The best Presidents Day sales of 2020: TVs, mattress and home goods

A holiday weekend inevitably means sales — and Presidents Day is no exception. Droves of retailers across the country are rolling out discounts on various goods; but which deals are actually worth the hype?

NBC News BETTER consulted shopping experts to get their insights on what to buy, what to skip, and how to get the biggest bang for your buck this Presidents Day. Spoiler alert: home essentials are definitely stealing the show.

1. Best mattress sales
2. Best furniture sales
3. Best TV sales
4. Best apparel sales
5. Hold off on luggage, spring clothing and jewelry
6. Pro tips for saving more this holiday weekend

Presidents Day sales offer an opportunity to save on some of the most expensive products for your home including mattresses, notes Michael Bonebright, Consumer Analyst with DealNews.com.

“When you’re spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars, even a small discount like 20 percent off can make a big difference,” Bonebright says. “If nothing else, these sales usually offer a good opportunity to get discounted or free shipping on bulky items. We’re expecting to see mattresses at up to $600 off from major mattress-specific retailers like Mattress Firm, Tempur-Pedic and Serta. That said, don’t neglect big retailers like Overstock.com, Sears, and Walmart — which may cut anywhere from 20 percent to 60 percent off mattress prices.”

Here are some of the most impressive deals in the mattress categories that have been announced, though as Bonebright implied, we can expect more to drop as the holiday weekend unfolds:

• Bear Mattress is offering 20 percent off sitewide with promo code PRES20. Buyers will also get two free Cloud pillows. This sale features not only mattresses, but bed frames and bases.
• Brooklyn Bedding is offering 25 percent offsitewide.
• Home Depot is cutting up to 40 percent off mattresses and mattress toppers. Use code MATTRESS10 to get an additional 10 percent off.
• Mattress Firm has a few Presidents Day specials in action, including up to 40 percent off select mattresses.
• Nectar is knocking $100 off every mattress, and throwing in two free Memory Foam pillows (valued at $150).
• Sam’s Club is cutting $100 off Serta Perfect Sleeper Ashbrook and SleepToGo 12-inch memory foam mattresses. “A queen mattress is going for $400 for members right now, which is $400 cheaper than anyone else’s price,” says Bonebright.
• Tempur-Pedic is offering up to $500 off on select mattress sets, and 30 percent off any Tempur-Cloud mattress.
• Walmart is slicing prices on select mattresses (and towels!) by up to 50 percent.
• Wayfair is discounting select mattresses by up to 65 percent.

“While January is typically the best time to buy furniture, rugs, linens and other home items, Presidents Day offers worthy discounts for those who missed out,” says Sara Skirboll, Shopping & Trends Expert at RetailMeNot.

Here are the deals in this category that are most appealing thus far:

• Bed Bath & Beyond invites shoppers to take up to 50 percent off select window curtains and bedding.
• Home Depot has 40 percent off select appliances, bath items and tableware, and up to 30 percent off select furniture, linens and decor.
• Lulu & Georgia is featuring over 50 percent off rugs, pillows, wallpaper, sconces and more.

• Overstock’s Presidents Day blowout event sees select rugs and furniture discounted by an extra 20 percent off, but that’s just the tip of the sale’s iceberg; though it requires some digging, you can find some items for as much 70 percent off here.
• Serena & Lily is shaving up to 60 percent off sale styles, including furniture, rugs, and more.
• Wayfair has up to 70 percent off living room furniture, wall decor, accent furniture and lamps.

“Coming off of Super Bowl and CES 2020, Presidents Day will offer some great discounts on last year’s TV models,” says Skirboll. “Right now I’m seeing tons of deals on 4K TVs, some up to $900 off, from Walmart and many are already live. Discounted big ticket items like this are often limited in supply, so hit the stores before the weekend if you’re looking to snag one of these deals.”

Here’s a list of the best deals on 2019 models, according to Skirboll:

1. Samsung 82-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart QLED TV

You’ll save roughly $1,800 off the list price.

2. Samsung 65-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart QLED TV

You’ll save $900.

