Back-to-school season is one of the busiest times for parents, which means less time to find the best deals and more savings passed up. To help parents with their shopping, WalletHub tracked offers from a dozen big retailers for the past year, identifying the biggest discounts through the end of September.
Listed below are WalletHub’s picks of 10 A+ deals, followed by the top offers in nice product categories such as “Apparel & Accessories” and “Computers & Phones.” You’ll also find each item’s sale price and discount percentage to show you exactly how much you stand to save.
Need a way to keep in touch with your kid? August is the cheapest time of the year to hook your kid up with a cell phone, so make sure to leave room in your budget for one this month if that item’s on your school-supply list.
Scroll down for all the best savings opportunities and money-saving back-to-school tips from experts. To learn how we found the deals, read our methodology.
Best 10 Cherry-Picked Deals
Fitted Cotton Jacket (9-12) by ARMANI KIDS | |
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Sale: $99.99 42.86% off Burlington Coat Factory |
HP Pavilion 27c 27" Curved Display, Black | |
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Sale: $238.00 35.33% off Sam’s Club (Price valid until September 29, 2017) |
ALEX desk | |
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Sale: $129.00 27.93% off IKEA (Price valid August 04 –13, 2017) |
Kenmore 2275123 75123 5.8 cu. ft. Freestanding Gas Range w/True Convection – Stainless Steel | |
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Sale: $1099.99 42.11% off Sears (Price valid until August 05, 2017) |
Canon EOS Rebel T6i 24.2MP CMOS DSLR, 18-55mm Lens, 55-250mm Lens, 32GB SD, Case | |
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Sale: $849.99 29.17% off BJ’s (Price valid until August 06, 2017) |
High Sierra® Backpacks | |
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50.00% off Office Depot & OfficeMax (Price valid July 30 – August 05, 2017) |
Slipback Convertible Sofa | |
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Sale: $196.99 67.17% off Wayfair |
Dell™ Inspiron 15.6” Laptop with Intel® Core™ i7 Processor | |
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Sale: $549.99 31.25% off Office Depot & OfficeMax (Prices valid July 30 – August 05, 2017) |
Kenmore 62332 7.0 cu. ft. Electric Dryer – White and Kenmore 22532 3.5 cu. ft. Top-Load Washer – White | |
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Sale: $719.98 44.62% off Sears (Prices valid until August 05, 2017) |
HP OfficeJet Pro 6978 | |
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Sale: $99.99 44.45% off Office Depot & OfficeMax (Price valid July 30 – August 05, 2017) |
Items with Biggest Discounts in August vs. Rest of Year
Average Discount for Cell Phones (Monthly)
Cell phones are discounted most heavily in August compared with the rest of the year.
Best Back-to-School Sales & Deals by Category
For a more in-depth look at the best deals for back to school, please select your favorite category below.
Apparel & Accessories
17 – Prices valid until August 05, 2017
18 – Prices valid July 30 – August 05, 2017
19 – Prices valid July 31 – August 26, 2017
Appliances
5 – Prices valid until August 20, 2017
6 – Prices valid until August 13, 2017
7 – Prices valid until August 23, 2017
8 – Prices valid until August 27, 2017
13 – Prices valid until September 06, 2017
14 – Prices valid until September 14, 2017
17 – Prices valid until August 05, 2017
19 – Prices valid July 31 – August 26, 2017
23 – Prices valid until August 15, 2017
24 – Prices valid until August 07, 2017
Computers & Phones
1 – Prices valid until August 18, 2017
2 – Prices valid until August 14, 2017
3 – Prices valid until September 30, 2017
4 – Prices valid until September 29, 2017
5 – Prices valid until August 20, 2017
6 – Prices valid until August 13, 2017
10 – Prices valid until August 17, 2017
11 – Prices valid until August 10, 2017
12 – Prices valid until August 31, 2017
18 – Prices valid July 30 – August 05, 2017
19 – Prices valid July 31 – August 26, 2017
Consumer Electronics
5 – Prices valid until August 20, 2017
11 – Prices valid until August 10, 2017
12 – Prices valid until August 31, 2017
15 – Prices valid until August 09, 2017
16 – Prices valid until September 03, 2017
17 – Prices valid until August 05, 2017
18 – Prices valid July 30 – August 05, 2017
21 – Prices valid until August 06, 2017
Consumer Packaged Goods
