When is Black Friday 2017? It depends

Sales the day after Thanksgiving are as much of a tradition as carving turkey. But if you're hoping to snag steep discounts this year, mark your calendar. Black Friday isn't as straightforward as it used to be. 

When does Black Friday start?

Black Friday used to be exclusive to the day after Thanksgiving. This year, that day occurs on Nov. 24. However, these days, retailers start offering Black Friday-style deals early. In some cases, deals can start as early as the beginning of November. 

Here's a list of retailers and the official scoop.

GameStop: Nov. 23

GameStop's doors open on Nov. 23 at 4 p.m. and offers listed in the Black Friday flier last until the 26. Of course, you'll want to grab items before they sell out.

Best Buy: Nov. 23

Best Buy has stated that Black Friday deals will begin on Thanksgiving, and doors open at 5 p.m. Expect deals to be available online and in stores.

Walmart: Nov. 23 

Walmart' Black Friday date is Nov. 23 and doors open at 6 p.m. Like Best Buy, there will be many doorbuster deals. You can also catch a lot of these store's doorbusters online.

Kohl's: Nov. 20 and 23

Kohl's is doing things a little bit differently. On Monday before Thanksgiving the online sales started at 12:01 a.m. CT. In-store deals start on Nov. 23 at 5 p.m., but the time can vary depending on the location. Call your local store for exact opening times. 

Sam's Club: Nov. 24

Unlike most other stores, Sam's is actually having its Black Friday sale on Friday. Doors open on Nov. 24 at 7 a.m. You can shop earlier online on Sam's Club online at 12:01 a.m. ET time and prices last until Nov. 26.

Target: Nov. 23-24

Target has already announced that its Black Friday deals will officially begin Nov. 24. The doors open at 6 p.m. and close at midnight. They reopen again on Friday at 6 a.m. for more Black Friday deals. You'll be able to get many of the same deals online, as well.

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Amazon: As early as Nov. 1

Just because Amazon has its own Prime Day doesn't mean that the online retailer won't bring it for Black Friday, too. Deals have already started on its Deal of the Day page. Most of these pre-Black Friday sales will be Lightning Deals, if they follow tradition, with the steepest discounts saved for Black Friday, Nov. 24.

Prime members, look out for Prime-exclusive deals.

Expect to snag major deals on Black Friday, but don't let that stop you from finding deals any time of year. Depending on what you're looking for, Black Friday might not be the cheapest day to shop.

Update, Nov. 20: Added more stores.

Black Friday deals: See every Black Friday 2017 deal we've found so far.

Holiday Gift Guide: CNET's full gift guide, including dozens of products priced under $25, $50 and $100.