Long before Macklemore made it cool, thrift store shopping, or just “thrifting” as I like to call it, has been saving (and in some cases making!) people a lot of money. If you’re new to thrifting at places like Goodwill, here are 20 tips that will help you make the most of your experience.

1.Go often! Part of the fun of thrifting is that you never know what you’re going to find, as they’re constantly putting out new items. We end up at Goodwill at least 2-3 a week most weeks. Some days we walk out with a cart full of awesome finds, and other days we leave with nothing. If your first visit is a wash, don’t assume your next will be the same way.

2.Be smart about which stores you shop at. I think a lot of people think thrift stores are full of junk, but you’d be really surprised at the super nice, brand-name things people get rid of. If you’re looking for higher-end items, try the Goodwill in the rich side of town. I’ll sometimes drive an extra 30 minutes to a specific Goodwill in a certain fancy suburb because I know they always have tons of designer jeans there.

3.Always check the “just donated” bins and carts first. Most thrift stores will have carts of random stuff around the store. These are items that have been priced but not yet put out on the floor. A lot of the best deals get snatched up before they even hit the shelves by people who know where to look.

4.Get coupons by donating your old stuff. Around here, Goodwill gives you a 25% off coupon whenever you make any donation, and most of the other local thrift stores offer similar discounts. You probably have stuff laying around that you would like to get out of your house anyway, and the donation process is generally easy and fast. In most cases you just drive up to their donation garage (usually behind the store), and someone comes out and unloads the stuff from your car and gives you the coupon good on a future purchase.

5.Shop on holidays for 50% off everything. Most thrift stores offer 50% off on these holidays: Martin Luther King, Jr Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Columbus Day and Veterans Day. Definitely go early in the day as things get picked over pretty quickly.

6.Be aware of other discount days. Many stores have a seniors day every week (where seniors may get 25% off, for example), or a kids’ day (our local Goodwills offer 50% off kids’ toys and clothing every Thursday). Most stores also have 50% off certain colored tags every week. If the store doesn’t make it obvious which specials they have running, just ask! Usually you can find a list of discount days/weeks near the checkout register.

7.Sign up for free rewards programs. Many thrift stores have free “loyalty” cards you can sign up for. Some are punch card-type programs where you get a discount after a certain number of purchases, while others give you access to special sales and discounts reserved only for card members.

8.Shop thrift stores for Halloween costumes and holiday decor. Seriously, Goodwill is where it’s at when it comes to costumes. They save up all the costumes that are donated throughout the year and put them all out on September 1st (or around that date). The selection is amazing if you go early! I not only buy our familys’ Halloween costumes, but stock up on dress up outfits for the kids to play with all year.

A lot of people think of thrift stores for Halloween, but they’re also the best place to shop for other holiday decor. One of the local thrift store chains around here (Arc’s Valu Village) sets up a whole “Merry Thriftmas” area every year, with huge displays of ornaments, stockings, tree skirts, lights, decorations and more. It’s a great way to build up your collection, especially for young families.

9.Don’t pass on something just because it’s dirty. You might be surprised at how well things clean up with a little bit of effort. You can make a pair of Chucks look like they just came out of the box with a little bit of nail polish remover and laundry detergent, and can get a rusty cast iron pan looking looking good as new by simply heating it in the oven and scrubbing with steel wool. Google will tell you how to clean just about anything you can think of.

10.Thrift stores are a DIYer’s dream come true. Browse the home goods and furniture sections for cheap pieces that can be restored. Just because something is ugly, doesn’t mean it can’t be beautiful with a fresh coat of paint and some new hardware. These chairs were $1.99 apiece at Goodwill and all it took was some sandpaper and a couple cans of spray paint to freshen them up:

11.Know how to spot high quality items even if you don’t recognize the brand. Widely known brands are often marked higher at thrift stores simply because the person who priced the item knew the brand was popular. But there are plenty of expensive, lesser-known brands that end up flying under the radar. Be on the the lookout for stuff that looks and feels high quality regardless of the name on the tag. For shoes, that might mean anything with a genuine leather sole. For sunglasses that means heavy duty hinges and thicker lenses. You might see a pair of $60 MRSP Oakleys priced at $20 next to a pair of $200 MRSP Maui Jims priced at $2.99 just because Oakley has the better name recognition.

12.Ask if your local thrift store has a relationship with any retail stores. Here in Minnesota, Target sends their leftover clearance items to local Goodwills. You can get brand-new clothing, toys, home goods and more for a fraction of what you’d pay at Target.

13.Be aware of return policies. Some thrift stores, like Goodwill have a 7 to 14 day return policy, while it’s final sale for some of the smaller shops. If there are no returns, definitely be sure to test all electronics before leaving the store–you can always ask to use an outlet if you don’t see one on the sales floor.

14.Don’t go looking for something specific; go looking for something awesome. If you walk into a thrift store thinking “I need to find a new cookware set today,” you will likely be disappointed. Target is where you go when you know what you need; the thrift shop is where you go when you to find that treasure you didn’t know you needed.

15.Follow your local thrift stores on Instagram/Twitter to get heads up on awesome scores. Lots of local thrift stores have social media accounts and will post when cool items come into the store.

16.Buy things to sell on eBay. You can actually make some really good money buying stuff at thrift stores and flipping on eBay, but certain types of items are definitely better for that than others. Before buying anything you intend on reselling, make sure to look up similar items on eBay to see what they’re selling for so you know it’s worth your effort. More on good items for flipping ahead…

17.Check out the watches in the glass case. Many thrift stores have a glass case with jewelry, watches, cameras, and collector’s items. My dad, who I consider to be the Thrift Store Master himself, has found some legendary deals on old watches this way. A few months ago he bought an old Seiko Mickey Mouse watch for $2.25 and sold it on eBay for over $200. A lot of the time, the only thing wrong with the watch is a dead battery, which is cheap enough to replace.

18.Get a sweet deal on a lens by buying an old film camera. Another thing to look out for in the glass case is old film cameras. Often, especially with Canon models, the lens that is attached to the camera actually works on newer digital SLR cameras. So while the camera itself might not be worth much (and priced very low), the lens might be worth hundreds.

19.Keep in mind “vintage” today isn’t as old as you might think. A lot of people assume something needs to be super old to be worth anything in the vintage market. But the reality is there are a ton of people looking to recapture items from their childhood–things from the 70s, 80s, even early 90s. Old Gameboys, old Apple computers, certain vinyl records, discontinued LEGO sets/minifigures, these are all items that are good to snatch up when you see them.

20.Be curious. I saved this one for last because it’s one of the most important. After you’ve gone thrifting a few times, you’ll realize there are all sorts of weird things out there you didn’t even know existed. It’s often those oddball items that end up being the real money makers. If you don’t know what something is, but it looks interesting or expensive, whip out that smartphone and do some research!

Annnnd of course, have fun! Enjoy the thrill of the hunt and the pure delight that comes with knowing you just got yourself one heck of a deal.

20 Thrift Store Hacks for Saving and Making Money

Looking for the best deals before your next trip to the store with the big red bullseye on it? We’ve identified some of the best products that you can find on sale at Target as well as some of the worst that you will want to avoid. These picks are based on the average discounts as well as the potential for additional coupons.

Target’s Five Best:

1. Toys

5 Best / 5 Worst Products to Find on Sale at Target

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)

We’ve put together a short list of the best categories of products to find on sale during the Memorial Day weekend promotions as well as the product categories you should avoid until another month. Check it out:

What to Buy? Appliances: If you are in the market for a new refrigerator or washer/dryer set, Memorial Day sales won’t disappoint. You will see sales up to 30% early in May, accelerating up to 40% by Memorial Day weekend. You will also find stacked discounts when purchasing multiple appliances, ideal for anyone doing a kitchen renovation. Look to Home Depot, Lowes and Best Buy for excellent sales as well as deals on refurbished appliances at stores like Sears Outlet.

