Are the Memorial Day sales worth it? We analyze today's best deals

By Tabitha Baker
published

We look at whether today's discounts are up to scratch

Memorial Day sales
(Image credit: Future)

Memorial Day sales are offering some enticing discounts on everything from patio furniture to MacBooks today, but how can you make sure the offers you're browsing are worth it? We're running through all the biggest Memorial Day sales right here, and running them against last year's savings and what we've seen during other sales events as well. Here's what we've found...

We've been tracking the Memorial Day sales for years now, which means we've seen plenty of sitewide sales and coupon codes in our time. With so many deals on the table, we're using those years of experience to make sure you're only browsing the offers that are worth your cash.

While discounts on tech items aren't traditionally the focus of the Memorial Day sales, there are some record low prices that beat previous Black Friday and Prime Day savings (more on that below). However, it's those in the market for larger appliances, patio furniture, and mattresses who will be getting the most value today. 

The Memorial Day sales typically focus on homeware and outdoor furniture, and last year's discounts served the latter category particularly well. With the pandemic keeping everyone at home, grills and patio sets received the biggest discounts in 2020. 

This year's outdoor furniture offers, by comparison, are coming in slightly lower (60% off at Wayfair today, compared to 65% off last year). However, the fact that there are so few discounts in this category for the rest of the year means it's still worth grabbing a deal in the Memorial Day sales if you see a product on sale within your budget. 

That's largely the story for many of today's Memorial Day sales, though some product categories have better-value deals than others. Here's our breakdown of the most popular items on sale, plus insight into the retailers offering the best deals today. 

Memorial Day outdoor furniture sales

  • Outdoor furniture discounts slightly down on last year overall
  • Many items are still better to buy now than on Black Friday though
  • Biggest discounts are on patio furniture and grills

Wayfair offers some excellent furniture deals year round, but patio furniture is a specialty come Memorial Day sales. Last year the retailer offered discounts of up to 65% off items including patio chairs, tables and parasols (however its biggest discounts were reserved for home, furniture and bedding, which saw up to70% off). 

This year the pattern is much the same, with many popular deals from previous sales returning to the shelves. However outdoor furniture has taken a slight hit, with savings of up to 60% off (opens in new tab) today - that's 5% lower than the previous year. 

It's easy to see why last year's offers were fractionally better than those available right now, with the pandemic driving demand for patio accessories and outdoor play products. However, that doesn't mean today's Memorial Day sales aren't worth it; these items are rarely discounted this much during the summer months, or in later sales, and many offers are still offering excellent prices if you're in need of a particular item.

Last year's Black Friday sales, for example, saw discounts of between 45% and 65% on outdoor furniture across Wayfair, Home Depot and Lowes. The reductions mostly centred on more expensive furniture sets that were still carrying fairly high price tags after the savings had been applied. 

When it comes to today's deals, Wayfair is still out in the lead for good-value deals on patio furniture in the Memorial Day sales, but Lowe's grill discounts (opens in new tab) are looking particularly worthwhile as well.

60% off outdoor furniture at Wayfair (opens in new tab)

60% off outdoor furniture at Wayfair (opens in new tab)
Wayfair's 60%-off sale isn't better than last year's, but with just a 5% difference - and considering the incredible demand on patio furniture over the last 12 months - there are still some excellent savings to be found. There are bigger discounts here than at other retailers, so we advise looking at Wayfair first for outdoor furniture.

View Deal (opens in new tab)
Outdoor grills from $58 at Home Depot (opens in new tab)

Outdoor grills from $58 at Home Depot (opens in new tab)
Home Depot's Memorial Day sale has among the best range of grill deals today, covering both cheap models and big brands. Other stores like Lowe's and Wayfair have a smaller range and are cutting less cash from the final price as well.

