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Labor Day sales 2023: The best early deals and everything to know ahead of the big weekend

earbuds, mattress, air fryer, vacuum, sneakers
Summer 2023 may be approaching its final descent, but a whole fleet of Labor Day markdowns is readying for takeoff. Fasten your seatbelts. (Photo: Amazon)

Labor Day weekend is a bittersweet time. While it's the unofficial end to summer, it's a great time to jam in plenty of seasonal fun. It's also the perfect time to score massive savings on a slew of products that are marked down especially for the three-day holiday. Of course, there's a lot happening around Labor Day sales and it can get overwhelming fast trying to hunt down the perfect deals for you. Here's what you need to know about the upcoming savings event, plus some early sales you can take advantage of now.

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When do Labor Day sales start?

Labor Day is on Monday, September 4, which means Labor Day weekend spans from Saturday, September 2 until then. You can expect savings to start in the lead-up to the weekend, which can be anywhere from a few days to a few weeks before the actual holiday.

What will be on sale for Labor Day?

A lot, actually. Keep an eye out for deals on these must-haves:

  • Mattresses and furniture "Long holiday weekends like Labor Day represent a good time to buy big-ticket items like mattresses and furniture," consumer and money-saving expert Andrea Woroch tells Yahoo Life. "Retailers selling these items are looking to maximize sales and know shoppers are more likely to browse and buy if there's a deal available." Woroch says that you can expect to save 30% to 40% off select mattresses and furniture pieces from speciality retailers, along with department stores and big-box stores. "Look for financing deals to sweeten the offer, like 0% financing for a certain period of time or with the store's new card," she says.

  • Outdoor entertaining gear "From barbecues to patio sets to anything else you need for an outdoor shindig, you can find major sales during Labor Day as retailers clear out seasonal inventory to make room for fall and even winter/holiday merchandise," Woroch says.

  • Electronics "From Sony Noise Canceling Truly Wireless Earbuds to AirPods Pro, expect discounts on a variety of electronic items," Phil Masiello, an e-commerce expert and founder of Crunchgrowth Revenue Acceleration Agency, tells Yahoo Life. "This is always a top category."

  • Summer clothes "The best time to buy summer clothing is at the end of summer," Woroch notes. "You can likely wear some of it into fall and even into winter by layering pieces. Or, just prep for the following spring and summer season by scooping up swimsuits, sandals, sunglasses, hats and other summer fashion at around 75% off."

  • Appliances "Brands like Dyson, Le Creuset and Cuisinart often see major markdowns," Masiello says. "Expect deals on items such as blenders and air fryers, and the latest trending home goods products."

  • Back-to-school supplies "Office suppliers and other retailers will mark down leftover supplies they didn't sell for school [before] Labor Day, especially since most parents will have done their shopping by then," Woroch explains. "But this is a good reason to hold off until you can find an even bigger selection of deeper discounts especially on those more expensive items like sneakers and backpacks."

How to find the best sales over Labor Day weekend

Experts say there are a few hacks you can use to save big over the holiday weekend. Woroch recommends using an app like Flipp to create a shopping plan. "Flipp helps you stay organized by allowing you to create a digital shopping list and clip deals directly to your shopping list," she says, and notes that if you're shopping online, you can also use the PriceBlink browser tool for instant price comparisons.

Coupons and promo codes are also important. "Many Labor Day sales will require that you apply a promo code to get the savings, or you may be able to sweeten your deal with additional money off by using a coupon," Woroch says. "Check deal aggregators like CouponCabin.com, which organize Labor Day coupons all in one place, or search by store name to find deals quickly, including both online coupons and printable coupons." The browser tool Sidekick can also be helpful, she adds — it automatically applies the best coupon with the biggest discount to your online cart.

Early Labor Day savings

There are still a few weeks to go until Labor Day weekend, but why not whet your appetite with these markdowns?

Apple's hugely popular earbuds offer active noise cancelling and adaptive transparency, so you can hear what you want and block out whatever you don't. Choose from four pairs of silicone tips for that just-right fit. Enjoy up to six hours of listening time as-is, and up to 30 with the charging case. 

$178 at Amazon

How about 60% off this goes-with-everything ensemble? Enjoy frames that are weather- and rust-resistant, along with water-resistant cushions. Choose from a range of cushion colors to suit your patio space. 

$128 at Wayfair

These popular earbuds have Alexa built in, so you can get answers to pressing questions, play music and more right from your headphones. They easily switch between noise cancelling or optimized ambient sound to help you listen the way you want. Enjoy up to six hours of battery life and up to 20 hours with the charging case.

$198 at Amazon

Ninja's four-quart air fryer offers four ways to cook your food — air-frying, roasting, reheating and dehydrating. This handy device has a wide temperature range, from 105 to 400 degrees, and has a basket and crisper plate that's dishwasher-safe.

$80 at Amazon

This fan-favorite memory foam mattress is 12 inches thick and has cooling technology built in to help keep you from overheating while you snooze. Enjoy a 365-night sleep trial for the just-in-case. 

$649 at Amazon
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$699 at Nectar

More than 43,000 Amazon shoppers have given this sneaker a perfect review, and right now it's $19 off. Summits are designed to be worn just about anywhere; use them for workouts, walkabouts and trips to the store. Choose from a range of colors.

$40 at Amazon
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This beast features special ball technology that helps you cruise around your floors with little to not effort on your end. There's also a self-adjusting cleaner head that automatically raises and lowers for that just-right level of suction.

$283 at Amazon

Quality mixing bowls are a must for serious (and even not-so-serious) cooks. This stackable set features lids for each bowl, so you can use them as storage containers too. The stainless steel construction makes them incredibly durable and easy to clean. 

$30 at Amazon
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$30 at Walmart