2017’s Best Holiday Deals & Sales

Missed your chance to save on Black Friday and Cyber Monday? Don’t worry. December has more great deals in store for you. WalletHub kept a close eye on them all year to help you get ahead of the lines and find exactly what you’re looking for — at bargain prices.

Below, we’ve listed 10 special offers handpicked by WalletHub, followed by the most heavily discounted items in December versus the rest of the year. If you’re in the market for a laptop, this month is the time to buy one.

Finally, you’ll find a complete list of the best deals by product category such as Apparel, Electronics and Jewelry. Each item is listed with its sale price and discount percentage to show you exactly how much you stand to save.

Read on to find the best savings opportunities and learn how we identified the deals. Plus, get useful shopping tips in WalletHub’s Q&A with retail experts.

10 Best Cherry-Picked Deals for the Holidays

For a more in-depth look at the best holiday deals, please select your favorite category below.

Items with Biggest Discounts in December vs. Rest of Year

Laptops are discounted most heavily in December compared with the rest of the year.

Best Holiday Sales by Category

For a more in-depth look at the best holiday deals, please select your favorite category below.

 

Apparel & Accessories

1 – Offers valid until Dec. 24
3 – Offers valid until Dec. 09
14 – Offers valid until Dec. 12 with the code “Friends”
16 – Offers valid until Dec. 11 with store’s offer pass
24 – Offers valid Dec. 15 – 24
25 – Offers valid Dec. 10 – 16

Appliances

1 – Offers valid until Dec. 24
3 – Offers valid until Dec. 09
7 – Offers valid until Jan. 01, 2018
10 – Offers valid until Dec. 10
17 – Offers valid until Jan. 21, 2018
21 – Offers valid until Dec. 26
22 – Offers valid until Dec. 25
24 – Offers valid Dec. 15 – 24
25 – Offers valid Dec. 10 – 16

Computers & Phones

1 – Offers valid until Dec. 24
2 – Offers valid until Dec. 11
4 – Offers valid until Dec. 17
5 – Offers valid until Dec. 31
9 – Offers valid until Dec. 16
19 – Offers available Dec. 03 – 09 in store only
20 – Offers valid Dec. 10 – 16 in store only
22 – Offers valid until Dec. 25
24 – Offers valid Dec. 15 – 24

Consumer Electronics

1 – Offers valid until Dec. 24
3 – Offers valid until Dec. 09
5 – Offers valid until Dec. 31
6 – Offers valid until Dec. 30
7 – Offers valid until Jan. 01, 2018
8 – Offers valid until Dec. 19
9 – Offers valid until Dec. 16
12 – Offers valid until Jan. 07
13 – Offers valid until Dec. 18
21 – Offers valid until Dec. 26
22 – Offers valid until Dec. 25
24 – Offers valid Dec. 15 - 24

 

Consumer Packaged Goods

1 – Offers valid until Dec. 24
2 – Offers valid until Dec. 11
14 – Offers valid until Dec. 12 with the code “Friends”
22 – Offers valid until Dec. 25

Furniture, Patio and BBQ

21 – Offers valid until Dec. 26
22 – Offers valid until Dec. 25
25 – Offers valid Dec. 10 – 16

 

Jewelry

1 – Offers valid until Dec. 24
9 – Offers valid until Dec. 16
16 – Offers valid until Dec. 11 with store’s offer pass
21 – Offers valid until Dec. 26
22 – Offers valid until Dec. 25

Toys

1 – Offers available until Dec. 24
5 - Effective Dec. 11 – Dec. 17
24 – Offers valid Dec. 15 - 24

Other Product Categories

1 – Offers valid until Dec. 24
3 – Offers valid until Dec. 09
5 – Offers valid until Dec. 31
16 – Offers valid until Dec. 11 with store’s offer pass
21 – Offers valid until Dec. 26
22 – Offers valid until Dec. 25
23 – Offers valid until Dec. 22
24 – Offers valid Dec. 15 – 24

 

Ask the Experts

For a more intimate look at holiday savings opportunities, we asked a panel of retail experts to share their thoughts on the following key questions:

1. What types of products are most likely to be discounted as part of holiday sales?
2. What tips do you have for finding the best holiday deals?
3. What tips do you have for avoiding overspending during the holiday sales period?

Methodology

In order to identify the best savings opportunities for the holidays, WalletHub surveyed deals from the following 17 retailers:

 

We selected retailers that made their offers available either online or via email, with discounts valid during the period of time that is relevant to this report.

Our editors then picked the 30 best deals from those retailers and organized them into nine product categories, such as “Apparel & Accessories,” “Electronics” and “Jewelry,” to help shoppers easily find savings that match their needs.

In addition, we identified the best savings opportunities in December for the 16 item categories listed below by collecting the regular list price and discounted price of each item every day from Nov. 1, 2016 to Nov. 30, 2017. We then compared each item’s average discount in December with its average discount in the 11 other months. If its discount was highest in December, 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 for only the items within a reasonable price range in order to avoid skewing our findings toward products 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–$1500)
• Microwaves ($100–$200)

Computers

• Laptop ($450–$900)
• Tablets ($200–$500)

Jewelry

• Engagement Rings ($1000–$3000)

Sports

• Exercise Bikes ($400–$600)
• 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.