Our Deals Editor’s Favorite Early Black Friday Sales

November 21, 2025

Our Deals Editor’s Favorite Early Black Friday Sales | The Strategist

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1:10 P.M.

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Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photos: Retailers

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So, so many early Black Friday deals have popped up this week, and quite a lot of them are actually good. Nordstrom’s sale is a great place for beauty and home décor. Amazon’s sale is full of toys ready for gifting. Wayfair’s sale has some surprisingly good deals, like a $600 Hay Mags sofa. And plenty of these early deals would make nice holiday gifts. We’ve been rounding up so many good Black Friday deals, it’s hard to keep track, so today, I’m guiding you through some of the very best ones, in my opinion. Many of these are things I think might sell out before Black Friday even starts, so I’d shop now if you want them.

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One of the better deals that Anthropologie offers is going on now: All sale items are an extra 40 percent off at checkout. There are a lot of pants, especially from in-house brands like Maeve and Pilcro. I also like these mesh sneakers (they come in four colors) and this waterproof cross-body from Rains.

Women’s tops are 30 percent off at Urban Outfitters this weekend only. There are nearly 500 options to choose from, but these are my top four.

If you want on-sale Le Bon Shoppe, go to Ban.do. The deals have been few and far between lately, but for Black Friday, everything from the brand is 25 percent off. I’m a fan of its cashmere-and-wool scarf and Arc pants and have my eye on its sweatshirts. (The rest of Ban.do’s site is 35 percent off with the code ITSHERE, too, if you want to look around.)

Most shoes are 25 percent off at KEEN for Cyber Week. While we love the Jasper, the Jasper Zionic looks a bit better for slushy winter roads, and the color and sizing availability is much better.

Margaux is having a Black Friday sale of its own (20 percent off sitewide), but I spotted a much better deal on these patent-leather pumps for Nordstrom’s Cyber Week event. They’re very “grown-up Samantha Parkington.”

As I always say, you should never be buying Lands’ End at full price. It’s nearly always having a sitewide sale, and the discount is usually 50 percent off. (You can often find its products on sale at Nordstrom, but the discount is never as good.) One such half-off deal: cashmere-lined gloves that you can still use with your phone. They’d make an excellent gift!

Men’s graphic tees are 30 percent off at Urban Outfitters this weekend. The Monchhichi top is particularly compelling …

The men’s version of Lands’ End’s cashmere-lined gloves is also on sale.

This 100 percent merino-wool beanie comes in 26 colors.

Everything is 30 percent off at Youth to the People, a sale that Amazon is price-matching. Associate editor Jeremy Rellosa has been using its cleanser for years and likens the experience to “a skin-care treatment at a spa.” It’s super-concentrated, so a little goes a long way.

Strategist contributor Chloe Anello has gifted this indulgent Kate McLeod body stone to practically all of her female relations. “Not only does it look, smell, and feel nice, but the product works — three generations of lotion-averse women in my family can’t get enough of it,” she says.

All Sunday Riley products are 25 percent off at Nordstrom as part of the retailer’s Black Friday sale. Some standouts: a Best in Class eye cream, a beauty-writer-approved vitamin-C serum, and a great-for-hyperpigmentation lactic-acid serum.

Beauty is 30 percent off at Urban Outfitters this weekend. It’s a great time to shop for trendy stocking stuffers for tweens and teens!

This Strategist-approved sleep mask is on sale at a few retailers, but the best deal is at the Container Store, of all places. Contributor Dana Covit says the slightly weighted eye mask has headache-relieving, sleep-inducing powers.

Infused with magnesium and L-theanine, this relaxation-enhancing powder from Moon Juice can help add calm and comfort to your bedtime routine.

If you order now, this should arrive in time to build and display on Thanksgiving.

Lodge’s enameled cast-iron Dutch oven is an affordable and well-made favorite of chefs Meherwan Irani and Todd Pulsinelli. Both say they’ve had theirs for about eight years and still use them all the time, with Irani adding that it is “pretty damn near indestructible.”

A splurge-worthy wool-and-cashmere throw for chilly evenings on the couch.

A silly-but-not-too-silly gift for the gherkin fiend.

$18
at Ban.do

Buy

with code: ITSHERE

What do you gift a picky guy? According to senior writer Michael Zhao, this well-designed table from Helinox is great for the giftee who loves to camp (and already has a camping chair that they like).

Senior writer Liza Corsillo is gathering the best early Black Friday toy deals (because why not get your holiday shopping done early?), and this customizable American Girl is one of her top picks. They rarely go on sale, so now’s the time to buy (for nearly half off!).

This adorable LEGO kit with two smiling plants is one of our favorite gifts for 11-year-olds.

Photo: Retailer

One of our top toys of the season is this Bluey supermarket play set. Not unlike a Barbie Dreamhouse, it’s full of exciting details like a working escalator and an intercom that makes announcements at the touch of a button.

Photo: Retailer

Another sought-after gift this year: this Play-Doh Barbie set, which comes with a doll as well as everything they’ll need — ruffle-maker included — to craft her outfits.

We interviewed many parents to find the best smartwatches for tweens, and this was the most-recommended watch for a kid to age into.

Now is a good time to pick up Amazon’s flagship e-reader.

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The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.

Our Deals Editor’s Favorite Early Black Friday Sales

Every product is independently selected by (obsessive) editors. Things you buy through our links may earn us a commission.

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