Walmart Shoppers Won't Have to Wait Until Black Friday to Snag Great Deals

Walmart fans can expect discounts to start hitting much sooner.

For many consumers, Black Friday is the most anticipated shopping event of the year. And this year, consumers may be even more reliant on Black Friday.

Inflation has been wreaking havoc on consumers for well over a year, and at this point, many are already cutting back on spending in an effort to conserve funds and minimize their credit card debt. And so for some, shopping events like Black Friday could spell the difference between being able to give out holiday gifts or not.

But Walmart fans looking for discounts don't need to hold out for Black Friday this year. Walmart plans to start offering discounts in early November. That should give consumers time to get a jump start on their holiday shopping -- and avoid the last-minute scramble of waiting until Black Friday or beyond.

What to expect from Walmart in November

Walmart commonly offers competitive prices on a variety of goods year-round. But starting early next month, consumers should expect discounts on everything from toys to electronics to home decor. 

Walmart has also announced that it's boosted its supply of popular items, and that's good news for consumers. Last year, supply chain issues made it more difficult than usual for holiday shoppers to check items off their lists. This year, supply chains are generally in a better place, but they're not fully caught up. So the fact that Walmart is accounting for that is helpful.

How much shopping should you do at Walmart in November?

The amount of money you spend at Walmart next month should hinge on factors like how much you've saved for the holidays and the number of gifts you need to purchase. In general, it's not a great idea to rack up credit card debt in the course of your holiday shopping. But if Walmart's pre-holiday season discounts are steep enough, you may not have to.

Of course, a good approach to taking advantage of Walmart's discounts is to make a list of the items you want to purchase and order them by priority. That way, if you start to run low on funds, you'll have already purchased the things most important to you.

If you're going to do your holiday shopping early at Walmart this year, make sure to keep copies of your receipts. Walmart has said that purchases made on or after Oct. 1 can be returned through Jan. 31, 2023. That's a pretty generous window. 

Is Walmart doing away with Black Friday?

There's no reason to think that. While the big-box giant is rolling out deals ahead of Black Friday, that doesn't mean we won't see a variety of doorbusters and discounts the day after Thanksgiving. But whether you want to hold out for those deals is a different story.

The problem with Black Friday is that the items that are most heavily discounted may be limited in quantity. And besides, shopping on Black Friday doesn't tend to be a pleasant experience -- at least not in person. So rather than wait for the big event, you might instead start taking a look at Walmart's offers and inventory early next month.