazon, for its part, has published holiday peak-season promotion fees and inbound cutoff dates in Seller Central.

Black Friday falls on November 27 this year, but promotions at the three largest U.S. retailers are no longer confined to the weekend after Thanksgiving. Consumers gain more flexibility in when to shop; brands and suppliers, in turn, need to prepare promotional pricing, inventory allocation, and fulfillment arrangements in advance.

1. Walmart: Three Deal Waves, with Early Access for Members

Walmart announced on October 26 that this year’s holiday promotions will run in three phases:

The first two waves cover both online and in-store shopping. Online deals go live at 12:01 a.m. ET on the start date, and in-store deals begin at 6 a.m. local time. Cyber Monday is online only.

Figure 2: Walmart’s three 2026 Black Friday deal waves. Source: Walmart corporate

This year, Walmart has further expanded early-access benefits for Walmart+ members. On November 12 and November 23, members will get first access to select limited-quantity popular items (Hot Deal Drops), with remaining inventory opening to all shoppers the following day. During the first two waves, certain online-exclusive deals will also be reserved for Walmart+ members for the first 24 hours. This is designed to support Walmart’s newly launched combined Walmart+ and Sam’s Club Plus annual membership, which costs new members only $120 per year (plus applicable taxes), a saving of about $100 compared with purchasing the two memberships separately. Rather than simply adding Walmart+ benefits, the move combines Walmart’s everyday retail delivery with Sam’s Club warehouse-club shopping, making it a key membership initiative for this holiday season.

(WeCross will soon publish a deeper report on Walmart’s recent moves—stay tuned.)

2. Costco: A Month-Long Promotion, with Staggered Markdowns by Product

Costco’s 2026 Holiday Savings program has been released. The main promotional period runs from October 30 through November 30 and covers electronics, appliances, home goods, food, apparel, and seasonal merchandise.

Unlike Walmart’s three waves, Costco schedules its offers in segments by product and date:

Note that these periods are not fully separate; some of the deal windows overlap.

Figure 3: Costco 2026 Holiday Savings. Source: Costco

Costco warehouses will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, but online-only deals will still be available that day. Over the Black Friday weekend and on Cyber Monday, new promotional prices will be introduced on selected items.

The discounts are also substantial. For example, select Dyson styler products are discounted by up to $150, LG refrigerators by $800 to $1,450, and certain Samsung appliances by up to approximately $1,400.

However, not every item is discounted for the full month. Consumers need to buy according to the effective dates for specific items, while suppliers need to manage inventory and replenishment around each promotional window.

3. Amazon: Tighter Inventory Cutoffs for Sellers Ahead of Black Friday

Unlike Walmart and Costco, which have mainly published consumer-facing promotion calendars, Amazon’s recent announcements focus on seller-side promotion preparation and logistics and fulfillment.

Under Amazon’s 2026 holiday peak-season schedule, the main inventory arrival cutoffs for Black Friday and Cyber Monday are as follows:

These are the dates by which inventory must arrive at the relevant Amazon facilities, not the dates by which sellers must ship. If a cutoff is missed, inventory may not be received and processed in time, affecting Prime delivery eligibility and sales performance during Black Friday.

Figure 4: Amazon fulfillment center. Source: Amazon

On promotion fees, Amazon’s published 2026 deal fee structure for major promotional events is a fixed fee of $100 per deal plus 1.5% of deal sales, with the variable fee capped at $5,000. Actual fees and event eligibility remain subject to the applicable rules in each seller account.

In addition, Amazon’s holiday fulfillment surcharge runs from October 15, 2026, through January 14, 2027. Sellers need to factor promotion fees, delivery costs, and advertising spend together into their profit calculations.

As of October 26, the exact start date of Amazon’s consumer-facing Black Friday Week has yet to be confirmed. Sellers should continue to monitor event schedules in Seller Central.

4. What This Means for Brands and Suppliers

The plans announced so far by the three retail giants point to several characteristics of this year’s U.S. holiday promotions.

The promotional cycle is getting longer. Costco spreads its offers across all of November, while Walmart rolls out three waves extending into early December. Brands need to set promotional prices for each sales window and avoid a single markdown that runs too long and erodes margins.

Membership benefits remain a focal point of competition. Walmart reserves priority access to some popular items for Walmart+ members, and has also combined Walmart+ and Sam’s Club Plus into a $120 joint annual membership. The joint membership helps connect the two shopping environments, and suppliers should pay attention to price coordination between member-exclusive offers and different pack sizes.

Inventory and fulfillment capabilities matter more. Amazon’s inbound cutoffs are fast approaching. For cross-border e-commerce sellers that have not yet completed local U.S. stocking, it is now all the more important to verify inventory locations, arrival times, and available fulfillment options.

For suppliers already selling through Costco, this year’s Holiday Savings schedule is essentially set. At this stage, the priority is to track actual sales, inventory turnover, and out-of-stock situations, building data for next year’s promotion submissions.

Black Friday has not yet arrived, but retailers’ sales plans are already in motion. For brands expanding overseas, the focus going forward is not only the depth of discounts but also pricing management across channels, inventory allocation, and fulfillment costs.

Official Sources

Walmart: 2026 Holiday Shopping Events Schedule

Walmart: Joint Walmart+ and Sam’s Club Plus Membership Announcement (October 20, 2026)

Costco: 2026 Holiday Savings

Amazon: 2026 Major Promotional Event Deal Fees

Amazon: 2026 Holiday Peak-Season Inbound Preparation

Information as of October 26, 2026. Specific offers, promotion eligibility, and seller fees are subject to the official announcements of the respective companies and account information. This document is a compilation of market information and does not constitute investment or legal advice.