Pink Friday is a nationwide shopping event held the Friday before Black Friday. It was created in 2020 by The Boutique Hub to get people shopping small before the big box sales take over the weekend, under the hashtag #SupportSmallFirst. In 2026 it lands on Friday, November 20.
What is Pink Friday?
It is a day for independent boutiques, local shops and small online retailers to run their own sales ahead of the corporate rush. There is no rulebook, so it looks a little different everywhere you go. What the shops running it have in common is that we are all small, and we all know we cannot compete with a big box doorbuster.
So we got our own Friday. That is really all it is.
When is Pink Friday 2026?
Friday, November 20, one week before Black Friday. Here is how the rest of the weekend falls:
Pink Friday is November 20. Thanksgiving is November 26. Black Friday is November 27. Small Business Saturday is November 28. Cyber Monday is November 30.
A lot of shops, us included, keep deals running across the whole stretch rather than treating each day as its own event.
Why boutiques made their own day
The Boutique Hub started Pink Friday in 2020. We have been part of that community since 2019, so we joined in during the very first year and have run one every year since.
The honest reason it exists is that Black Friday was never built for a shop our size. A big retailer can put a thousand of one thing on a pallet and sell them all day. We do not work that way. We buy twelve of a sweater, maybe twenty if we really love it, in a run of sizes. When they are gone they are gone, and I cannot call anybody to get more.
Pink Friday gives us a day where that is not a disadvantage. Our ladies know us, they know what we carry, and they would rather shop with somebody who will answer them by name than stand in a parking lot at 4am.
How Pink Friday is different from Black Friday
The discounts are usually spread across a lot of styles instead of being piled onto a few. That means more to choose from, but smaller quantities behind each one. Sizes go at different speeds too. A medium disappearing first is completely normal.
The other practical difference is that most boutique deals are already taken off the product. You are not hunting for a code at checkout. If it is marked down, that is the price.
And if there is a shop you buy from regularly, get on their email or text list before the week starts. Most of us give our own people a head start, because those are the customers who shop with us the other fifty one weeks of the year.
How to find shops taking part
The Boutique Hub keeps an official Pink Friday map of participating businesses, so you can see who near you is running one. Plenty of shops also go live that day, do gift basket giveaways, or team up with other local businesses on things like a shop and sip night. If you already have a favourite boutique, just ask them. We all love being asked.
What about Small Business Saturday?
That is the Saturday after Thanksgiving, November 28 this year. It started as a push toward local brick and mortar shops, and plenty of online boutiques take part too. If you are trying to spend the weekend at small businesses instead of big ones, Pink Friday and Small Business Saturday are really the same idea on two different days.
How we do it at Avery Mae
Our markdowns go on our Black Friday deals page and build through the weekend into Cyber Monday. Everything there is already reduced, so there is no code and nothing to stack. Sizing is inclusive, Small to 3XL in most styles and 0 to 24W in denim.
Two things that might save you some trouble. Our deepest year round markdowns live in Clearance, which does not go anywhere when the sale ends, so it is always worth a look. And the fastest way to see what is coming is our daily live sales, where our team tries things on in regular and curvy sizes and answers fit questions while you watch. We call out deals and restocks there before they go anywhere else, and the ladies shopping in the Avery Mae app see them first.
One more thing I always tell people. If you want holiday pieces, buy them early. Our Christmas clothing and gifts and stocking stuffers go up well before the weekend, because our ladies want to be wearing that stuff from Thanksgiving on, not opening it on December 23rd.
Pink Friday questions
Is Pink Friday the same as Black Friday?
No. Pink Friday is the Friday before. Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving. Pink Friday was created for boutiques and small shops so we get a day of our own ahead of the rush.
Who started Pink Friday?
The Boutique Hub created it in 2020, to give independent boutiques, local shops and online retailers a dedicated day before the big corporate sales take over the weekend. The idea behind it is #SupportSmallFirst.
Do I need a code for Pink Friday deals?
Usually not. Most of us take the discount off the product instead of issuing a code. Check each shop, since some run a site wide code on regular price items alongside pieces that are already reduced.
How long do Pink Friday sales last?
Most run into the Black Friday weekend and finish after Cyber Monday. Because the quantities are small, individual sizes usually sell out well before the sale ends.
Is Pink Friday only for clothing?
No. Any small retailer can run one. It is most common in apparel and gift shops because that is where it started.
