The Weekend Sales That Actually Deliver
Memorial Day weekend has a way of flooding every inbox with the word “sale” until it loses all meaning. But scattered inside that noise are genuine markdowns – some stacked, some sitewide, a few deep enough to justify buying that thing you’ve been sitting on since January. The brands that launched this weekend are covering a wide range of categories: luggage, mattresses, designer beauty, loungewear, and summer clothing are all in play, and several retailers are running discounts that can be combined for a lower final price.
The difference between a forgettable MDW promotion and one worth your time usually comes down to whether the discount applies broadly or only to a curated corner of already-moving inventory nobody wanted at full price.
What’s live right now spans enough ground to make a dent in a summer shopping list – and a few of these offers are genuinely stacked in ways that don’t show up often. Abercrombie & Fitch is running 20% to 40% off almost everything, with a stackable code AFSUMMER that adds another 15% on top of that. American Eagle is at 30% to 50% off all styles including Aerie. Those aren’t clearance-rack situations – those are across-the-board reductions on current inventory.
Beauty, Bedding, and the Big-Ticket Stuff
The categories where Memorial Day sales tend to move the needle most are the ones where the price point normally gives people pause. Dyson is offering up to $350 off select technology – not a percentage, a flat dollar figure, which lands differently on a $600 appliance than a 10% coupon would. Avocado has up to 20% off organic mattresses, which are already a considered purchase for most shoppers, and Cozy Earth is at 20% off sitewide or 25% if you’re buying three or more items at once.
On the beauty side, Anastasia Beverly Hills is at 25% off sitewide. Danessa Myricks Beauty is running 30% off sitewide with 50% off select products. Coola has 25% off sitewide. Ellis Brooklyn is taking 15% off perfume mists and body oils – not a massive number, but worth noting for a fragrance brand that rarely discounts. For shoppers building out a summer beauty rotation, these aren’t incidental deals.
Etam has a buy-two-get-one-free offer on bras, which structurally is one of the better lingerie deals of the season if you’re already overdue for a refresh. DSW loyalty members get 25% off both full-price and clearance styles, meaning the discount applies across the entire store rather than just the items already reduced. Eberjey has an extra 20% off all sale styles with code GETAWAY26, which stacks onto existing markdowns.
Travel, Swim, and What’s Moving Fast
Luggage and travel accessories are where Memorial Day sales have historically made sense – the timing lines up with summer trip planning, and these are items people tend to buy once and keep. Away has up to 25% off select luggage. Calpak is at 20% off sitewide. Neither of those are dramatic cuts, but on bags that typically run $200 to $400, 20% is a real number.
In fashion, Athleta has 40% off shorts, tanks, dresses, and swim. Cider is going up to 70% off select styles, which is the steepest markdown on the list. Crocs has up to 50% off select styles plus $3 and $7 Jibbitz packs if you’re building out a pair. Dr. Scholl’s is also at up to 50% off select styles. With ballet flats dominating summer footwear conversations, a 50% discount on a comfort-focused shoe brand is worth a pass through the site. Anthropologie has up to 30% off furniture and decor, with Anthroperks members getting an extra 40% off sale items on top of that.
Vacation – a brand with a strong reader following – is also part of the MDW sale landscape this weekend. Nordstrom, which typically runs a tight promotional calendar, has offers live as well. These aren’t brands that discount constantly, which is part of why their Memorial Day windows tend to get attention.
The practical reality of Memorial Day weekend shopping is that the better stacking codes – like Abercrombie’s AFSUMMER for an extra 15% on top of the existing 20%-to-40% discount – don’t last past the weekend. Whether that’s enough to pull someone off the couch and onto a checkout page depends entirely on how long they’ve been watching the price.
