Black Friday is Nov. 27. At least, that’s what the calendar says. The big retailers stopped paying attention to it years ago.

Lowe’s opens its Black Friday deals on Oct. 29 — two days before Halloween. Best Buy and Costco pile in Oct. 30. By the time you sit down for turkey, some of these sales will be nearly a month old.

Shoppers have noticed. In its annual holiday survey, the National Retail Federation found that 43% of holiday shoppers planned to start browsing and buying before November even arrived.

Here’s the catch. Every store now runs its own calendar, with early-access perks for members and doorbuster days. Stretching a sale over weeks isn’t generosity. It’s a way to keep you in the store — and spending — longer.

So I pulled the dates from each retailer’s own announcements. Here are seven big stores, in the order their deals begin, with what I’d buy now and what I’d wait on.

1. Lowe’s: Black Friday deals started Oct. 29

Lowe’s launched roughly a month of Black Friday pricing on Oct. 29, covering tools, appliances and holiday decorations, according to the company’s Oct. 8 announcement.

On Nov. 16, Lowe’s starts its “12 Days of Deals,” with fresh markdowns each day leading into Black Friday. That’s up from the 10-day run it has offered in the past. After that, “December Deal Drops” run from Dec. 3 through Christmas Eve.

Members of the MyLowe’s Rewards program get to shop Black Friday doorbusters online one day before everyone else. That means Thanksgiving Day. Stores will be closed that day, but online-only deals will still be running.

Buy now or wait? If the tool or appliance you’ve been eyeing is already marked down to a price you like, take it. If not, be patient. Lowe’s is holding its doorbusters for Thanksgiving week.

2. Home Depot: Gift savings from Oct. 29, Black Friday event from Nov. 5

Home Depot’s holiday gift savings began Oct. 29 and are meant to last all season, according to its Sept. 29 release.

The bigger sale comes later. Home Depot’s Black Friday Savings Event runs Nov. 5 through Nov. 25, both in stores and online.

Note those dates. The event Home Depot announced wraps up two days before Black Friday itself.

According to the company’s holiday hours, stores will be closed Thanksgiving and open at 6 a.m. on Black Friday.

Buy now or wait? Unless you need it this week, wait for Nov. 5. Just don’t hold out for the holiday weekend, since that event ends Nov. 25.

3. Best Buy: Doorbusters from Oct. 30

Best Buy treats Halloween weekend as opening day. According to its holiday calendar, doorbusters start Oct. 30, Early Black Friday deals arrive Nov. 6, and a 10-day stretch of Black Friday doorbusters starts Nov. 19. Cyber Week deals run Dec. 1-6.

From Nov. 19 to Dec. 6, members of My Best Buy Plus and My Best Buy Total earn double rewards. Its stores won’t open on Thanksgiving.

Buy now or wait? This is the easiest call on the list: If the price is good, buy now. Best Buy says that if something it sells gets cheaper over the holidays, it’ll match the new price. Limits apply, and items from third-party Marketplace sellers are excluded.

On top of that, most things you buy between Oct. 30 and Dec. 31 can be returned through Jan. 15. Plus and Total members get until Jan. 31. Keep your receipt and check the price once a week.

4. Costco: First wave Oct. 30 through Nov. 15

Costco’s first round of holiday savings runs Oct. 30 through Nov. 15, according to its holiday deals page. More markdowns follow from Nov. 16 to 30, and another batch covers Nov. 27-30 — Black Friday through Cyber Monday.

Dates vary item by item, so read the fine print on anything you want. You’ll need an active membership to buy in the warehouse. Warehouses are closed Thursday, Nov. 26, for Thanksgiving.

Buy now or wait? Each deal has its own window, with no promise the price returns once it closes. If something on your list is in the first wave, buy it by Nov. 15.

First, learn how to decode prices in “Costco’s Price Tags Have a Secret Code. Crack It and Pay Less.”

A quick nudge — when it comes to money, the best day to get smart was 20 years ago. The second-best is today. Sign up for the free Money Talks Newsletter and start now. Takes 10 seconds, costs nothing, and could change your retirement.

5. Target: Deal of the Day from Nov. 1

Target rolls out a new Deal of the Day starting Nov. 1 and continuing daily until Christmas Eve, according to its Oct. 21 announcement. Its Early Black Friday sale runs Nov. 5-7.

Don’t plan on a Thanksgiving trip, though. Target closes its stores on Thanksgiving Day.

Buy now or wait? The early sale lasts just three days. If Target beats the competition on something you want, grab it then.

6. Walmart: Early deals from Nov. 12

Walmart has stacked three events, according to its Oct. 26 announcement:

• Early Black Friday: Nov. 12-15
• Black Friday: Nov. 23-29, with in-store deals starting at 6 a.m., Nov. 27, local time
• Cyber Monday: Nov. 30-Dec. 2

Online deals go live at 12:01 a.m. Eastern. During the first two events, Walmart+ members get exclusive access to some online-only deals for the first 24 hours, while supplies last. Walmart’s announcement doesn’t say whether stores will open on Thanksgiving.

Buy now or wait? Wait. Walmart’s first event doesn’t start until Nov. 12.

And don’t sign up for a membership just to beat the crowd by a day. Walmart is also pushing a $120-a-year bundle of Walmart+ and Sam’s Club Plus. Before you bite, read “Walmart Now Throws in Sam’s Club for $120. Here’s Who Should Skip It.”

7. Kohl’s: Closed Thanksgiving, sale dates not yet announced

Kohl’s hadn’t released its Black Friday sale dates as of Oct. 29. What it has announced: Stores will be shut on both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Kohl’s has also stretched its return policy. Items bought from Oct. 4 through Dec. 30 can be returned free in stores until Jan. 31.

Buy now or wait? That long return window takes some of the risk out of buying early. Change your mind, and you’ve got until the end of January.

What about Amazon, Sam’s Club and Macy’s? None had posted an official Black Friday schedule when I checked on Oct. 29.

How to tell a real deal

If a price is “special” for a month, how special is it? Here’s how I’d separate a real deal from a marketing one:

• Ignore the “was” price. What matters is what other stores charge today. Check two or three before you buy anything expensive.
• Look up the price history. A free price tracker can show whether today’s “deal” is really the lowest price in months, or just a return to normal.
• Shop the policy, not just the price. A price-match promise or a long return window lets you buy early without getting burned. Some chains even match competitors. Seven that match Amazon are in “Who Needs Prime When These 7 Retailers Match Amazon’s Prices?“
• Be wary of “pay later.” Splitting a purchase into installments makes it feel cheaper. It doesn’t make it cheaper. Run the numbers in “Costco and Sam’s Club Want You to Pay Over Time. I’m a CPA — Run This Math First.”

If you’re putting holiday purchases on plastic anyway, at least make the card work for you — and pay it off when the bill arrives. Some cards pay extra cash back or add purchase protections, and you can compare cards here.

The bottom line

In the NRF survey, nearly two-thirds of shoppers said they expect to save the bulk of their buying for Thanksgiving weekend. That’s fine. Just know that the stores have been selling since before Halloween.

Nov. 27 isn’t a deadline. It’s a marketing date. Make your list, set your budget, and buy each item when its price is right — whether that’s next week or the Friday after Thanksgiving.