Thanksgiving is the unofficial kickoff to the holiday shopping season. And that means scouring Black Friday deals to find the biggest discounts on the gifts lining loved ones’ wish lists.
If you’re wondering who will have the best deals, financial website WalletHub crunched the data to find the best places to shop on Black Friday. It reviewed more than 3,000 deals from the country’s 13 largest retailers to find the biggest savings.
Here’s a look at the retailers in Iowa with the best discounts.
JCPenney offers biggest Black Friday discounts for 2025
Retailer JCPenney will offer an average discount of 74% on Black Friday, according to WalletHub. It’s the seventh time since 2014 the retailer has earned the top spot on WalletHub’s list. Discounts are down slightly from 2024, when the retailer’s average discount was 76%.
JCPenney’s Black Friday discounts started early online with the retailer offering sales starting on Nov. 8 and rotating daily deals starting Nov. 10.
One of the steepest discounts comes on a diamond engagement ring that normally retails for $14,583.32 and will be available for just $3,999.99. The chain’s biggest discounts come on jewelry and apparel. The average discount on appliances will be 58%, WalletHub said.
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While it has closed stores over the last decade, JCPenney has nine locations remaining in Iowa, including Valley West Mall in West Des Moines, Coral Ridge Mall in Coralville and North Grand Mall in Ames.
Kohl’s Black Friday ad 2025 will have big deals on apparel and accessories
Coming in at third on the list, Wisconsin-based Kohl’s offers an average discount of 45% on Black Friday. That’s a slight bump from 2024, when the average discount was 44%.
Kohl’s Black Friday sales begin on Sunday, Nov. 23, but there are some early discounts.
WalletHub said the store’s best deals will be on apparel and accessories, which average 54% off. Appliances will be the second-best category with an average discount of 42%.
Kohl’s has 18 stores in Iowa, including Ames, Coralville and four in the Des Moines metro.
Top Black Friday discounts in Iowa
The only other retailer with Iowa stores to make the WalletHub’s top five was The Home Depot. The chain of home improvement stores offers an average discount of 36%, up from 32% last year.
Other chains with Iowa stories include:
- No. 8: Target with an average discount of 29.4%
- No. 10: Best Buy with an average discount of 28.6%
- No. 11: Walmart with an average discount of 28.5%
- No. 13: Costco with an average discount of 15.1%
Online retailer Amazon ranked seventh on the list with an average discount of 29.6%, online electronics store Newegg was ninth at 28.8% and computer maker Dell placed 12th with a discount of 19.9%.
Brian Smith is an audience strategist and senior editor at the Des Moines Register. Contact him at bsmith@dmreg.com or 515-284-8214.
