Going to be online shopping or heading out to the retail stores this Labor Day? Be aware that sales could start as early as a week before the holiday, likely August 29th). Here are our picks for what to buy this year (as well as what deals to avoid).

1. Buy Appliances. Sept / Oct is the time frame in which new appliances are moving into stores, thus old appliances need to be sold fast. While prices get better into October, Labor Day sales do start aggressively with sales up to 40% off. Looks to retailers like Home Depot and Best Buy for the best prices as well as the best bundling deals with buying multiple appliances at once.

What NOT to buy? Gas Grills. Labor Day marks the START of gas grill sales (usually 25% to 50% off) as we move into the off-season. However, if you can hold off a month or even two, prices will continue to drop into October and November as grills are moved out to make room for Christmas decorations.

Inventory will become more limited into November, but the potential savings by waiting could be an additional 25% – 35% off the Labor Day price. (Side Note: You will find solid deals on Grill accessories on Labor Day though.)

2. Buy Patio furniture / Outdoor Living Gear / Lawnmowers. Labor Day is generally the big push to get rid of outdoor furniture, above-ground pools, lawnmowers, swing sets, and any other large outdoor items. Big items like patio furniture take up more inventory space than gas grills, thus there’s greater urgency to use Labor Day as a sales push to make more space for Halloween & Christmas items. Look for discounts 60% to 75% off regular prices at places like Home Depot and Lowes.

What NOT to buy? Camping Equipment. Since half of the United States is still enjoying warm weather through September, camping equipment closeout sales are minimal until retailers start to clearance out tents, sleeping bags and other camping gear in late October. As we get closer to Halloween, sales will push into the 40% to 60% off range.

3. Buy Back-to-School Electronics. The back-to-school shopping push unofficially comes to a close around Labor Day. Retailers discount items marketed as a back-to-school product more aggressively. Outside of traditional school supplies (which are also marked down), that includes inexpensive laptops, graphing calculators, headphones, Bluetooth speakers and backpacks with laptop slots / USB charging.

What NOT to buy? Televisions. While Labor Day sales on HDTVs pop up as football season starts up again, the most significant discounts start in early November through Black Friday / Cyber Monday as well as sporadically during December. The same advice goes for home theater systems, DSLR cameras, video game consoles, tablets, and media players.

4. Buy Summer Fall apparel & footwear. Retailers will discount summer items as much as 80% off to make room for cool-weather clothing. Look for solid summer apparel sales (including swimwear) at REI, American Eagle, Nordstrom, Gap, Old Navy & Banana Republic. This is also a great holiday to purchase new shoes, typically with discounts as high as 50% off from retailers like 6pm.com & Finish Line.

What NOT to buy? Fall apparel / footwear. Labor Day weekend kickstarts cool-weather apparel sales. However, Fall apparel won’t hit the best sales until the Winter apparel lines start pushing into stores. Don’t be fooled by small discounts (10% to 30%) during Labor Day when you will start to see 50% discounts and higher as we move into November.

5. Buy Stuff for Grownups; Mattresses, Cars and Wine.

• During 2020, Labor Day mattress sales were better than any other time of the year. Look to Sears for an aggressive sale, 40% to 60% off select models. Macy’s, US-Mattress and smaller retailers will also offer similar discounts.
• Regarding cars, dealerships are making room for 2022 models and the 2021 models are being discounted. Look for discounts around 10% on Labor Day with the potential for increasing discounts (20% and up) as we move into late September / early October.
• If you are a wine drinker, many wineries are starting to push out older stock in favor of new vintages that will come from the ongoing harvest season. This results in heavier discounts (which vary significantly by winery) on current year wine.

What NOT to buy? Toys. Similar to general electronics, toy sales are fairly dismal during Labor Day. Late October is usually the kickoff for toy sales. While Toys R Us is gone (until the upcoming revival in Macy’s), look to Amazon, Walmart and Target for the best sales leading into the holiday shopping season.

