With Memorial Day weekend rapidly approaching, retailers have started rolling out a rash of early sales turning the last half of May into an extended Memorial themed sale holiday. In years past, Memorial Day has traditionally served up the best sales since the start of the year. However, many of these sales are meant to capture the attention of casual shoppers, not necessarily deal hunters.

While it’s obviously not going to be Black Friday quality in terms of the average discount percentage, you will see some discounts on big-screen HDTVs and Dell Inspiron laptops and desktops as well as a significant increase in apparel discounts. As we pointed out in our what to buy in May article, apparel is usually a minimum of 50% off and can be improved with special Memorial Day sale coupons.

However, we aren’t just going to provide you with a few quips about what product categories you should buy right now or wait to buy in a few months. Our veteran deal editors have started analyzing each Memorial Day sale in order to evaluate the quality. We don’t want you to spend your limited free time shopping when you could be relaxing in the sun!

When we evaluate a sale, we are approaching it with two questions in mind:

Combined with our expert knowledge on current product prices and our deal history data, we use these two questions to assign each retailer sale a letter grade (A, B, C, D and F). We will also tell you why it’s either excellent or lacking in substance. (We will continue to update these lists as Memorial Day approaches.)

While these grades are specific to the overall quality of the sale, we’ve also cherry picked the best deals from the ads (Graded C or higher) in order to help you focus in on specific products.

[table caption=”2014 Memorial Day Sale Grades” width=”620″ colwidth=”40|10|50″ colalign=”center|center|center”]
Store,Grade,Reasoning

Amazon,B,Regular discounts match sales prior to Memorial Day – however Lightning Deals offer superior discounts. Notable Deals: $56 Grilling Table | $50 Philips iPhone Speaker | $380 ASUS 11.6-inch tablet

Best Buy,C,Sale prices are extremely similar to previous weeks – but includes a couple good discounts on mobile devices. Notable Deals: $99 Samsung S5 with trade-in | $199 Kindle Fire HDX | $199 GoPro HD Hero3

Dell,B,No big splash for the sale but some good TV/gift card bundles as well as laptop and tablet deals. Notable Deals:  $250 Dell Inspiron 15 Laptop | $130 Dell Venue 8 Tablet

Lowe’s,D,Sale prices are actually higher than we’ve seen on Lowe’s deals in the last few months – just 10 to 20% off MSRP.

Macy’s,B,The extra 20% discount on clearance and sale items raises the sale a step above competitors. Notable Deals: 25% off Clearance Items | $199 KitchenAid Mixer | $279 Pillowtop Mattress

Microsoft Store,A,Extremely aggressive sale on Xbox One video games as well as solid laptop deals. Notable Deals: $599 HP ENVY TouchSmart 15 Laptop | $60 Three Xbox One Games

Newegg,B,Nothing truly exceptional. But there’s a multitude of excellent prices on video cards and storage devices. Notable Deals: $35 Hisense Sero 7 Tablet | $60 Laiputuo Car OBDII HUD

Perry Ellis,A,40% off sitewide + a 20% off stackable code matches the best prices all year – particularly on suits. Notable Deals: $101 Textured Suit & Jacket | $22 Solid Linen Pocket Shirt

Puma,B,Extra 30% off all prices that are already discounted up to 60% – Not as good as Black Friday but still excellent. Notable Deal: $35 Puma Redon Move Men’s Shoes

REI,A,Amazing closeouts on apparel at the REI Outlet right now – plus up to 30% off on the main REI site. Notable Deals: 60% off all Patagonia Merrell and Sierra Designs | $47 Merrell Travel Laptop Bag

Walmart,C,Most deals are average with some mild standouts in outdoor and home items as well as HDTVs. Notable Deals: $45 Queen Airbed | $179 14′ X 42″ Swimming Pool | $399 Pathfinder II Swing Set

[/table]

Be sure to check back for updates as we get closer to Memorial Day. In addition, be sure to check out the Ben’s deal feed to see the most recent batch of deals from online retailers. You can also set up a deal alert here in order to get informed over email when the price on a product drops to a price you are comfortable with.

What are the best Memorial Day Sales this year?