View Deal (opens in new tab)

Memorial Day furniture sales

  • Larger range of discounts available than last year 
  • Saving amounts are slightly down on indoor furniture
  • Bedroom furniture sales are looking particularly strong

Furniture deals are where Memorial Day sales often shine brightest, and this year looks particularly good. While Target is running the same 25% discount on furniture as it did last year, today you can also save an extra 15% on some furniture items (opens in new tab) and bag 50% off home decor (opens in new tab). 

We only saw this extra 15% offer on larger home items at Target last year, and there was only 25% off decor then too. Plus, although larger furniture items are fairly regularly discounted at Target, big discounts like the current sitewide sale are incredibly rare - and when larger sales do appear they rarely touch smaller items. 

Wayfair has a good range of living room discounts to browse through too. You can save up to 60% (opens in new tab) on larger items like couches and ottomans - though, again, there was up to 65% off last year. Nevertheless, there are plenty more low-budget options on the menu this year - comparing percentage discounts is only half the story.

Discounts on bedroom furniture at Wayfair, however, are the same year-on-year, with larger items starting from $99 (opens in new tab) and 70% off bedding. That's a discount that only rolls around during big savings events (most notably last seen over Black Friday), so if you're looking for bedding or some bigger pieces it's worth heading to Wayfair over Memorial Day as well. 

Up to 25% off furniture + extra 15% off selected items at Target (opens in new tab)

Up to 25% off furniture + extra 15% off selected items at Target (opens in new tab)
Use promo code SAVE15 to unlock an extra 15% off selected furniture items at Target. While this offer was live last year, we're seeing a much larger range in today's Memorial Day sales, which means you've got a much better chance of finding a good deal on an item you want.

View Deal (opens in new tab)
Up to 50% off home decor at Target (opens in new tab)

Up to 50% off home decor at Target (opens in new tab)
Last year, and in more recent sales, Target's home decor discounts have only reached 25% off. Today, you'll find a massive range of accessories and decorative items available for half price at Target.

View Deal (opens in new tab)
Living room seating 60% off at Wayfair (opens in new tab)

Living room seating 60% off at Wayfair (opens in new tab)
Wayfair offered 65% discounts in its Memorial Day sale last year. This year it's up to 60%, but we're seeing a few more budget-priced items in today's sale. There are plenty of living room furniture items that won't break the bank, which makes this Wayfair sale well worth a look.

View Deal (opens in new tab)
Bedroom furniture from $99 at Wayfair (opens in new tab)

Bedroom furniture from $99 at Wayfair (opens in new tab)
This offer has run before, but it's an incredibly popular deal and those looking to spruce up a bedroom would do well to take advantage of it. We're also seeing frequent flash deals at Wayfair going even lower than this $99 benchmark and expect them to continue popping up throughout the day.

View Deal (opens in new tab)

Memorial Day appliance sales

  • Head to Best Buy for bundle discounts on multiple appliances 
  • Lowe's is best for individual products
  • Big savings like these aren't seen too regularly 

If you've been waiting for a full kitchen refit, Best Buy is your go-to for appliance deals in today's Memorial Day sales. These more expensive items typically see fewer discounts throughout the year, and today's sales have some big package offers that generally only appear during high profile discount periods. 

This LG bundle deal covering refrigerators, ranges, dishwashers and more can save you 5% on three items - and 10% on four items (opens in new tab). This particular offer was available last year, but we haven't seen in return to our shelves in a long time. There's also a $1,700 saving on KitchenAid bundles (opens in new tab) , which isn't an offer we see every day either. 

If you're looking for individual appliances, though, we'd recommend heading over to Lowe's. You can save up to $500 straight away (opens in new tab) when you buy certain large appliances, so if you're just after a new refrigerator or dishwasher you'll find better value here. 

So how do these deals compare to the rest of the year? Well, the best discounts are usually found over holiday weekends, and Memorial Day is a key time to make a big saving, as older stock is replaced by newer models. We regularly see some of the biggest appliance price drops outside of Black Friday on Memorial Day.

