What we know about Walmart's multi-week Black Friday event

Here are the best early Black Friday deals to shop at Walmart as of Oct. 18:

• Echelon Connect Sport Indoor Cycling Exercise Bike —$449 (save $150)

• TCL 55-inch Class 4-Series 4K Roku TV — $358 (save $91)

• Instant Pot Duo Plus 6-quart cooker — $89.95 (save $30.04)

In 2020, all rules surrounding Black Friday went out the window. Because of the pandemic, Amazon's Prime Day got pushed back to October, which had a domino effect, essentially kicking off Black Friday in October, too.

Officially, Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving (that's Nov. 26 in 2021). But in 2020, Walmart treated the entire month of November as Black Friday, running three staggered sales events leading up to real Black Friday.

The lower-stakes, higher-chance-of-planning-ahead event went so well that Walmart is bringing it back in 2021. On Oct. 18, Walmart confirmed that Deals for Days is happening again — and even dropped ads for two of the three sale dates. The savings, which include 4K TVs, laptops, AirPods, toys, and more, start on Nov. 3.

Like last year, Walmart will not open its doors at brick at mortar store locations on Thanksgiving. Walmart stores will be open on Black Friday, but why deal with lines and crowded aisles when you can score the same deals from your couch?

Shopping early is a good idea anyway — we're still seeing pandemic-related supply chain shortages and shipping delays. If your version of planning ahead for the holidays involves grabbing a few gifts before Black Friday, here's what you can save on at Walmart ahead of Black Friday:

Best early Black Friday deals at Walmart

Tech deals

OUR TOP PICK: Apple AirPods Max — $489 (save $60)

Apple ventured into the world of over-ear headphones with the AirPods Max. These headphones have active noise cancellation and feature the Apple H1 chip. Only the green pair are still in stock and on sale — proof that, to be safe, you should hop on good deals as soon as you spot them. (The AirPods Max dropped as low as $100 off earlier in October. This could happen again before Black Friday, so bookmark this page to stay in the loop.)

Credit: Apple

AirPods Max

Buying Options

$449 at Walmart

More tech deals

• Samsung Galaxy Buds+ — $99 (save $50)

• Lenovo 14-inch Chromebook S330 —$159 (save $80)

• TCL 55-inch Class 4-Series 4K Roku TV — $358 (save $91)

• Apple TV 4K (32GB) —$79 (save $90)

Kitchen deals

OUR TOP PICK: Instant Pot Duo Plus 6-quart cooker — $89.95 (save $30.04)

Instant Pots have dominated Black Friday for the past few years, and 2021 is no different. This particular model has nine functions with a six-quart capacity. It can feed a whole family or meal prep for one.

Credit: Instant Pot

Instant Pot Duo Plus

Buying Options

$89.95 at Walmart

More kitchen deals

• Crock-Pot 7-quart slow cooker — $49 (save $30)

• Ninja 4-quart air fryer — $69 (save $20)

• Keurig K-Duo coffee maker — $79 (save $20)

More great deals

• LG CordZERO A9 cordless stick vacuum — $329 (save $110)

• Shark Navigator Swivel Pro upright vacuum — $99 (save $50)

• ILIFE V5s Pro robot vacuum and mop — $129 (save $50)

• Echelon Connect Sport Indoor Cycling Exercise Bike —$449 (save $150)

Note: This post will be updated continuously throughout the holiday shopping season.