6. Buy Android phones / accessories. Labor Day sales will probably be the best time to find a deal on a Samsung phone until late November. Retailers like Best Buy also like to use this holiday for bundling deals, typically offering a 25% to 40% discount on accessory purchases when purchasing a new smartphone.

What NOT to buy? Apple’s iPhone 13 / 13 Pro. Most Apple owners are aware that new iPhones are typically announced after Labor Day during mid-September (although the COVID pandemic may push that back to late Sept / early October this year).  This triggers a price drop on the previous generation phones as well as preorder deals at various competing wireless carriers. You are better off waiting to see how prices shake out after Labor Day rather than buying on the holiday weekend.

Here’s what to buy on Labor Day 2021 (and what NOT to buy)

Announced in a blog post earlier today, the electronics retailer is bringing back free holiday shipping starting today and running through Christmas Day.

There’s no minimum purchase required to qualify for the free shipping and there’s no exclusions on anything listed on the site. Typically, only orders $35 and up would qualify for free shipping.

Beyond shipping to your residence, Best Buy also offers free in-store pickup (when available) in which orders are made available within 60 minutes. If you are visiting a Best Buy store, look for dedicated parking for in-store pickup close to the store front.

Best Buy also offers same-day delivery in over 40 metro areas. To qualify, you have to place an order prior to 3 p.m. local time (2 p.m. on Sunday). Any order placed after 3 p.m. will be fulfilled the following day.

See all Best Buy Deals on Ben’s Bargains

Best Buy free shipping (no min purchase) starts October 29

Due to the rise in popularity of online shopping, this time of the year is the hardest on delivery drives with companies like UPS, FedEx and the United State Postal Service. The USPS alone will deliver roughly 750 million packages before Christmas! Many of us will be receiving multiple packages each day throughout the month of December.

One cool way to thank your delivery drivers is to leave a little treat for them on your doorstep, namely snacks & drinks (depending on your climate). This trend has grown in popularity over the past few years, as more people post pictures of baskets of goodies on social media along with an accompanying note of thanks.

To start, you will need a container of some sort to place all the drinks / snacks inside. You can use something as simple as a cardboard box or you may have something on your front porch already that can be used to hold stuff. Here are a few options:

• Woven Strap Storage Tote:  LINK
• 16-Gallon Oval Steel Tub: LINK
• Weathertight Storage Box, 30 Quart: LINK

Then just fill it up with treats! Most people include bottled water, cookies & chips, but you can mix it up with other options such as granola bars, beef jerky, gatorade, apples / bananas (as a healthier option), trail mix, pretzels, crackers, sodas, etc…

Here are some bulk options on Amazon so you don’t keep having to drive to the grocery store:

• Frito-Lay Party Mix Variety Pack, 32 Count: LINK
• Nestle Pure Life Purified Water, (12 count): LINK
• Quaker Chewy Granola Bars, Variety Value Pack, 18 Bars: LINK

If you are looking for a pre-printed sign to add to your basket of goodies, here are a couple options:

• Option 1 in color JPEG: LINK
• Option 2 in color PDF: LINK

Want to thank the folks delivering your holiday packages? Here’s one way

Announced with little fanfare this year, Best Buy is now offering free shipping on all products between October 23, 2016 and December 24, 2016. Prior to this promotion, all orders had to reach a $35 minimum threshold in order to qualify for free shipping.

Interestingly, this is a shorter time period than last holiday season. Last year, the promotion ran an additional week to Jan 2nd. This year, anyone that’s unhappy with their Christmas gift will likely need to exchange it out in person at a store to avoid additional shipping charges on a new item.

The standard shipping speed in this promotion means packages will typically arrive 3 to 7 days after the order. Other details of the promotion from Best Buy’s Shipping page:

“Shipping method is identified on the product page and during the checkout process. Not all items are available for all shipping methods. Special order delivery items, some scheduled delivery items, and items displaying In Store Only or Check Stores are not available for free shipping.” 