Save 5% on three LG appliances, or 10% on four at Best Buy (opens in new tab)

Save 5% on three LG appliances, or 10% on four at Best Buy (opens in new tab)
If you're looking to rework a whole kitchen, you'll find some excellent LG bundle deals in the Best Buy Memorial Day sales. That 10% saving can add up, especially considering many of these bundle items are already discounted as well.

View Deal (opens in new tab)
Save up to $1,700 on KitchenAid bundles at Best Buy (opens in new tab)

Save up to $1,700 on KitchenAid bundles at Best Buy (opens in new tab)
KitchenAid bundles give you discounts on a scale today, depending on how much you spending. Max savings reach $1,700 when you buy eight appliances with a KitchenAid Smart Oven+ wall oven. Plus, there are already discounts on these devices, making the bundles very good value.

View Deal (opens in new tab)
Save $500 instantly with select appliances at Lowe's (opens in new tab)

Save $500 instantly with select appliances at Lowe's (opens in new tab)
If you're just after one or two large appliances, the Lowe's Memorial Day sales have better-value savings today. You can save $500 straight away on some items, with some big brands up for grabs as well.

View Deal (opens in new tab)

Memorial Day tech sales

  • Many savings were available before Memorial Day sales
  • Prices may be lower on Amazon Prime Day 
  • However, some devices are seeing their lowest prices ever

The Memorial Day sales aren't as well known for their tech deals, and many of the discounts we're seeing at the moment have either been around for a little while or will likely return very shortly. If you're after a new set of AirPods, a new laptop, or a smartwatch, then we'd recommend waiting for a Prime Day deal (opens in new tab) for the biggest price drops. However, TVs are seeing some particularly hot savings at Best Buy right now. 

Plus, there are some record-low prices flying around, which might be worth grabbing if you're in need of some new gadgets. The Beats Solo Pro headphones, for example, are down to a record low $149 (was $299) (opens in new tab) and the AirPods Max have also seen their first major discount (opens in new tab) as well. We're also seeing a particularly stunning saving on the M1 MacBook Pro, now available for $1,099 (opens in new tab), the biggest discount so far from the $1,299 MSRP. 

Aside from some select offers, which you can find in our roundup (opens in new tab), we'd recommend holding off on tech deals in today's Memorial Day sales, then. 

Beats Solo Pro: $299.95 (opens in new tab)

Beats Solo Pro: $299.95 $149 at Amazon (opens in new tab)
Amazon has just dropped the Beats Solo Pro down to a record low price, shaving $150 off the MSRP to leave us with an excellent $149 price tag. That's excellent value for a pair of wireless noise cancelling headphones complete with that Apple H1 chip and a 22 hour battery life.

View Deal (opens in new tab)
M1 MacBook Pro: $1,299 (opens in new tab)

M1 MacBook Pro: $1,299 $1,099 at Amazon (opens in new tab)
There's big savings on the latest M1 MacBook Pro at Amazon right now, with $200 off leaving us with the lowest price ever. That's an excellent offer, and one we're not likely to see hang around either.

View Deal (opens in new tab)
AirPods Max: $549 (opens in new tab)

AirPods Max: $549 $518.12 at Amazon (opens in new tab)
If you're after a pair of Apple's particularly expensive headphones, you'll find a slight discount at Amazon to ease you into that $500 price point. This is the cheapest these luxury cups have ever been, though, so it's still a deal worth celebrating.

View Deal (opens in new tab)

More Memorial Day sales

Check out all the best Lowe's Memorial Day sales and more Best Buy Memorial Day sales as well. 

Tabitha Baker
Tabitha Baker
Deals Editor

Tabs is a Deals Editor at TechRadar, bringing you all the latest savings on the tech everyone's talking about and covering deals on gaming, laptops, tablets and more in the US and UK. Happiest with a DualSense controller in her hand, she's also contributed to GamesRadar, Tom's Guide and T3 and specializes in gaming hardware and computing.

See more news