Noel Leeming Black Friday deals 2024: the best early offers on tech and appliances in New Zealand

Of course Black Friday comes to New Zealand! Black Friday might have started off as an exclusively American observance – falling on the fourth friday of November (the day after Thanksgiving) – but it is now very much a Global event, with most of New Zealand's biggest retailers like Noel Leeming taking part.

Black Friday 2024 will officially start on Friday, November 29. Of course, the date of Black Friday changes every year. One thing is stagnant, though – and that's that it falls on the day after Thanksgiving, which is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States.

However, while it officially starts then – and ends with Cyber Monday on December 2 – we expect to see retailers like Noel Leeming start to drop Black Friday bargains about a week earlier than that official date. Still, many early Black Friday deals will match what we see on the big day, and they can start to drip out from the very start of November.

We’ll likely see official Black Friday sales appearing online about a week before the actual start date, which would mean NZ retailers will start their Black Friday sales from about November 22. As you'd expect, these early Black Friday deals aren’t always as good as what you'll find available on the official dates, but we have seen plenty of instances where early Black Friday prices don’t fall any further once Black Friday hits.

The majority of discounts from Black Friday 2024 will officially wrap up at the end of Cyber Monday on December 2.

Whether you're in it for the deals or the videos of crazed shoppers, Black Friday is well known as one of the biggest sales events in the world – if not the biggest.

While these days it's all fun and games, with even the mayhem lessening thanks to online shopping, its origin isn't quite as cheery. It's likely you've heard that Black Friday is called as such because businesses operate 'in the red' until the huge influx of sales from Black Friday puts them 'in the black'. While that might be closer to the truth these days, its actual likely origin is a touch more grim.

A definitive answer is difficult to find, but research shows that 'Black Friday' originates in 1960s Philadelphia. Tourists would migrate from the surrounding suburbs to the Philadelphian city to get their holiday shopping done early and – more often than not – attend Saturday's Army VS Navy Football game. The chaos caused by this mass migration – shoplifting, traffic and accidents – caused police to work longer, busier shifts over the weekend. So, they called it Black Friday.

Later on the city actually tried to remove themselves from the negative 'Black Friday', with 'Big Friday' offered up instead – but it didn't stick. Then, in the eighties, the story we all know, that retailers create massive discounts to put their sales into the black, was created.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday generally offer the same deals and discounts, so it's difficult to say one sale is better than the other, at least in New Zealand. As alluded to by the names, the two shopping dates were much more distinct from each other in the past, with Black Friday being a physical sale and Cyber Monday being for online-only deals. Today, the two sales are basically one big four day event, and we doubt shoppers will notice any difference in 2024.

Neither New Zealand or Australia celebrate Thanksgiving, but people from both countries love to shop during a sale. Paul Zahra – CEO of Australia's Retailers Association – states that the reason is simply that “Australians are shopping earlier for Christmas than they ever have", and assumedly the same can be said about New Zealanders.

While there are usually some hefty deals in the lead up to the holiday season, with the entirety of December basically being one big sale, getting in early is usually the smartest option – and Black Friday is a great way to do so.

It's safe to say that Black Friday is the biggest sale day in New Zealand, but there are quite a few that give it a run for its money that you should keep an eye out for towards the end of 2024 and through 2025.

Obviously the Christmas period, capped off by New Year sales and Boxing Day sit at the top of the list next to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but there's a handful of others that you might not think about when it comes to snagging the best deals.

Then there's holidays like Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day and Easter Weekend that offer varying degrees of sales.

In New Zealand, you're also likely to see some sales for Waitangi Day. Waitangi Day is the national day that marks the day the Treaty of Waitangi signed. Today regarded as a founding document of the nation, this was a treaty between the British and indigenous Māori chiefs.

Another holiday sale to remember is Single's Day. Falling on November 11 (11/11... single digits) Single's Day is an unofficial Chinese holiday and shopping sale that celebrates people who are not in a relationship.

Basically everything goes on sale come Black Friday, and airlines are no different. You can expect significant deals on domestic and international flights, and – especially if you're flexible about your destination or schedule – you can snag awesome deals on less popular locations or seasons.

If you're looking to snag some discounts on your holiday shopping, then shopping during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend is definitely the way to go. While there are discounts in New Zealand across the entire month of December leading up to Christmas, it's unlikely you'll see anything cheaper than Black Friday until Boxing Day – and that's not usually when Christmas gifts are handed out.

As for waiting for Cyber Monday over Black Friday, the two sales are basically the same thing these days, with the entire weekend from Friday to Monday acting as a sales event. If there's something you want to snag a deal on, there's no need to wait til Monday hoping it comes down further.