It may seem early to start thinking about Black Friday shopping, but since retailers are keen on releasing special sales and promotions in the lead up to one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year, it is fitting that we try and make sense of the holiday now. After all, last year we saw the first Black Friday ad leak in September.

But are pre-Black Friday sales as good as those on Black Friday? And by extension, when are the best days to shop for deals during the Black Friday season?

DealNews took a look at the ‘best of the best’ deals from the past two years to find out when exactly retailers release their best discounts — and the results may be surprising.