What to Avoid? Gas Grills: If you are in desperate need of a grill, you can find discounts on gas grills ranging 20% to 30% during Memorial Day sales. However, that’s nothing compared to the sales when the summer season draws to a close in late-August. If you can wait, you will be rewarded with grills sales that are 40% to 75% off MSRP.

What to Buy? Traditional Mattresses: This is a fantastic month to save money on a traditional mattress and improve the quality of your sleep. You will see sales on traditional mattresses ranging from 40% up to 80% on Memorial Day at retailers such as Sears, Overstock.com, Macy’s and smaller mattress retailers. You will also find solid sales at specialty stores like Sleep Number.

What to Avoid? Online Mattress-in-a-box Retailers: There are some fantastic brands in this space like Brooklyn Bedding, Purple and Casper. However, the peak discount periods for these companies are typically the same time as peak online shopping periods, such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Amazon Prime Day. You would be much better off waiting to see the discounts in July and November on these mattress brands.

What to Buy? Spring / Winter Clothing Lines: You will find discounts ranging from 50% to 70% on Spring clothing lines from retailers sure as 6pm, Sierra Trading Company, Old Navy, Nordstrom Rack, Macy’s, Target, REI Outlet and other clothing retailers. It’s also a great time to get a deal on next year’s winter coat (60% to 80% off) at closeout prices at Columbia, eBay, Macy’s, and Mountain Hardwear. Look for bonus apparel deals for Memorial Day shoppers such as coupons in store flyers or freebies like tote bags.

What to Avoid? Summer Clothing Lines: These clothing lines have just been released and won’t have much more than a 20% to 40% discount off the retail price during Memorial Day sales. Swimwear will be much cheaper toward the end of the summer as well accessories like sandals and beachwear.

What to Buy? Tools: While Black Friday traditionally has the best discounts on hand and power tools, Memorial Day isn’t far behind. Look to retailers like Home Depot and Lowes to push sales on power tool combo kits as well as hand tool sets, as much as 40% off retail prices.

What to Avoid? General Electronics: Unlike tools, Memorial Day is an extremely poor holiday for deals on laptops, televisions and anything made by Apple. Laptops will go on sale in late July / early August with back-to-school sales, televisions will go on sale as the college football and NFL seasons start, then prices will drop even more in November around Black Friday. As for Apple, look to September for iPhone discounts and November for MacBook discounts. November is also good for Samsung discounts, both smartphones and televisions.

What to Buy? Camping Gear / Hiking Sneakers: If you really want to burn some calories, how about hiking up a trail and camping out for a night? May is the absolute best time to find sales on camping equipment, usually ranging from 30% to 70% depending on the product. We are also seeing amazing sales on Nike gear from stores like Finish Line and general sneaker sales on eBay.

What to Avoid? Fitness / Workout Equipment: While it might be too late to start getting in shape for the beach, it’s still a bit too early to find discounts on fitness gear. June is a great month to find discounts on last year’s fitness equipment since big-box and fitness retailers will be clearing out old inventory.

TIP: Here’s our roundup of all Memorial Day Sales this year. LINK. We will continue to update this list throughout the sale period.

What to Buy (and what to avoid) on Memorial Day 2021

Looking for the best deals before your next trip to the big orange hardware store? We’ve identified some of the best products that you can find on sale at Home Depot as well as some of the worst that you will want to avoid. These picks are based on average discounts as well as the potential for additional coupons used in the transaction.

Home Depot’s Five Best

1. Lights (LED bulbs and string lights)

At Ben’s, we see the most (and best!) deals on LED light bulbs coming from Home Depot than any other store. The best prices are on multi-packs. They also have great deals on holiday string lights, especially when you factor in their annual Christmas Light Trade-In promo.

The store typically gives out coupons for new lights when you bring in your old string lights–usually starts the first week in November and lasts a week or two.

2. Tool combo kits

Home Depot doesn’t necessarily have the best prices on single tools, but they often have very good sales on multiple-piece power tool combo kits, specifically from brands like Ryobi and Milwaukee.

