How To Find The Best Memorial Day Sales

By Deborah Flomberg

Memorial Day is Monday, May 29, and so is the unofficial start to the summer season. As everyone heads out to enjoy the day, retailers from coast to coast are also preparing to bring out out their best deals to help attract new customers during those long, slower retail months. It's a great chance to get the best deals on everything form mattresses and furniture to clothing, housewares and more - as long as you know where to look. Start early and you can plan a truly great day of shopping and memory-making with the family for Memorial Day weekend.

Check The Sale Sites

Thanks to some savvy internet users, the best place to start searching for deals is online. There are tons of great sites that help point you in the right direction, so you can use the day or two before the holiday to start your shopping plans. Check out sites like fatwallet.com, dealnews.com and slickdeals.net. All of these sites (plus many more) highlight the posted sales, link to websites and help notify you of all the deals happening all weekend long. Some sites even have forums where users can submit deals they've found while they're out and about, creating a whole community of savvy shoppers.

Find Out Who Is Struggling

Sadly, there are a lot of retailers struggling to compete with online giants today. However, that means big savings for you if you make the trip to the actual store. There are lots of big box stores closing locations all over, so take a look at their websites to find the best deals near you. There are several big department stores that have announced closing locations, and you'll find no shortage of great discounts in honor of Memorial Day weekend. Make sure to shop early so you get the best deals and the products you actually want.

Read The Paper

Yes, you can still find amazing listings in the newspaper. Most people may get their news online these days, but you won't get the satisfaction of sifting through the pile of coupons and sale announcements without the actual physical newspaper. There's also something really fun about spending the day before you head out planning your shopping trip and getting ready to go out as a family to hit the sales. So grab the paper a day or two before (especially on Sunday) and look for those listings. Make your own list and cut those coupons to save the most on your shopping trip for the day.

Start Early

Memorial Day may not rival Black Friday in terms of early-bird discounts, but you'll still find more and more retailers offering bigger discounts for those that set their alarms to arrive extra early that weekend. Sure, it's nice to get in that extra few hours of sleep on your holiday weekend, but you can also use that time to arrive at the stores early to get the best deals available. Plus, when you arrive early, you beat the traffic, the parking issues and the lines at the checkout – making your early-morning shopping trip super low-stress and fun for everyone involved.

Ask For A Discount

You never know if you don't ask, and such is the case on Memorial Day as well. Many retailers offer extra discounts for Veterans and their families, or offer other discounts in honor of Memorial Day. When you get to the register, you can simply ask if there are any other discounts or deals the cashier can offer you. In some cases, many sales associates have the authority to offer a 10 or 15 percent discount just for asking. The worst that would happen is they say no, but at best you'll save some more cash on all your purchases for the day. You just have to be willing to ask the cashier for a discount.