The Best Walmart Black Friday Deals 2020

Paper Mate Flair Felt-Tip Pen (20 Pack)

Deal price: $10 with store pickup; street price: $20

Read our review of the best school supplies for back to school.

Our pen pick for younger students from our guide to the best school supplies, Paper Mate Flair Felt-Tip Pens come in a wide variety of bright colors that dry quickly, making them a much more forgiving writing utensil for those still developing their penmanship. If you don't mind picking up in-store, this is a good deal for a pack of 20 assorted colors. It could also be added to an order over $35 for free shipping.

In the wake of the pandemic, you may not want to head inside your local Walmart, even if just to pick up your purchases at the customer service desk. Luckily, most purchases made through the website are available for curbside pickup from both Walmart and Neighborhood Market stores. Make sure to bring your phone with you; you’ll need to use the Walmart app to let the employees know you’re waiting.

Unlike Costco, Target, Best Buy, and other major retailers, Walmart does not offer price protection during Black Friday deals—meaning, if you got an item on sale at Walmart earlier this month, for example, and then you see the store offering it for a lower price on Black Friday, you won’t be refunded the difference. Walmart will also not price match a competitor's pricing on request—so you’ll have to keep an eye on both Amazon and Walmart, along with other competitors tossing their own hats in the ring, during Black Friday to catch the best deals. On the plus side, if you’re shopping in-store at Walmart and notice that an item’s price is lower on Walmart.com than it is on the shelf, let the cashier know at checkout; Walmart should match the website’s base price as long as the item is identical to the one you’re purchasing in person and in-stock on the website. (For this reason, we recommend that you keep the Walmart website up on your phone to compare prices as you shop.) Some exclusions to the price matching policy include bundle offers, instant rebates, offers that include financing, buy one get one free advertisements that don’t include a specified price, and prices from other Walmart or Neighborhood Market stores.

While you shop for discounted gear, keep in mind that select Walmart locations will allow you to put pricier items on layaway if you may need more time to finance them. This is especially helpful because, by placing a $10 or 10% down payment, you can lock in the sale price on the item you’re buying even if you’re not ready to actually buy it yet. Walmart will accept layaways through December 14, which is when the final payment will have to be made; otherwise, the order will be cancelled and your account will be charged a $10 fee. Just remember that layaways have to be made and picked up at the designated counter in-store.

If, after all that shopping, you realize that you bought something that you no longer want or need, Walmart offers a pretty generous return policy—90 days to return most items purchased. In addition, items purchased between October 16 and December 25 that normally have shorter return windows will have an extended return period. As with any return policy, there are some exceptions that extend to a few product categories: Electronics like laptops, tablets, and TVs have a 30-day return window with receipt; pre-paid phones must be returned or exchanged within 14 days; and air mattresses will have the standard 90 days, but the mattress must remain unused or unopened.

If you do decide to return something you bought while the prices were low, you can either bring your unwanted purchases in-store or send them back by mail. Returning in-store is certainly the easier choice since all you’ll have to do is bring your unwanted purchase, with all the original packing, to the customer service desk, but if you’d rather avoid a non-essential shopping trip, Walmart makes returning by mail simple, too. To print out your free return label, log in into your online account and select return. You’ll need access to a printer to do this, along with a box (the one your item came in will work) and packing tape. Drop your package at a USPS or FedEx location to complete your return. Keep an eye on your checking account or credit card; once the return has been processed, the refund should appear after seven to ten days.