I've been covering Labor Day sales for more than five years now, and it's surprisingly one of the biggest shopping events of the year. Labor Day weekend may not be as popular as Black Friday or Prime Day when it comes to the overall volume of discounts, but it's still one of the best times to purchase things at lower prices than they'd normally be. While not every single retailer will have a Labor Day sale, most of the major ones will and are already starting those discounts right now.
Although Labor Day weekend is a great time to do some online shopping, it's not necessarily a good time to buy everything. I've found that there are some specific products that usually see the biggest price cuts from retailers every year. To help guide you to savings in 2024, I've gathered together the nine product categories that are usually worth spending money on during Labor Day weekend below.
1. Furniture
Labor Day has some of the best deals on furniture you'll find all year. Major online retailers, like Wayfair, and other stores, like Walmart and Home Depot, will be looking to clear out their stock of outdoor furniture and will be offering some incredibly low prices as we reach the end of the summer season.
Labor Day's proximity to back-to-school sales also means it's generally a really good time to find discounts on popular desks and office chair brands. These sales will usually appear directly from manufacturer sites and be price matched on Amazon. For gamers, this is also generally a great time to buy a quality gaming chair or one of the best gaming desks at lower prices than we've seen all year.
2. Laptops and PCs
Labor Day marks the transition between summer vacation and school season for a lot of folks. Because of this, almost every major computing brand will offer some sort of Labor Day sale to take advantage of the spike in demand. The window between August and early September is arguably the best time to buy a laptop every year outside of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Manufacturers like Dell, Lenovo, and HP have already been offering discounts for back-to-school sales and will continue these price cuts through Labor Day.
The biggest discounts tend to be on the more expensive gaming laptop brands, but you'll also find some really good deals on laptops for work. And if you're in the market for a prebuilt gaming PC, many of the same coupons can be applied to the desktops for sale, too.
3. Monitors and TVs
Almost every major holiday weekend has become an opportunity to put TVs on sale, so it's no surprise that Labor Day is a great time to buy a new TV. Because most of the major TV and PC manufacturers also make monitors, it's an excellent time to buy those too. If you've been eyeing any of the more expensive gaming displays from LG, Samsung, or Dell, you'll be happy to know that now is an excellent time to buy a new monitor.
The overall best places to find TV and monitor deals will be at major retailers like Walmart, Amazon, and Best Buy, but you can also find them direct from the manufacturers at lower prices sometimes. LG, for example, is already having a Labor Day sale on both TVs and monitors.
4. Major Appliances
There's never really a good time to spend money on an expensive appliance, but if you're planning on replacing your dishwasher, washing machine, or refrigerator, now's as good a time as ever. Labor Day is right up there with Memorial Day and the Fourth of July as one of the best times of the year to find sales on major appliances. These discounts have already started across Home Depot, Lowe's, Samsung, and Best Buy, and you'll have plenty of time to browse the discounts. This is one of the few categories where it's actually often better to shop on Labor Day instead of Black Friday.
5. iPads and Tablets
Like laptops and PCs, Labor Day weekend is usually one of the best times to buy an iPad or a new tablet every year, largely thanks to the back-to-school effect – iPads work great for students with or without an attached keyboard. In fact, we're already seeing the 9th Generation iPad drop to its lowest-ever price ahead of Labor Day, so you don't even need to wait to pick one up if you're looking for a cheap Apple tablet. You should also be able to find great discounts on Android tablets as well this weekend.
We don't expect to see any major Kindle deals available during this time, though, so if you're looking to pick up an e-reader, you may want to wait. We have found quite a few tablets that are great for reading, if you don't mind going that route.
6. Mattresses
Another holiday weekend staple, mattresses reliably go on sale pretty much any three-day weekend, and Labor Day is no different. Expect many of the Labor Day mattress sales to be exactly the same as they were during Memorial Day or the Fourth of July, just with slightly different messaging. That being said, Labor Day is still one of the best times to buy a new mattress if you need one. All of the online mattress brands will be offering discounts of 30% or more off everything in their stores.
7. Clothing and Shoes
Holiday weekends during seasonal transitions are great times to find discounts on clothes and shoes. Labor Day clothing sales will be happening at most major outlets, both online and in store, with most of the biggest discounts being on summer styles. It's also a great time to take advantage of price drops from outdoor brands like Columbia or REI, which will pivot harder into the changing weather than, say, Macy's or Old Navy.
8. Grills
There are many folks out there, myself included, who will continue to grill stuff well into the depths of winter. Still, the demand for new grills drops off pretty significantly when it starts getting chillier. Because of this, Labor Day weekend is probably the best time of the year to buy a new grill. Hardware stores like Home Depot and Lowes are already offering big discounts on popular brands well ahead of the holiday weekend as they try to clear out their stock before fall.
If you've been hoping to upgrade your grill or pick one up for the first time, this is a great time to do so, even if you'll have to pretty quickly find a place to store it during the winter.
9. Books
If you like to read actual physical books, Labor Day is one of the best times of the year to find discounts on them. Although there are book deals on Amazon pretty much year-round, Barnes & Noble has its big Book Haul sale at this time every year, which is already happening for 2024. These discounts are primarily on hardcovers, children's books, and special editions that would normally be a lot more expensive.
Should You Wait for Black Friday to Buy?
Now that only a few major upcoming sales events remain until Black Friday, you may be wondering if it's worth waiting until November to make any big purchases. Unfortunately, there really is no right answer when it comes to discounts. Most of the product categories I've featured will have their lowest prices of the year, and while those prices may drop further during Black Friday, there's no guarantee that they will. So if you find something at a really low price, you should feel confident to pull the trigger.
If you're unsure if you're getting a good deal or not, you can usually check historical Amazon pricing on CamelCamelCamel. This will only really work if the product is available on Amazon, but that means you'll be able to use it for most things. Amazon doesn't always offer a Labor Day sale, but they do usually price match other retailers and manufacturers during these sale days.
Jacob Kienlen is a Senior SEO Strategist and Writer for IGN. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, he has considered the Northwest his home for his entire life. With a bachelor's degree in communication and over seven years of professional writing experience, his expertise is spread across a variety of different topics – from TV series to indie games and popular book series.