While Spring has been around for over a month at this point, temperatures have finally started to get more tolerable across the country. As you emerge from your winter hibernation, retailers are excited to get you into the stores to shop for new products. As always, we have combed through our deal history over the last ten years to give you the insider perspective of what type of deals to expect this month.

Memorial Day is Creeping up Quickly

During 2014 and 2015, you will see Memorial Day sales advertised sooner, basically because the holiday is on the 26th (this year) and 25th (next year), as opposed to the end of the month. Similar to how Black Friday sales started earlier during 2013, pre-Memorial Day sales will start by the second full week of May.

Dell is normally aggressive with computer and television discounts in the weeks leading up to Memorial Day weekend. Last year we saw some a huge number of discounts on big-screen HDTVs and Inspiron laptops and desktops on the Thursday before the big Memorial Day weekend. They weren’t historical lows, but still solid sale prices.

In addition, expect to see a significant increase in the number of apparel sales. Last year, we saw sales from clothing brands / retailers such as Kenneth Cole, Aeropostale, Levi and Altrec. Sales are usually a minimum of 50 percent off merchandise and can be improved with special Memorial Day sale coupons in your local paper.

May can also be a great time to get next year’s winter jacket for heavily discounted prices. However, be aware that much of this stock has been picked over already due to 50 to 75 percent off sales during April. You will also find a larger number of sales on Spring clothing as retailers have started to shift to the summer lines.

Game on!

In addition to Xbox One discounts that should continue throughout May around the $450 price point, the long-awaited Watch Dogs multi-platform game comes out just before Memorial Day. Based off coverage of the title, it should be a significant hit for Ubisoft.

Expect Amazon, Newegg and Dell to offer pre-order discounts on all versions of the title, console and PC. In fact, Dell already has: LINK. In addition, NVIDIA is bundling the game with the purchase of a new GeForce graphics card from participating retailers.

It’s time to leave college

Starting in May (and continuing through early June), this is the time that retailers compete for shoppers that are purchasing graduation gifts. As your college student graduates college and heads off to their first job / apartment, they are going to need housewares that are a step up from the dorm hotplate. You should be able to find numerous deals on cookware sets and small kitchen appliances.

In addition, look for heavy discounts on vacuum cleaners. In years past, the release cycle for new vacuum cleaners has been scheduled for June. This means that all the older models will be discounted heavily to make room on store shelves.

Upgrade the big screen with a bigger screen

In late April, we’ve already seen a lot of big TV discounts on last year’s models. Expect that trend to continue into May. Dell is bundling big gift cards in the range of $200 to $400 with 2013 HDTVs from Sharp, Samsung and Vizio. You will also see television sales increase as we get closer to Memorial Day. Specifically, look for the best deals on larger panels in the 55 to 60-inch range.

More Memory Can’t Hurt

Memory prices are steadily declining since last fall’s China factory fire. Don’t expect the impending release of DDR4 to make any impact on current DDR3 prices. That’s still many months away, probably not until 2015. On a similar note, Intel’s 5th gen chips, codenamed “Broadwell,” have been delayed until the beginning of 2015, so the current 4th generation PCs should hold their prices longer than the previous generation.

You can also find solid deals on laptops this month, namely because manufacturers are continuing to slash prices to fight off dwindling demand for the platform. That being said, if you can afford to wait another couple months for a new laptop, back-to-school laptop sales during July will offer the best value for your dollar.

Embrace your inner Gym Rat

Traditionally, when the weather improves significantly outside, the number of people that hit the gym drops. Of course, gyms in extremely hot climates or extremely cold climates will still see gym rats during the summer or winter. If you live in a mild climate, look for gyms membership deals that offer reduced rates, zero sign-up fees or even offers that don’t require you to sign a long contract.

Score deals by skipping the retailer completely

During the May / June period, you will see an increase in thrift store inventory as well as a larger number of yard sales each weekend. This is specifically due to Spring cleaning and it can help you score some amazing bargains on pre-owned merchandise. Check Craigslist each weekend as well as the thrift stores in upscale neighborhoods to find the best scores.

Waste Not, Want Not: The Best Deals to Buy in May