6 – Prices valid until August 13, 2017
12 – Prices valid until August 31, 2017
18 – Prices valid July 30 – August 05, 2017
19 – Prices valid July 31 – August 26, 2017
Furniture
6 – Prices valid until Aug. 13, 2017
7 – Prices valid until Aug. 23, 2017
19 – Prices valid July 31 – August 26, 2017
20 – Prices valid August 04 –13, 2017
Jewelry
26 – Prices valid until August 08, 2017
Toys
Item | Sale Price | Discount |
---|---|---|
Xbox One Remastered Halo: The Master Chief Collection Bundle (BJ’s)¹¹ | $249.98 | 26.47% |
Wireless Controller - Black (Xbox 360) (BJ’s)¹¹ | $19.98 | 55.59% |
Step2 Fixin' Fun Outdoor Grill (BJ’s)22 | $34.99 | 12.50% |
Step2 WaterWheel Play Table (BJ’s)22 | $34.99 | 22.23% |
Step2 Dino Dig Sand and Water Table (BJ’s)22 | $59.99 | 14.29% |
1.5 in. Smart Watch Kids Cam Selfie, Green (The Home Depot)¹² | $39.99 | 34.40% |
1.5 in. Smart Watch Kids Cam Selfie, Pink (The Home Depot)¹² | $39.99 | 23.90% |
1.5 in. Smart Watch Kids Cam Selfie with Bag Pack, Blue (The Home Depot)¹² | $49.99 | 50.00% |
1.5 in. Smart Watch Kids Cam Selfie, Blue (The Home Depot)¹² | $39.99 | 23.90% |
Mongoose 24 Inch Girl's Estate Bike (Meijer)⁶ | $119.99 | 14.29% |
Mongoose 24 Inch Boy's Estate Bike (Meijer)⁶ | $119.99 | 14.29% |
Nûby™ 3 Stage Teether Set (Meijer)16 | $5.99 | 14.31% |
Disney Elena of Avalor Royal Gown Doll (Meijer)⁸ | $14.99 | 25.01% |
EastPoint Sports 2-Player Badminton Racket Set (Meijer)⁵ | $3.99 | 14.93% |
Fun Club Metal Drum Set (Meijer)25 | $14.99 | 25.01% |
5 – Prices valid until August 20, 2017
6 – Prices valid until August 13, 2017
8 – Prices valid until August 27, 2017
11 – Prices valid until August 10, 2017
12 – Prices valid until August 31, 2017
16 – Prices valid until September 03, 2017
22 – Prices valid until August 16, 2017
25 – Prices valid until September 17, 2017
All Other Products
6 – Prices valid until Aug. 13, 2017
8 – Prices valid until Aug. 27, 2017
9 – Prices valid until Aug. 24, 2017
12 – Prices valid until Aug. 31, 2017
17 – Prices valid until August 05, 2017
19 – Prices valid July 31 – August 26, 2017
20 – Prices valid August 04 –13, 2017
Ask the Experts: How to Save on Back-to-School Shopping
It’s easy to overspend on back-to-school items without a clear budget and when prices are marked down at every store. But red tags don’t always amount to the best deals. For shopping advice, we asked a panel of experts to share their thoughts on the following key questions:
- What types of products are most likely to be discounted as part of a back-to-school sales period?
- What tips do you have for finding the best back-to-school deals?
- What back-to-school money-saving tips do you have for parents?
Ask the Experts
Methodology
In order to identify the best back-to-school savings opportunities, we surveyed the following 15 retailers:
- Sam’s Club
- BJ’s
- The Home Depot
- Costco
- Burlington Coat Factory
- Bon-Ton
- Sears
- Office Depot & OfficeMax
- DICK’S Sporting Goods
- Wayfair
- Walmart
- Kmart
- IKEA
- JCPenney
- Meijer
Our editors then picked the 30 best deals and organized them into nine product categories, such as Electronics and Computers & Phones, to help shoppers easily find savings that match their needs.
In addition, we identified the best savings opportunities in August for the 16 item categories listed below by collecting the regular list price and discounted price of each item every day from July 1, 2016, to July 25, 2017. We then compared each item’s average discount in August with its average discount in other months. If its discount was highest in August, the item category was listed below as one of the best savings opportunities.
For price data, we referred to Amazon.com’s “Best Sellers” list. In each item category, we collected data only for items within a reasonable price range in order to avoid skewing our findings toward items that are likely too expensive for the average consumer.
Electronics
- TV ($300–$600)
- Digital Camera ($170–$340)
- No-Contract Cell Phones ($100–$400)
Appliances
- Refrigerator ($200–$1000)
- Dishwasher ($500–$1000)
- Washing Machine ($500–$2000)
- Ranges ($1000–$2500)
- Microwaves ($100–$200)
Computers
- Laptop ($450–$900)
- Tablets ($200–$500)
Jewelry
- Engagement Rings ($1000–$3000)
Sports
- Exercise Bikes ($300–$700)
- Treadmills ($500–$1200)
Baby Furniture
- Baby Crib ($200–$500)
- Strollers ($200–$500)
- Car Seats ($200–$500)
Sources: Data used to create the above lists were collected from the aforementioned retailers as well as SlickDeals, DealNews and offers.com.