Labor Day deals are a great opportunity for brands and businesses to clear out their summer inventory before shelves get packed for fall, so you’re likely to find the biggest discounts on seasonal items like patio furniture, which often come with extreme clearance prices. It’s also a great time to gear yourself and your home up for the busy fall season ahead, between back-to-school shopping and holiday entertaining. The next big deals we’re likely to see are Black Friday and Cyber Monday, so if you’re nervous about putting off buying that new dining table, mattress, or sofa for a few months, you can still rest assured that you can get a great deal now without having to wait.
Below, we asked seven industry experts to tell us what you should be picking up this sales season.
If you live in a mild climate, grab discounted items from late summer.
“Now is the time to buy outdoor furniture if you’ve been putting off buying it, as it’s likely to be on sale,” says design writer Kelly Dawson. “Something like this bistro set from West Elm—currently $50 off—could be an easy way to extend outdoor dining (or just morning coffee) into the colder months.” Dawson also recommends buying things like tableware, like these sale plates from Anthropologie. “These are good for outdoor dining, but since they’re orange, they’re also great for a Friendsgiving.”
Buy them:
If you’re ready to say goodbye to summer meals that you don’t have to cook and get back in the kitchen, expand your prep and cookware.
While Dawson tends to buy inexpensive, off-season decor, she also focuses on what she might need for fall and beyond. “Fall is right around the corner and soup season is here,” she says. “I’m a sucker for Made In cookware, and I love this Dutch oven that’s currently on sale.” Grab another of her everyday favorites: “I really use this sustainably made bowl from Material Kitchen every day, whether I’m prepping ingredients or eating straight out of it.”
Buy them:
If you want to skip the line when buying a sofa or sofa set, order your seating now, before Black Friday.
Alex Back has been in the sofa business for over a decade, and as the founder and CEO of Couch.com, he knows a thing or two about buying living room seating. “I’ve been telling everyone that Labor Day 2024 will be the highest furniture sales week in over a decade,” he explains. Back points out that there are two types of retailers to look for to find the best possible value:
Retailers with inventory: Think local stores and regional chains like Living Spaces and clearance warehouse The Dump, as well as national brands like Crate & Barrel and West Elm. “Currently, we’re in a down furniture market and most brands and stores have massive oversupply! That means huge discounts.”
Retailers who make furniture to order: You order it, they produce it. You don’t get the same rock-bottom prices because there’s no inventory to sell off, but production times are low, so they’ll try to fill orders with big deals. Back likes the Benchmade Modern brand for its high-quality, American-made heirlooms and the environmentally conscious Sabai brand.
Buy them:
- Isabella Sand White Fabric 97″ Sofa,
$695$595 at Living Spaces - Luonto Noah, reversible sofa bed, XL, brown leather,
$7,899$3,495 at The Dump - 3-piece U-shaped sofa with bench made of Pacific Wood,
4,697 USD$3,992 at Crate & Barrel - Haven 2-piece chaise longue sofa with bumper feature,
$3,498$2,798 at West Elm - Small sofa Eva,
$7,874$6,299 at Benchmade Modern - The Evergreen Sofa,
2,395 USD$2,036 at Sabai
If your sleeping situation needs attention: Save a lot on a bed refresh.
In addition to being an interior designer, Brittney Morgan was previously a market editor for years (picking products was her day job). The shopping expert suggests keeping an eye out for deals that invest in your sleep quality. “In general, I think Labor Day is a good time to stock up on cozy necessities for fall and winter, like warmer bedding (flannel sheets, anyone?),” she says. “It’s also one of the best times of year to save on mattresses if you need a new one.” She picked these brushed cotton sheets from Parachute as her go-to sheets and a beautiful knit weighted blanket. As far as mattresses go, there are tons of deals, but we recommend these top picks from Wired that are suitable for every type of sleeper.
Buy them:
If you have a sense of luxury, get high-quality decor for less money.
You can be sure a creative director has a lot to offer when asked what she’d buy during a major sale like Labor Day, and Jess Bunge—who also holds that role as well as editorial director for Emily Henderson—delivered some luxe looks for less. From a cool piece of art (“I immediately fell in love with it,” she says) and “insanely cool” dining room chairs to a dreamy large mirror and a rug she helped design, you can make a big visual impact in a room with an investment piece that you just happen to get for less.
Buy them:
If your green thumb continues beyond the summer, don’t neglect your garden.
Just because summer is ending doesn’t mean you have to hang up your gardening gloves. Jackie Goldstein, vice president of commerce at the New York Post, agrees. “My husband and I have been getting more and more into gardening, and even though the cooler months are coming (we live in the New York area), we know there will still be a lot going on in the garden in the fall and even winter,” she says. “We’ll be looking for new raised beds in particular this year—we like these metal ones.” If you’ve got your eye on a greenhouse, this beautiful wooden greenhouse is $500 off. Just need to repot a few plants? Terrain has a great selection of beautiful scoops as well as unique glass watering cans for all your houseplants.
Buy them:
If you’re hosting Thanksgiving this year, start thinking about holiday entertainment now.
Meghan Splawn is our small appliance expert, but also a respected food editor. Her Labor Day sale recommendation? A Thanksgiving classic. “If you’re planning on hosting this year, now’s also a good time to buy a frying pan,” she says. “I love this one from All-Clad, and it comes with a nonstick roasting rack that makes the job easier!”
Buy it:
If you need help in your closets, drawers or garage, focus on organizational purchases.
Not everyone is looking for new furniture or home accessories, but that doesn’t mean you can’t improve your home. Fall is a great time to get your cabinets, drawers, and closets in order, or at least have everything you need on hand before you start the big decluttering in January. Go big and build a sturdy shelving unit for your garage (or even your laundry room), maximize storage under your bathroom or kitchen sink with a two-tier drawer, or bring order to all the folded jeans and sweaters in your closet with clear shelf dividers.
Buy them:
