Tips for shopping on Memorial Day

Memorial Day is one of the best holidays for shopping.

What’s for sale

Most retailers are offering Memorial Day savings. You’re likely to find bargains on patio furniture, clothing, shoes, mattresses, travel, home items, baby items, auto parts, furniture, and musical instruments, according to Dealnews.com.

Best places to shop

The best stores for Memorial Day sales are Home Depot, Best Buy, Macy’s, Amazon, Lowe’s, Purple, Wayfair, and Casper’s, according to Finder.com.

Other stores Aol.com says are offering good sales are: Nordstrom, Walmart, Anthropologie, Shopbop, Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord & Taylor, Bloomingdale’s, Net-a-Porter, and Gap.

Car buying tips

If you’re interested in buying a new car during the Memorial Day sales, Consumer Reports says it’s one of the best times of the year.

Consumer Reports picked out 10 2019 models, five of which are listed below, that show the potential savings consumers can expect to get off the manufacturer’s suggested retail price at Memorial Day sales. The savings span is from 17 percent to 12 percent. The list this Memorial Day season is dominated by Hyundai and Kia. These brands are offering double-digit percentage discounts on many models, and their vehicles tend to do well in Consumer Reports’ tests and surveys, Consumer Reports said in its article “Best New Car Deals for Memorial Day.”

The top five deals from Consumer Reports’ list are:

• Kia Optima: 17 percent off
• Kia Soul: 15 percent off
• Hyundai Elantra: 15 percent off
• Hyundai Sante Fe: 14 percent off
• Kia Sportage: 14 percent off

Ad savvy

While you’ll see a lot of ads for Memorial Day sales, how do you know when the deal is real?

The Better Business Bureau offers these tips for evaluating ads:

The fine print. Is the retailer offering a discounted price on the latest model or is it trying to sell an older version? This is especially important for consumers buying tablets or other electronics.

Percentage off of what? A retailer may be advertising 50 percent off but is it applying the discount to the regular price of the item or a marked-up price that matches what the regular price normally is once the discount is applied?

Lowest price. Is the price advertised available to everyone or only those with good credit? This may be important for consumers looking to buy new or used cars. Even though you saw a low price advertised, you may not qualify for it.

Limited time offer. Is this truly the only time of year this retailer will run this sale or will you be able to get the same price in the future?

Guarantee vs. warranty. Guarantees and warranties cover different things for a different amount of time. Does a "lifetime warranty" mean your lifetime or the lifetime of the product? Does "satisfaction guaranteed" mean you can return it used for a full refund? Make sure the retailer offers you complete details on any deal they are offering you. For big-ticket items, get any guarantees or warranties in writing.