When do back to school sales start?

Back to school sales are unique from other big retail events in the way they're generally not unified around a single date. Generally speaking, they run from mid to late July, through August and up until mid-September. Compared to something like Black Friday deals or the Amazon Prime Day sale, that's a really, really long time period. Throughout this time, you can expect back to school themed sales to pop up with fair regularity at most of the big retailers. It's likely they'll keep the back to school branding absent from their sites until late August, but you'll generally see great sales on things like backpacks and laptops throughout the summer months.

Who has the best back to school sales?

Due to its vast inventory and its excellent range of daily deals, Amazon is probably the best overall retailer for back to school sales. It's a great place for everything from cheap Chromebooks to backpacks, and you can order them all at the same time, which is a plus. For tech deals, Best Buy, Walmart, HP, and Dell are all fantastic options if you're looking for something computing-related. The former two, in particular, always feature super-cheap laptops and TVs - perfect if you're a student looking to furnish your dorm. Lastly, in the past few years, Apple has run its own back to school themed promotions - one of the rare times the retailer actually offers deals throughout the year. Apple's products can be pricey, and you'll have to prove you're a student, but you often get some of the biggest savings of the year here - as well as some freebies included with your purchase.

Back to school sales 2023: the best deals right now

back to school sale sales header image with a laptop and various school supplies on a wooden tabletop

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

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Today's best sales
Tech sales
School supplies
Clothing sales
Dorm room essentials
Small appliance deals
Apple deals
Printer & laptop deals
TV deals

The back to school sale season is in full swing, with huge savings from Amazon, Walmart, Apple, and Best Buy on laptops, backpacks, headphones, clothing, and more. To help you find all the top deals in one place, we've created this guide with all the best back to school sales and stand-out deals happening right now.

Below, we've categorized the best back to school sales into easy-to-navigate sections, including electronics, supplies, clothing, and dorm-room essentials. We've also hand-picked today's stand-out deals on laptops, Apple devices, small kitchen appliances, TVs, and more. Whether you're shopping for a new laptop, lunchbox, or coffee maker, our back to school sales guide has something for everyone.

Some of today's top deals include cheap laptops at Best Buy with prices starting at just $149, up to 40% off backpacks, lunch boxes, and school supplies from Amazon, and record-low prices on Apple devices, including the best-selling AirPods Pro 2 down to $199.99 (was $249) and the 2020 MacBook Air on sale for $749.99 (was $999).

See the complete list of back to school sales below and more of today's best deals on laptops, tablets, headphones, appliances, and more. You can also look forward to more tech bargains at the 2023 Labor Day sales event.