Memorial Day is just around the corner, and the federal holiday commemorating US military personnel brings big sales. While tech deals tend to get all the fanfare, Best Buy, along with the likes of Amazon and Walmart, drops prices across the board.
Best Buy is one of the best places to shop over Memorial Day because it offers a chance to save on big, boring, essential appliances. If your fridge has stopped freezing or your dryer won’t dry, Best Buy’s 45 percent discounts on large appliances can save you thousands of dollars.
However, that also means a lot of deals to sift through, and this could be the most turbulent sales event we’ve seen in years. The ever-changing tariff regime means that some items may not go on sale — they may not even be in stock.
I’ve covered Memorial Day sales and tracked prices on the best products for the best part of a decade. I’ve personally tested hundreds of products, so I know exactly which deals are worth it — and which discounts are too good to be true.
When do Memorial Day sales start in 2025?
Memorial Day falls on Monday, May 26, with plenty of dropping over the long weekend from Friday, May 23. While there’s no guarantee this will happen, it’s fair to guess that the biggest deals will start a couple of weeks out from the Memorial Day sales — Best Buy could drop its best offers from May 17 or 18.
What were the best deals last year?
Best Buy always has great open-box deals, which are display models or items returned by other customers. While the product isn’t brand new, it still works as well as it should.
However, Best Buy’s biggest draw is its deals on large and small appliances. The brand cuts thousands of dollars off washer-dryers, fridges, and chest freezers. It’s a great way to save on what’s usually a pretty boring, painful expense, and there are already some deals on offer. Right now, you can grab an LG French Door refrigerator for $700 off (was $2699.99, now $1999.99, Bestbuy.com).
More exciting is that there are usually deals on grills, too. If you need to revamp your large appliances, Best Buy is a great choice, particularly for pellet smokers.
There will be good deals on kitchen appliances. Baking obsessives should note that Best Buy is often the best place to grab a KitchenAid stand mixer during the sales. I’ve seen KitchenAid mixers drop to their lowest prices at the store, but the catch is that these deals are only available for a short window.
But while the appliance deals will be great, don’t sleep on the tech. Best Buy usually has a few good tech deals. Last year, we saw a big sale on the MacBook Air M2 ($899, Bestbuy.com), which dropped from its original price of $1,099 to $849 at Best Buy. However, the brand is best known for its discounts on TVs. The Insignia 75-inch f30 series HD 4K smart Fire TV had a big discount last year, and the smaller 55-inch model is already on sale (was $349.99, now $229.99, Bestbuy.com).
Deals to expect this year
This is probably the most interesting sales period I’ve worked for a few years. Deals used to be fairly predictable — the only significant disruption to Memorial Day sales I’ve seen was low outdoor furniture stock in 2021 after a lull in Chinese steel manufacturing. However, the tariffs introduced by President Trump could mean significant disruption.
Most products sold in the United States are manufactured in China, especially electronics. Earlier this year, Trump ramped up American tariffs on Chinese goods to an average of 145 percent, then exempted electronics. However, he has since said that these tariffs may be reinstated. Without a clearer plan, it’s hard to say whether products will go on sale at all. It may even be the case that there’s no stock in the first place.
As an example, it was reported that Nintendo would suspend Switch 2 pre-orders or increase its original list price, but the company has since confirmed that the new console would be sold as advertised, instead, the prices of accessories, such as Switch 2 Camera, have been hiked.
However, there’s mixed news if you need to buy a large appliance. For example, Mexico produces the majority of refrigerators in the United States, and, while subject to a 25 percent tariff that may still raise prices, the country is not subject to the same huge tariff rates applied to most Asian markets, so prices shouldn’t fluctuate too much. However, many refrigerators — particularly those made by Korean brands like LG and Samsung — will be subject to tariffs, so it’s hard to judge if they’ll see any large price drops.
Best deals to shop now
Apple Airpods Pro 2: Was $249,99, now $169.99, Bestbuy.com
Our tech critic, David Phelan, loved these earbuds when he put them to the test. He found that the personalized sound settings mean that “higher notes were more articulated and vocals seemed more alive”. Battery life has improved, too — David’s tests found that the Pro 2 can run music for six hours, a big improvement on the first generation’s four hours.
Amazon Fire TV stick HD: Was $34.99, now $19.99, Bestbuy.com
This is the best fire TV stick you can buy. The previous generations of Amazon streaming devices haven’t been that impressive, but tech critic Steve Hogarty found this a major improvement. Steve described it as a “lightweight, affordable streaming dongle that supports most major apps”. It’s not a world beater, but at this price, he says it “has everything you need.”
Tech critic Steve Hogarty says this is the “best Android phone for most people.” It has Google Gemini AI, and while far from perfect, this AI makes for powerful photo editing and transcriptions of phone calls. It can even pull information straight from your inbox, so you’ll never fumble to find tickets or account login information again.
Samsung Bespoke AI washer and dryer combo: Was $2,799.99, now $2,199.99, Bestbuy.com
I commissioned a review of this washing machine a few years ago and didn’t expect much. As an AI skeptic, an AI washing machine seemed incredibly pointless. However, I have to admit that I was wrong — the tester found this machine did an incredible job. In three hours, it washes and dries a full load of laundry, with no transfer from washer to dryer needed. It takes a little getting used to a front-load machine if you haven’t used one before, but this remarkable appliance could transform your laundry routine.
LG side-by-side refrigerator: Was $1,721.999, now $1,399.99, Bestbuy.com
This is a great example of the sort of deals you can expect from Best Buy over the next few weeks: a big $322 discount on this refrigerator. Full disclosure, we haven’t tested this, but from the specs, it has all you need. It’s nothing fancy, but it holds a lot of food and has an effective ice maker.