We see these deals throughout the year but they’re especially good during Home Depot’s “Spring Black Friday” sale in April, as well as around the holidays. They’re also often featured as the “Daily Deal” (a new one starts every morning and lasts for 24 hours).

3. Grills and other patio items

Home Depot has some great prices on grills, both on lower-end brands like Char-Broil and higher-end brands like Vision Grills. They usually offer a really special deal or two during or around their Spring Black Friday Sale in April–last year it was a Dyna-Glo 6-Burner Stainless Steel Gas Grill for $199.

Along with grills, Home Depot has nice deals on patio furniture, specifically their Hampton Bay brand. Look for aggressive sales in early spring and again at the end of the season.

4. Paint

Home Depot’s Behr brand of paint is generally very well-reviewed and a good value compared to other premium paint brands. Since it’s sold only at Home Depot they often have specials on it.

You can also get a good deal by looking at their “mis-tint” paint (only of course, if you don’t have a specific color you need to match). They also almost always have a $5 off $50 purchase text coupon available that stacks with sale prices.

5. Gardening supplies

Home Depot often runs sales on things like mulch, soil, garden beds, and other gardening supplies. To kick off the spring season they usually have bags of mulch for $2, as well as other aggressive deals on this type of stuff.

Home Depot’s Five Worst

1. Home decor / Wall Art

The decor items you’ll find at Home Depot are generally overpriced and you can find similar items for cheaper at places like IKEA, Target or even TJ Maxx Home Goods.

In general, Home Depot is great for DIY project supplies but not so much for just picking up already put together items like home decor.

2. Appliances

Every now and then we see a nice refrigerator or oven deal pop up from Home Depot, but the better deals mostly come from retailers like Best Buy. That includes discounts for opening a store credit card as well.

3. Kitchen / Grilling accessories

The pots and pans Home Depot sells are generally not the best quality and they’re definitely not the best price. Look to stores like Kohl’s and Macy’s for deals on high quality sets, especially during November.

Same goes for grilling accessories which are priced high for the convenience factor of being able to pick them up along with the new grill you just bought.

4. Batteries

Another product category that is priced quite high for the convenience factor of picking up batteries in bulk. You can find much better deals on batteries elsewhere, specifically dollar stores and other large retail chains.

 5. Cleaning Supplies

The volume of cleaning supplies offered by Home Depot is somewhat low and priced much higher than retailers like Target and Walmart. That goes for both conventional household cleaners as well as more aggressive cleaners like Goo Gone.

The same advice goes for Home Depot’s internal brand ‘HDX paper towels’. However that’s a comment on the quality, not the pricing. You are better off going with Bounty or another brand that’s more absorbent.

Check the latest deals from Home Depot on Ben’s

Five Best & Five Worst Things to Buy at Home Depot

Shopping for boxes of LEGOs or specific LEGO sets this year? We’ve looked through all the Black Friday ads and broken down where you can get the cheapest sets of LEGOs (price per brick), the best overall percentage discount on LEGO sets, the second best option and a tip for exclusive LEGO sets.

Cheapest Price per Brick LEGO set: $30 (1500 brick set)

If you are looking for an inexpensive way to get a LEGO collection started, you really can’t do better than Walmart’s annual Black Friday sale on bulk LEGO sets. At this price point (50% off), that brings the price per brick down to exactly 2 cents each! (which beats the Black Friday 2019 price per brick).

This particular LEGO Classic set comes with 1500 bricks and also comes with a variety of eyes, wheels, doors, windows and hinges for creative builds. Also, if you are buying for a child between 1.5 and 3 years old, Walmart has a 175-piece LEGO Duplo set on sale for the same price.

