**Amazon's Black Friday Sale to Kick Off Early Amid Fierce Retail Competition**

Amazon has announced its plans to start its Black Friday sale earlier than usual, beginning a week before Thanksgiving on November 21. This move comes as major competitors like Walmart, Target, and Best Buy have already revealed their holiday sales strategies and started their early sales.

This year, there is an added urgency for retailers due to the shorter holiday shopping season; there are five fewer days between Black Friday and Christmas compared to last year. Amazon will commence its Black Friday discounts at 12:01am PST on November 21, running through till November 29. Immediately following, the retail giant's Cyber Monday sale will kick off on November 29 and continue until December 2.

In a notable addition, Amazon will stream its second-ever Black Friday NFL game on Prime Video, offering shoppers some timely entertainment. Another customer-friendly feature this season is the extended return window for many products, allowing returns through January 31, 2025.

Target, jumping ahead in the race, has announced that its stores will open at 6am local time on Black Friday. The retailer is also holding early holiday events along with Kohl's and Best Buy this weekend, and Walmart will start a weeklong sale on Monday. With less than three weeks until Thanksgiving, these early sales from the nation's biggest retailers are aimed at enticing consumers to start their holiday shopping sooner and continue to shop throughout the season.

On Monday, Walmart revealed its Black Friday plans, noting that it will initiate the first of two sales events on Veterans Day. The influence of the world's largest retailer by revenue is significant, often impacting the timing and strategy of sales across the retail sector.

To add to the flurry of activity, Target announced a new three-day "Early Black Friday sale," supplementing its regular daily and weekly holiday deals. The Minneapolis-based retailer's announcement underscores the escalating competition among major retailers to capture consumer spending in a compressed holiday season.