2019’s Best Labor Day Deals & Sales

Labor Day weekend is not just the last summer holiday you can celebrate — it’s also one of the best times of the year to shop. Many retailers mark down their inventory considerably during the holiday, which is why many parents hold off until then to do their children’s back-to-school shopping. You’re likely to find deep discounts on just about everything, from clothes and books to furniture and video games.

For more than a year, WalletHub kept an eye on America’s biggest retailers to find out what special deals they have in store for the upcoming holiday shopping bonanza. We also tracked various product categories to see which among them are discounted most heavily in September compared with the rest of the year. The standouts? Dishwashers. If your wish list includes those items, September is the time to make room in your budget.

Below, we’ve listed 10 special Labor Day deals, followed by the most heavily discounted items in September and the best bargains by product category, such as “Apparel,” “Electronics” and “Furniture.” For each, you’ll find the sale price and discount percentage to help you gauge your savings.

Read on for the best deals, money-saving tips from shopping experts and a complete description of our methodology.

10 Best Cherry-Picked Deals

Items with Biggest Discounts in September vs. Rest of Year

Dishwashers are discounted more heavily in September than at any other time of the year.

Best Labor Day Sales & Deals by Category

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

Apparel & Accessories

5 – Prices valid until Sept. 2
15 – Prices valid until Sept. 25 – available in select clubs
17 – Prices valid Aug. 29 – Sept. 4

Appliances

7 – Prices valid until Sept. 7
8 – Prices valid until Sept. 3
13 – Prices valid until Sept. 25 – available on BJs.com
14 – Prices valid until Sept. 25 – available on BJs.com and in club

Computers & Phones

1 – Prices valid until Sept. 8
2 – Prices valid until Sept. 28
3 – Prices valid until Sept. 30
4 – Prices valid until Sept. 21
5 – Prices valid until Sept. 2
7 – Prices valid until Sept. 7
8 – Prices valid until Sept. 3
14 – Prices valid until Sept. 25 – available on BJs.com and in club
16 – Prices valid until Sept. 25 – available on BJs.com; available in select clubs
18 – Prices valid until Sept. 15
19 – Prices valid until Sept. 4

Electronics

1 – Prices valid until Sept. 8
5 – Prices valid until Sept. 2
6 – Prices valid until Dec. 31
16 – Prices valid until Sept. 25 – available on BJs.com; available in select clubs
18 – Prices valid until Sept. 15
19 – Prices valid until Sept. 4

Packaged Goods

7 – Prices valid until Sept. 7
9 – Prices valid until Sept. 18 – with coupon, available on BJs.com and in club
10 – Prices valid until Sept. 4 – available on BJs.com and in club
11 – Prices valid until Sept. 25 – with coupon, available on BJs.com and in club
12 – Prices valid until Sept. 25 – available in club

Furniture

3 – Prices valid until Sept. 30
5 – Prices valid until Sept. 2
13 – Prices valid until Sept. 25 – available on BJs.com
18 – Prices valid until Sept. 15

Toys

6 – Prices valid until Dec. 31
13 – Prices valid until Sept. 25 – available on BJs.com
18 – Prices valid until Sept. 15
19 – Prices valid until Sept. 4

All Other Categories

1 – Prices valid until Sept. 8
5 – Prices valid until Sept. 2
7 – Prices valid until Sept. 7
14 – Prices valid until Sept. 25 – available on BJs.com and in club

Ask the Experts

It’s easy to go overboard while shopping when deals are everywhere. To help consumers keep their shopping budgets in check and find only the best bargains — as well as to give advice to retailers — we asked a panel of experts to weigh in. Click on the panelists’ profiles to read their bios and thoughts on the following key questions:

1. What types of products are most likely to be discounted as part of a Labor Day sale?
2. What tips do you have for finding the best Labor Day deals?
3. Do you think retailers should remain open or closed in observation of Labor Day? Does keeping stores open on a national holiday hurt employee morale?
4. What tips do you have for avoiding overspending during the Labor Day sales period?

Methodology

In order to identify the best Labor Day savings opportunities, we surveyed the following thirteen retailers:

Our editors then picked the 30 best deals and organized them into eight 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 September for the 15 item categories listed below by collecting the regular list price and discounted price of each item every day from August 1, 2018, to August 15, 2019. We then compared each item’s average discount in September with its average discount in other months. If its discount was highest in September, 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

• TVs ($300–$600)
• Digital Cameras ($170–$340)
• No-Contract Cell Phones ($100–$400)

Appliances

• Refrigerators ($200–$1000)
• Dishwashers ($500–$1000)
• Washing Machines ($500–$2000)
• Ranges ($1000–$2500)
• Microwaves ($100–$200)

Computers

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

Sports

• Exercise Bikes ($300–$700)
• Treadmills ($500–$1200)

Baby Furniture

• Baby Cribs ($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.

Image: Kao_Graphic / Shutterstock.com