Black Friday has traditionally been the day you worked off that Thanksgiving dinner.  Getting up before dawn to take advantage of the best deals of the year at nearly every retailer was a longstanding ritual for many.  Many people got all of their Christmas shopping done over the 15 - 18 hour shop-a-thon and then took the rest of the weekend to recover (and have Thanksgiving leftovers).

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Black Friday shopping has changed significantly over the last decade.  Now you can get Black Friday deals after Halloween and you can stay in your pajamas, drinking your morning coffee, and shop on your computer at 10am instead of standing in a cold, dark line at 4am.  Here are the best retailers to shop whether you head out of the house or you cyber shop.

The Best Deals May Not Be Where You Think

We've been conditioned to believe that the best deals are going to be via Amazon or at Costco.  Time to re-condition.  Our friends at Wallethub.com broke down the best places for Black Friday deals and the big two aren't in the top 5.  Costco actually has the lowest overall discount rate (18.27) versus the best Black Friday deal maker (76.2% overall discount rate).

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5. Walmart

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The Bentonville, AR based mega retailer comes in as the fifth best place for Black Friday deals.  Walmart's reputation for discount prices is well earned and they don't disappoint for the 2024 holiday shopping season.  Sam Walton's juggernaut has an overall discount rate of 37.75%.

4. Kohl's

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The Minnesota based department store is sparing as much expense as possible for consumers this holiday season.  Kohl's boasts a 43.55% overall discount rate for Black Friday.

3. Macy's

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It might surprise you to see a retailer with a high-end reputation in the top three for Black Friday savings.  One of the nation's oldest retailers (founded in New York in 1858), Macy's has had it's struggles like many of it's peers.  Maybe their Black Friday cost cutting is a way of trying to restore it's place in the retail echelon.  If it doesn't, it won't be for a lack of effort as they are offering an overall discount rate of 57.33% in 2024.

2. Belk

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The retailer you probably haven't heard of comes in second on the list of best Black Friday savings.  Belk has zero brick and mortar stores on the west coast even though they've been around for 136 years.  That doesn't mean you can't take advantage of their 72.68% overall discount rate.  You can shop at Belk.com and they'll ship to Washington State.

1. JC Penney

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It may surprise you to know that Penney's is usually at the top of this list.  The 122 year old staple of the mall scene has rebounded nicely since they were rescued out of bankruptcy four years ago.  You can swing into their corner spot at Columbia Center Mall or you can visit jcpenney.com to jump on the 76.20% overall discount rate for Black Friday.

That's the best of the best when it comes to Black Friday savings.  If you want to see the full list of retailers (and their overall discount rate) at Wallethub.com, click here.

LOOK: Here's how much grocery shopping now costs in the U.S.

The average cost of groceries for one person per month in 2023 was around $337. But how does your state compare? Do you pay more, or less? Data compiled by Zippia takes a look at the average monthly grocery bill per person in all 50 states. States are listed from most expensive to least expensive and are rounded up to the nearest dollar.

Gallery Credit: Mike Brant

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