Check Price on Walmart

Best Overall Discount on LEGOs: 40% at Target

Target is the leader in LEGO discounts this year, offering a 40% off sale on specific building sets, some of which include LEGO City and Harry Potter sets. Be sure to check for additional discounts in Target Circle and get an additional 5% off your purchase price using RedCard

Check Prices on Target

Best Add-on Bonus on LEGO Purchases: Kohl’s

In addition to getting 30% off select LEGO sets at Kohl’s this year, you will also be able to earn Kohl’s cash on your purchase. For instance, this LEGO City set would get you an additional $15 back in Kohl’s Cash, which can be spent on a future purchase.

Check Prices on Kohl’s

Best Place to Find Exclusive LEGO sets?

Every year, LEGO.com debuts exclusive LEGO sets. This year, LEGO is debuting a 2352-pc ECTO-1 from Ghostbusters fame. The set is targeted at ages 18 and up and comes with 1300 VIP points if you are part of LEGO’s VIP program.

Beyond that, LEGO will have their own 30% off sale for VIP members of their site as well as earning double rewards points for purchases. It’s free to sign up for LEGO VIP and does offer early access to exclusive sets, if that’s your thing.

Check Prices on LEGO.com

Here’s the cheapest LEGOs and LEGO sets on Black Friday 2020

Starting on Thursday, October 22, Lowe’s is launching deals daily, online-only sales on tools, generators, pressure washers, patio sets, electronics, small appliances, floorcare, lighting and more through Wed, December 2. Other promotions include

• Up to $700 off on major appliances totaling $1,999 or more between Nov 19 and December 2.
• Buy one DeWalt 20V Max XR Power Detect Tool, get one bare tool free between Oct 28 and Dec 30.
• Buy one Craftsman V20 Max Battery Kit, get one Bare tool free between Oct 28 and Dec 30.

Details on exactly what will be going on sale starting on Thursday are currently light, but you can check out our Lowe’s-specific deal feed in order to spot the absolute best deals.

In addition to starting online sales earlier than normal, Lowe’s is offering free, fresh Christmas tree delivery starting on October 30. In order to qualify for free delivery, orders must be $45 or more. You can find all the pricing on fresh cut trees here on the Lowe’s site.

Lowe’s announces holiday deals schedule, free Christmas tree delivery

If you are interested in snagging Prime Day deals (or deals at all the other competing sales), here’s a guide that will help you be online at the right times.

Already Active: Walmart & Costco

Walmart’s “Big Sale” promotion started Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m. PT. We’ve seen some solid sales on lower-end 4K televisions and toys. You can find all some of the best sales here in our Walmart-specific deal feed. Or you can check out the entire sale here.

Costco’s sale started this morning around 10 a.m. PT. We’ve just started to sift through the sale for any major discounts. You can look through the sale items here (requires membership).

Live at 10 p.m. PT: Best Buy

Best Buy’s sale is expected to start at 10 p.m. PT / 1 a.m. ET. There’s little information on what will be included in the sale beyond a Samsung 4K TV, laptops and a portable speaker. All info can be found here. When the sale kicks off, we will be listing the best deals in the Best Buy specific feed.

Just FYI, If you are a My Best Buy member (free to join) and you make a purchase on October 13 or 14 with a “Black Friday Price Guaranteed” on the product page, you will qualify for automatic price adjustments on said item if the price falls below what you paid on or prior to November 28 (Black Friday). Those adjustments will be applied to your payment method by December 14, 2020.

Live at 12 a.m. PT: Amazon, Target, Newegg

There have been a ton of early deals released by Amazon already. Here’s a few links detailing all the early sales:

• Amazon Prime Member Sales & Special Offers
• Early Prime Day Sale: Prime Members Only Coupons
• Amazon Devices Sale (Prime Day 2020)

When the sale kicks off, you will find all deals listed on the main Amazon Prime Day page. In addition, we will be featuring the best deals and discounts in our Amazon-specific feed.

Target will be launching “Deal Days” around the same time as Amazon. Although Target hasn’t specifically announced a start time, it’s likely that Deal Days will start at the same time as Amazon’s sale. You can find more information about Deal Days here and you will be able to find the best sales and discounts in our Target-specific deal feed.

