As a professional deal hunter, my job is not only to produce some of the best Memorial Day deals available, but also to provide ways to get the most value for money in the process. Buying deals is not necessarily difficult these days, but with so many different savings and offers out there, it can be difficult to make sure you get the best possible deal.
While big savings events like Memorial Day sales are a great opportunity to get great deals on products, not every deal you find is worth your hard earned money. There is not necessarily a place to go that tells you who exactly will get the best deal on the product you are looking for.
Thankfully, there are some helpful guidelines and shopping tips that I use to make sure you get the best deal possible. Readers’ rules just like you can use to do the same, even during other big sales like Amazon Prime Day, to maximize your savings.
From packaged product offerings to open carton / certified used offerings, there are more ways to save than ever before. So here are some helpful shopping tips on Memorial Day sale from a professional deal hunter that you can use to save the most money this year.
Examine which products are likely to be sold
Most major reading days have a plethora of offerings, but the best deals will focus on specific categories and products. Memorial Day is a summer start-up, which means it will be a good time to find deals on barbecues, garden furniture, small and large appliances and other household items.
For example, the sale of white goods on Memorial Day are some of the most sought after sales at this time of year – and for good reason. They offer some of the year’s best discounts next to Labor Day and Black Friday on great white goods.
This does not mean that you will not be able to find offers on other products such as TV or smart tech, it just means that some of the best offers will be focused on devices. Decide exactly what it is you are looking for this year and make sure that Memorial Day sales will include the best deals on them.
For the most part, big sales start earlier and earlier each year. Even if you will not see Memorial Day sales starting in April, many retailers will be releasing new deals a few weeks before the holiday weekend actually begins in late May.
Now that does not necessarily mean that you will find the product you are looking for on sale before the weekend. What it will do, however, is help you set a price tag for the products you are looking for.
Depending on the type of product and where you shop, Memorial Day discounts can range from a 10% discount up to a 70% discount. The Home Depot Memorial Day sale, for example, may include certain offers with up to a 40% discount on appliances prior to the actual sale.
Make a note of the current price of the product you are looking for an offer on and check daily with each retailer that has it. More often than not, within the first two weeks of May, there will eventually be a fall in prices of some kind.
3. Check out all the stores out there
When it comes to deal hunting, brand loyalty goes out the window in favor of finding the best possible deal. This is especially true when it comes to big read days and often gives you the most savings if you are willing to shop outside of your favorite places.
Depending on exactly what you are looking for, chances are it is available at several online stores or retailers. Electronics, for example, will be available at the Best Buy Memorial Day sale as well as other venues such as Amazon, B&H Photo and even Newegg.
In many cases, however, a retailer may have an offer on some products that the others are not. Business exclusivity is a thing, and when it comes to big read days, it does not happen as often but is still an opportunity.
List all stores that have the product you are looking for an offer on, and check out daily during the month. If you are lucky, you may come across an early deal that is worth buying.
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4. Set a savings measure for yourself
Decide how much discount you want to save on each product and stick to it. As a deal hunter, I try to keep this percentage from at least 20% or higher. You may be looking for more, but it’s important to keep realistic expectations of Memorial Day sales.
Some products offer small savings in terms of money, even during Memorial Day sales, so it’s a good idea to identify how much the discount price is worth your money. For every shopper out there, this threshold will vary, but just knowing how much discount you want to find will help you save the most money.
It can be difficult to set realistic expectations for how much products will actually be discounted. It is best to go in a bit on the underside and walk from there. Memorial Day furniture sales, for example, offer a good amount of dollar savings, but the actual discounts can only be about 10 to 15% off.
This percentage may not sound like much in advance, but when the actual dollar savings are in the hundreds, it may be worth buying.
5. Use current deal prices as indicators
Almost every online store has a section for offers or savings, which usually contains a varied mix of offers, open boxes, used and time-limited offers. These offers help to provide a good idea of how many similar products may be on sale during the upcoming Memorial Day.
Do some research now on which products you are looking for on sale and see what similar products are going for right now. In many cases, the pricing of the business in question is a sure indicator of how much a product will be discounted on the actual day of sale.
Amazon’s deal section is a great place to start your research, as it offers the largest product range to browse through offers on TVs, smart devices, home products and more. It even provides a quick way to filter through products by how much they are discounted, something that other stores often do not provide.
Where you want to start researching, however, depends on the type of offers you are looking for this year. Mattresses, for example, are not readily available or for sale on Amazon so you have to look a bit to find the best places to shop for them.
6. Look for open box and used offers
Do not be ashamed to look at open boxes, used and certified refurbished products for discounts. Even with Memorial Day offerings starting soon, they may still not be quite what you were hoping for.
Open box products offer quite large discounts if you know where to find them, as the packaging of the goods may have been damaged during transport. In some cases, retailers will take up to a 50% discount on some open packaging just to get them out of stock.
However, not all products can fall into these categories. Some electronics and home goods will not be available through used or refurbished means due to regulations, but products such as appliances and electronics are fair game.
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