3. LG 55-Inch 4K (2160P) Smart Ultra HD HDR TV

You’ll save $500.

4. Sony Bravia 55-inch 4K UHD Android Smart TV HDR TV

You’ll save $600.

5. Sony Bravia 75-Inch 4K UHD Android Smart HDR TV

You’ll save $900.

6. Samsung 65-Inch 4K UHD 2160p LED Smart TV

You’ll save $320.

7. Sony 65-inch Master Series A9G OLED 4K UHD TV

You’ll save $200.

8. LG 70-Inch 4K 2160p Smart 4K UHD TV

You’ll save $150 off.

9. TCL 75-Inch 4-Series 4K UHD HDR TV

You’ll get $50 off.

“There’s a lot of winter left, depending on where you live, and you can use the sale to shop for outerwear, waterproof boots and other cold-weather items,” says Kristin McGrath, editor and shopping expert at Offers.com.

Among the star sales in apparel that have dropped:

• The North Face is cutting 30 percent off clothing and cold-weather gear. “That’s the best flat discount we typically see on this popular brand,” says Bonebright. “The North Face is notorious for exempting itself from discounts.”
• REI is offering up to 50 percent off in its winter clearance. “Some hidden gems in this sale include up 50 percent off hiking boots and 25 percent off select Yeti water bottles,” says McGrath.
• Kohl’s has up to 70 percent off in its clearance sale — and you can find lots of cute stuff for spring, too (a category that these sales are historically pretty weak on).
• You can also find excellent clothing deals at Macy’s and Sears.

As with every holiday sale, there are bound to be some “meh” discounts offered in the mix, but when the marketing hype is strong, it can be tricky to tell which are dud deals. Here’s what you might want to pass on given that better deals are likely just around the corner:

“Hold off on buying new luggage over Presidents Day, you’ll find better deals on those items in March,” says Skirboll. “In fact, the second week of March is historically the best time to buy luggage, with discounts around 80 percent off.”

Though you can find some worthy discounts on spring fashion (as mentioned, Kohl’s has some great deals this weekend), in general, you’re better off waiting if you want to score the most savings.

“As tempting as new spring fashions can be, they’re at their highest prices hitting the stores as brand new inventory,” says Skirboll. “Wait a little longer to purchase those warmer weather items and you’ll be rewarded with discounts.”

Though some Valentine’s Day leftovers, like chocolates, will likely be on sale this weekend, deals on other Valentines-related gifts, namely jewelry and flowers, probably won’t be seeing deep sales just yet.

“If you can, wait for Valentine’s Day clearance events later in the month,” says Bonebright.

“If you’re in discovery mode it’s always fun to see the deals retailers are promoting on their social media feeds,” says Marc Mezzacca, founder of CouponFollow. “Combine hashtag #PresidentsDay and the keyword ‘sale’ to perform a quick Twitter search. You [could] come across a brand you weren’t aware of previously, or a sweet last minute sale announcement.”

“If you’re hoping to snag a deal, your best bet is to track the prices of the items you want to buy so you can see if their price is truly discounted on Presidents Day weekend,” says Kimberly Palmer, personal finance expert at NerdWallet. “You can use tools to help you do that, including the browser add-on Honey or the app ShopSavvy.

Skirboll adds to be sure and check for additional discounts like promo codes or cash back offers before making in-store or online purchases. RetailMeNot Genie, Rakuten and Wikibuy are handy browser extensions that take the work out of hunting coupon codes and might just give you cash back on your purchase.

“Plus, check price-history tools, such as CamelCamelCamel,” says McGrath. “This tool shows you the price history of an item on Amazon (Amazon’s pricing is a good measuring stick for assessing an item’s lowest prices over time, because Amazon price-matches so aggressively). Knowing just how low an item’s price has gone in the past can help you determine if you’re really getting a good deal.”

“If you are buying a large appliance or furniture, be sure to research or inquire about extras, such as free delivery and installation,” says McGrath. “If you’re comparing prices across a few different stores, knowing what’s included helps you compare apples to apples.”

• Target
• Trader Joe’s
• Starbucks
• Costco
• Panera Bread

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