Memorial Day weekend is a smart time to shop, thanks to all the Memorial Day sales going on. In fact, pretty much every major retailer will be throwing a sale over the long holiday weekend, including Amazon, Lowe's, and Home Depot.
But just because it seems like practically everything is on sale, that doesn't mean everything is a must-buy. In fact, here are five things you might consider waiting to buy, based on a look back at our historical deal data.
Of course, if your TV is on the fritz or you need new patio furniture or a kiddie pool for this summer, Memorial Day weekend is still a smart time to shop and find things on sale. We're just giving you some food for thought on what to wait on.
Download The Krazy Coupon Lady app for more money-saving tips, deals, and coupons, or text HACKS to 57299.
For tech and TVs, wait for Prime Day or Black Friday.
You'll see TVs and home tech (like smart home gadgets and security cams) on sale for Memorial Day at stores like Best Buy. But if your laptop or TV will last you just a little longer, we've seen them cheaper during Prime Day, back-to-school season, and (if you can wait even longer) Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which are sweet spots for tech.
For example, Amazon has a 55-inch 4K Fire TV on sale for $309.95 right now for its Memorial Day sale. But we saw screens this size for $259 last Prime Day.
Wait until back-to-school season or Black Friday to buy laptops.
Another form of tech it's smart to wait on is laptops. For example, Best Buy has an HP Chromebook on sale for $139 for Memorial Day, but we saw them go down to $99 - $129 during the 2024 holiday shopping season. Can't wait that long? Dell and HP usually throw back-to-school sales, and Apple does back-to-school offers every year (including gift cards worth up to $150 when you buy an Apple laptop).
However, if tariffs end up sticking, the prices of laptops could go up (and not be as discounted for the holiday season). If you REALLY need a new laptop, consider buying refurbished now to save money.
Start looking for end-of-season clearance on summer clothing around mid-July.
Mid-July is when retailers start making space for fall. So that's when you'll notice clearance racks full of shorts, T-shirts, and summer dresses.
Memorial Day sales at stores like Target will, of course, offer clothing savings (expect up to 50% off), so it can be a smart time to shop for essentials you need this summer. But the markdowns near the end of the season will drop prices even more on what's left (think up to 70% off).
And you might want to use summer's end-of-the-season clothing sales to get ready for next year. The 10% - 30% tariffs currently in effect are already threatening to push up clothing prices. If they stick around or get higher, next year's summer staples could be more expensive.
Patio furniture and grills will get marked down after July 4.
Yes, patio furniture and grills are Memorial Day staples. But they'll also get marked down for clearance after Independence Day, making that a smarter time to buy.
For example, right now, we're seeing Adirondack chairs (a patio staple) for between $89 and $113 across retailers' Memorial Day sales (Target, Walmart, etc.) That's a 50% - 60% discount, which isn't bad. But during last year's summer clearance sales in July and August, we saw the same chairs priced between $49 and $67 at those same retailers. That low $49 find was at Home Depot, by the way, and was a 69% discount.
As for grills, right now Memorial Day sales from the major players have grills and griddles for 20% - 30% off. Last year during July 4 and end-of-summer sales, we found grills and griddles for 36% - 53% off at the same stores. The selection may not be as big, though.
Wait until late-summer to pick up swimsuits, beach chairs, and beach gear.
Unless you need a new swimsuit for this year, consider waiting to shop until summer is almost over. Target is offering up to 16% off women's swimsuits, with prices in the $24.99 - $30 range. But last year in August, Target started marking down one-piece suits to up to 43% off, with prices as low as $12.
Wait until the end of the season for beach toys and beach chairs as well. Last year around July, we started seeing foldable beach chairs drop to $9.97 (30% off) at Target and inflatable kiddie pools for as low as $9.98 (57% off) at Walmart. We're actually seeing some comparable deals now at Target, which is offering up to 50% off Sun Squad items. So if you see the under-$10 mark on beach chairs and kiddie pools now, go for it. Otherwise wait a few months.
Related Reading:
Tell us what you think