Calling this promotion Fantastech Sale Round 2, Newegg currently has a countdown going that will end at midnight. There’s zero information on the deals Newegg will be offering, but you will be able to see the absolute best offers in our Newegg-specific deal feed.

Here are the times when Prime Day & other competing sales start

Likely attempting to help clothing manufacturers get rid of additional inventory of summer clothing due to the closure of retail locations, the online retail giant has set a June 22 date for a “Fashion Summer Sale Event” that will last through the end of the month.

In a letter to retail participants, an Amazon spokesperson wrote “The Big Style Sale is slated to take place later this month and will include seasonally-relevant deals from both established and smaller fashion brands.” According to additional details, Amazon has asked sellers to submit deals on clothing that have a minimum discount of 30 percent off MSRP. Amazon made no indication if the sale would be restricted to Prime subscribers only.

It’s likely that this type of large sale wouldn’t even exist if Prime Day hadn’t been postponed from early July to September. Amazon is currently attempting to restock inventory for a mid-Fall Prime Day sale, basically allowing time for supply lines to return to normal as coronavirus issues have broken the supply chain. Amazon has had issues keeping non-essential items in stock as well as delivering items within a promised 2-day window.

Amazon’s previous push into fashion included the launch of the Echo Look during 2017, a camera that gave owners fashion advice using artificial intelligence. This device has been discontinued though. It will be remotely disabled on July 24, 2020 and owners can recycle the hardware for free here. Much of the functionality of the Echo Look can be found within the Amazon Shopping app, basically using a smartphone camera for getting fashion tips on style.

Amazon also launched Prime Wardrobe a few years ago, a service that lets Prime users try up to 8 clothing items for up at a 7-day trial period. Users can return anything that they don’t like using a free, prepaid label and will only be charged for what they keep. There’s also a $5-a-month personal shopper option that will send curated picks to you automatically to try out.

Amazon plans summer clothing sale for June 22

If you are out shopping this weekend, you may be in luck depending on what you are shopping for due to Columbus Day sales. The majority of Columbus Day sales are usually advertised as four-day sales between Friday and Monday.

What to Buy During Columbus Day Sales?

Summer Seasonal Products

This list includes patio furniture, pool equipment, grills, camping gear, hiking gear, etc… With the summer season officially over, retailers have already started to move seasonal summer items out of stores using clearance sales. You won’t find a ton of items in stock, but you will find deep discounts.

Apparel

Columbus Day sales are the last big push on clothing sales until mid to late November. Look for deep discounts on summer apparel and average sales on fall clothing. Avoid purchasing winter clothing as that will be a premium until late February / early March. You will find significant discounts on jeans and shoes, partly due to leftover inventory from back-to-school sales. Look to Macy’s and Kohl’s for great deals.

Labor Day Leftovers

This usually includes mattresses, luggage and home decor products. Many products in these categories will see similar discounts to Labor Day. Look to retailers like Mattress Firm, Macy’s and the online mattress companies for discounts. Overstock and eBay have excellent luggage deals. Target and Wayfair will have solid discounts on home decor items.

What to Avoid During Columbus Day Sales?

Electronics

November is the month for deals on laptops, televisions, headphones, portable devices, etc… (Although deals may start to trickle out as early as the week of October 27.) Look for flash sales during early November from Target, Best Buy and Amazon as well as tons of sales from all major retailers as we move into Black Friday.

Video Games / Toys

The last week of November will have the best deals on video games and the first two weeks of December traditionally has the best deals on toys. However, there’s roughly 1 week less of shopping time between Black Friday and Christmas (compared to last year), so don’t be surprised if toy deals start popping up even earlier.

Large Appliances / Small Appliances

Mid to late November is always a good time to buy large appliances. Consumers will see strong sales at stores like Home Depot, Lowe’s and Sears. Wait for the last week of November for small appliances and look to retailers like Kohl’s, Target and Macy’s for the strongest sales.

Here’s what to buy (and what to avoid) on Columbus Day Sales