At this time, Target and Walmart have been relatively quiet about any free shipping promotion for the holidays. That being said, Target is rumored to start free shipping on October 30 and running it through December 25, a similar promotion to last year. Walmart, on the other hand, did not offer any promotion last year and stuck with Amazon on offering no additional discount on shipping prices.

Best Buy Brings Back Free Shipping on Everything, No Minimum

Despite what we tell grandma, our favorite part of the holidays is not her roast turkey. The tradition we most look forward to year-after-year is filling the free hours of our vacation with new games!

Dating back to the ’80s, spending your holiday thumb-wrestling your favorite console is now just part of the season… no, the reason for the season! Every time we see a Christmas tree or someone in a Santa suit, we’re not thinking of peace on earth or goodwill towards men – that much is clear.

But this is a new world. This is the post-GTA V world. Everything changed during that September 17 release, and now it’s hard to see how anything will ever be the same. How can anything compare to the new GTA? That’s not even fair to ask…

And yet, we carry on and face this new world with the bravery and the courage to continue video gaming. And in that spirit, The CheckOut presents some of the best games you can pick up this year that aren’t GTA V.

Call of Duty: Ghosts

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it… but add a brilliant new campaign, some new customization options, and a gameplay tweak here and there. Call of Duty: Ghosts will deliver the same expected quality for veteran players, and is sure to satisfy new recruits as well. [Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Windows PC]

Check Amazon for Call of Duty: Ghosts

Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

Sometimes we wonder if Nintendo chose the name “Link” just for an endless supply of puns for the titles. Regardless, Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is the ultimate present for classic gamers – it takes place in the same world as the 1991 masterpiece A Link to the Past. (See what we mean about the name?) [Nintendo 3DS]

Check Amazon for Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag

How can they make Assassin’s Creed better? One word: Pirates. What more do we need  to say? [Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Windows PC]

Check Amazon for Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag

Battlefield 4

It’s a season for togetherness, and what’s a better way of spending time together than blowing each other to pieces? The latest in DICE’s Battlefield dynasty, Battlefield 4 is already getting a lot of hype for its multiplayer mayhem. IGN calls it the “greatest hits album of DICE’s multiplayer legacy.” [Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Windows PC]

Check Amazon for Battlefield 4

Saints Row IV

Saints Row… the other GTA. Saint’s Row IV is a great dessert after you’re full from GTA V. While the comparisons between the two go on and on, the Saints Row series’ humor gives it a slight edge over grittier GTA. [Xbox 360, PS3, Windows PC]

Check Amazon for Saint’s Row IV

Disney Infinity

And here’s something for the children… big and small. Disney Infinity unifies the Disney and Pixar universes and adds the “collectable figurine” element that may or may not be a scheme to make more money. [Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS]

Check Amazon for Disney Infinity

Killzone: Shadow Fall

When was the last time you were really blown away by the way a video game looked and moved? Well, mark the calendar for November 15, because that’s when Killzone: Shadow Fall is released – this game is revolutionizing frame rate and resolution. [PS4]

Check Amazon for Killzone: Shadow Fall

Dead Rising 3

Only a video game like Dead Rising 3 could make “surviving” into something you can’t wait to get home to do. The latest installment brings a new hero into a world reportedly bigger than those of 1 and 2 combined! [Xbox One]

Check Amazon for Dead Rising 3

Batman: Arkham Origins

It’s got “Batman” in the title. Do you really need us to sell you on it? [Xbox 360, PS3, PS Vita, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, Windows PC]

Check Amazon for Batman: Arkham Origins

Super Mario 3D World

And it was in the beginning, now, and ever shall be… Mario. It’s not easy to love a hairy, overweight plumber, and yet Mario can do no wrong! We’re expecting Super Mario 3D World to uphold the legacy, and if the past Super Mario titles are any indicator, it will. [Wii U]

Check Amazon for Super Mario 3D World

The 10 Best Holiday Games That Aren’t GTA V