May brings many joyous occasions — Mother’s Day, graduation festivities, Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage month and Memorial Day — and several of these spring celebrations mean substantial sales at retailers. And while Mother’s Day deals have passed by and Memorial Day sales will soon mature, you’ll find deals and discounts on a variety of products throughout the month.
SKIP AHEAD Best sales | best deals | what to buy in May
As we inch toward summer, many are exploring their vacation options and looking for deals on flights, hotels, and more. The demand for travel signifies a larger shift in spending away from goods and toward experiences, said Kristin McGrath, shopping editor at coupon website Retail Me Not. However, due to higher travel fares, increased fuel prices and staffing shortages, travel may be prohibitively expensive. McGrath instead recommends seeking out deals at local restaurants presented in a number of ways — “special summer menus, patio happy hours, brunch specials and even BOGO offers,” she highlighted. For those still set on getting away, here are the best credit cards for travel to help offset increased costs — the Chase Sapphire Preferred offers a welcome bonus that translates to about $1,000.
To give you an idea of the best sales and discounts during the month ahead, we consulted retail experts on what’s worth considering, as well as what’s not worth shopping for right now (if you can wait).
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May sales to consider
We chose the sales below because we think you’ll find them interesting — they typically include multiple deals and, of course, not every single product in a sale is going to be the best deal around.
- Overstock: Up to 70% off rugs, patio furniture and more during the Spring Super Sale
- Belk: Up to 70% off select kitchen essentials and up to 60% off travel, swim and more outdoor goods
- Lenovo: Up to 60% off select laptops, monitors, accessories and more
- Macy’s: Up to 60% off select furniture and mattresses through May 30 during the Memorial Day Sale
- Adidas: Up to 50% off select sale styles
- Walmart: Up to 50% off select outdoor items, furniture, toys and more
- Ulta: Up to 50% off hair care essentials during the Gorgeous Hair event through May 28
- Pink Moon: 30% select products through May 30
- Bear Mattress: 30% off sitewide with code MD30 through May 31 during the Memorial Day Sale
- Lovesac: Up to 30% off Lovesac bundles using code REDEMPTION
- GhostBed: 30% off mattresses and daily deals on other sleep items
- Lowe’s: Up to 30% off bathroom faucets and shower heads
- Cozy Earth: Up to 25% off sitewide during the Memorial Day sale
- The Company Store: Up to 25% off select items with code SUMMER22 during the Summer Sale
- BioBidet: 25% off select bidets during the May Savings Event
- Madewell: 25% off everything sitewide using code LONGWEEKEND through May 30
- Bed Bath and Beyond: 25% off select categories during the Summer Sale Event through May 30
- Allform: 20% off sitewide using code MDSale20 during the Early Access Memorial Day Sale
- Parachute: 20% off select items through May 30
- Sijo: 20% off sitewide using code MEMORIAL20 through May 30
- SkinStore: Up to 15% off select products
- Artifact Uprising: 15% off sitewide starting May 23
- Avocado Green Mattress: 10% off sitewide through June 6
- Casper: Up to $800 off mattresses with code MDAY22 through June 7
May deals to consider
We rounded up the best ongoing deals on highly rated products Select readers have shown an interest in, and did our best to note the value of each discount against historical pricing.
Corkcicle Baldwin Boxer Lunchbox
This highly rated adult lunchbox features a main compartment for storing your lunch and beverages, as well as smaller internal and external pockets for smaller snacks. The main compartment features a double zipper closure, and is lined with a premium-food safe lining that insulates food. It’s available in a variety of colors and patterns, including turquoise, cream and black camo. It has a 4.8-star average rating from over 400 reviews at Corkcicle.
CHI Original 1-inch Digital Ceramic Flat Iron
This expert-recommended flat iron is available at its lowest price ever at Amazon right now, according to price tracker CamelCamelCamel. According to the brand, the styling tool takes 60 seconds to heat up to the maximum temperature of 425 degrees Fahrenheit and automatically shuts off after an hour without use. It has a 4.7-star average rating from over 180 reviews on Amazon.
Bissell Myair 2780A Air Purifier
The Bissell Myair Air Purifier features a pre-filter, carbon filter and HEPA filter. This affordable air purifier also has a certification from the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM). It has three speed modes — low and high — and a third, quiet overnight sleep mode. The capacity for this model is just 88 square feet, so it may not be the best option for larger spaces. It has a 4.7-star average rating from over 7,500 reviews on Amazon. The Bissell Myair has occasionally been on sale over the last few months, but this is the lowest price since November, according to CamelCamelCamel.
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What to buy in May
Flower sales have likely tapered since Mother’s Day, but according to McGrath, fine jewelry deals will come after the holiday. “If retailers don’t sell the sentimental pendants, sparkly earrings and engraved bracelets by May 8, they’ll mark them down to offload them, considering there won’t be any more major jewelry-gifting holidays until the holidays,” she said. McGrath advised shoppers to look at Kay’s, Macy’s and Kohl’s for these deals.
Historically, May has also been a good time to find deals and home and garden items, and McGrath says that trend will continue this year. McGrath said to keep an eye out for deals on home goods and outdoor furnishing needs from retailers like Wayfair and Overstock. These deals will be on a large swath of products, such as patio furniture, grills, fire pits and other summer needs. Additionally, McGrath said to look out for Memorial Day deals on big appliances — like refrigerators — and mattresses, as well as from baby retailers. Shoppers can expect to find deals on baby clothes, car seats, monitors, strollers and more.
What to skip in May
Historically, experts have told us to hold off on buying tech items like tablets or laptops in May, and that advice still holds true for May 2022. McGrath advised shoppers to wait specifically until Amazon Prime Day to snag the best deals.
“Many products will be featured at some of the most competitive prices of the year, often rivaling Black Friday-level deals,” McGrath said. “Another plus is that other retailers will also offer sales to compete with Prime Day, so shoppers have the added benefit of price comparison on specific products to get the absolute best deal available.”
Memorial Day sales coming this month
While the sales aren’t live yet, you can plan your shopping this month around these anticipated sales. Below, we chose the sales we think you’ll find interesting — they typically include multiple deals, though, not every product in a sale is going to be the best deal around.
- Ban.do: 30% off sale items plus an extra 10% off last chance items starting May 26
- Richer Poorer: 30% off intimates, boxers and socks May 26 through May 30
- Mario Badescu: 30% off select serums, lotions and more starting May 26
- Korres: 25% off sitewide starting May 27
- Jack Wolfskin: 25% off sitewide May 26-30
- Beyond Yoga: An extra 20% off select sale styles from May27 through May 30
- Ink + Alloy: 20% off earrings with code MEMORIAL starting May 26
- Sips By: 20% off all full-sized tea with code 20LM82 starting May 27
- Lulu and Georgia: 20% off sitewide starting May 24
- Ostrichpillow: 15% off Go Neck Pillows starting May 28
- Papier: 15% off stationary starting May 27
- Ruggable: 15% off select rug styles with code STRIPE15 starting May 26
- Charlotte Tilbury: 15% off to build your own beauty kit from May 27 through May 30
- Gerber Childrensware: Select designs will be on sale starting at as little as $2 during the Frenzy Sale running May 25 through May 31
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