Summer sales season 2024 is a go! Now that the 4th of July is over, many big retailers are onto the next big sales event(s) including back-to-school sales. Of course, the ever-popular Amazon Prime Day event is also happening right now, allowing Prime members to take advantage of some of the best price cuts they can find all year. But did you know other big deals are happening from popular stores and trusted brands too?
It's time to take advantage of price cuts before the summer ends, especially for things you could use in late summer or fall for outdoor adventures, home improvement projects, family fun, and beyond— (unless you're willing to wait for Black Friday in November 2024). Summer is also one of the best times to buy a laptop and other big tech items you want sooner rather than later. Plus, summer is a fun time to treat yourself to that "thing" you've been eyeing (whether you need it or just want it) or to plan ahead to gift someone a toy, game, or gadget for an upcoming birthday or special occasion. The choice is yours!
Best Alternative Prime Day Sales to Shop In July
These deals are live right now as of July 17th, and many of them will end tonight. Summer deals outside of Prime Day come from major retailers including Best Buy, Home Depot, Target, LG, Dell, and more. If you're not sure about becoming a Prime member, you're not an Amazon fan, or you just want to widen your shopping selection a bit since you love deals, here are IGN's recs to shop for tech, gaming and more.
When do summer sales end?
It really depends on the retailer and product you are looking at. See below for a shortlist based on the biggest tech retailers:
- Back-to-school sales typically end by mid-September.
- Amazon Prime Day ends July 17th at 11:59pm PT
- Target 2-Day Deals ends July 17th at 11:59pm PT
- Best Buy Black Friday in July sale ends July 17 at 9:59 PM PT
- Dell Black Friday in July sale ends July 17 at 11:59pm PT
Just to be safe, make a note of the start and end dates for the sites and products you've added to your cart. For Amazon Prime Day, be warned you'll have until the end of the day on July 17th for Prime Day-specific deals, in case deals expire or products run out. For other categories including clothes, furniture, and non-tech items, you may see some other seasonal sales pop off throughout the year and have less pressure to purchase right now. Our advice is to jump in a good deal when you see one, though, and there are a lot of good deals happening right now.
When do back-to-school deals begin and end?
This answer also depends on the retailer. For most stores and online sites, back-to-school deals start sometime in July, and tend to end around Sept 15th if not sooner. For tech sites outside of Amazon like HP, its back to school sale begins July 28th, whereas Apple's sale began earlier in June, with several student discounts available through September 30. Check out Here are a few key tech shopping guides to check out with college students in mind:
- The Best TVs for Dorms and Small Rooms in 2024
- The Best iPad for Every Type of Student
- Best Laptops for Students
- Shop Target Back to School Sales
What other upcoming sales are there in 2024?
If you're hoping to save some money throughout the year, there are key sales dates worth noting. We've gathered some of the biggest upcoming sales events we know about to help you plan out your online shopping in 2024. The next big event is Labor Day weekend, which will take place near then end of August. After that, you can expect fall sales (including Prime Day 2) and then Black Friday deals in November.
Maybe I do care about Prime Day after all. What are the biggest deals there?
The 10 Best Prime Day Deals So Far:
- Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Gen with USB for $168.99
- Samsung 990 Pro 2TB PS5 SSD with Heatsink for $149.99
- Apple iPad (10th Gen) for $277.99
- WD C50 1TB Expansion Card for Xbox X|S for $119.99
- 55” Samsung The Frame 4K Smart TV with Teak Bezel for $997.99
- Razer Blade 15 RTX 4070 Gaming Laptop for $1599.99
- Apple Watch Series 9 (GPS 41mm) for $279.99
- 49" Samsung Odyssey G9 DQHD 240Hz Gaming Monitor for $799
- SanDisk Ultra 1.5TB U1 A1 V10 Micro SDXC Card for $83.59
- Anker PowerCore 737 24,000mAh Power Bank for $79.99
Not sure where to start or which exact model or product you want before you make a spendier purchase? See some of IGN Tech's best lists and shopping guides, such as our best AirPods models, best Prime Day TV deals , the best Apple Watches to narrow it down a bit and give you some confidence before you hit "Buy".
Lindsey (she/her) is the Audience Development and Commerce Director at IGN. Find her on Twitter at @LindseySalzer.
