Black Friday 2018: Illinois Store Hours, Best Deals

Black Friday madness in Illinois is days away, so if you’ve successfully restrained yourself from buying that new TV, laptop, comforter or coffee maker, your patience is about to pay off. The season’s biggest shopping holiday is technically supposed to be the Friday after Thanksgiving, but some deal hunters can actually begin their quest on Turkey Day.

Most participating stores will open their doors around 6 a.m. or 7 a.m. Friday, but Walmart, Kohl’s and JC Penney will stay open on Thanksgiving, according to BlackFriday.com.

And for good reason. American retailers hauled in a record $7.9 billion on Black Friday last year, according to Adobe Analytics. That was nearly an 18 percent jump over 2016. And while online shopping and Cyber Monday promotions have surged in popularity in recent years, many folks still choose to jockey for position and box out fellow shoppers at brick-and-mortar stores in hopes of saving a couple hundred bucks. In fact, in-store Black Friday traffic has barely slowed, falling less than 1 percent in 2017.

If you’re willing to brave the chaos at Walmart, you could walk away with some sweet deals. Who needs to wait for Santa Claus when a 65-inch Class 4K Roku Smart TV could be yours for just $398? Other great Walmart deals include $99 for a hoverboard or Google Home Hub, $599 for an HP Pavilion gaming laptop, $249 for an iPad and $69 for a Vivitar Aero-View video drone.

At JC Penney, you could score 50 percent off Barbie, Nerf and Disney toys and up to 80 percent off fine jewelry such as earrings and rings. Get to the store first on Thursday and you could score a coupon worth up to $500.

If you’re looking for the best bang for your buck, a recent study by the personal finance site WalletHub found that JC Penney actually offers some of the best deals in the country. The average discount this year is 65 percent, compared to just 30 percent for Walmart, 29 percent for Amazon and 29 percent for Best Buy. The site says the best deals include an outdoor shed for $1,999, a gaming laptop for $1,000 and noise canceling headphones for $100.

Holiday 2018: The Best Gifts For Everyone On Your List

Here's a look at store hours for Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Note: Times may vary based on location, so check your local store before heading out to shop.

In case you need to run out for some last-minute ingredients on Thanksgiving, here's some info on grocery store hours.

Image via Shutterstock.