Labor Day sales: What you should and shouldn't buy

Labor Day weekend is known for huge sales, especially on summer items and appliances. But what should you stock up on now? Not everything is a great deal right now.

At Lowe's, store manager Andrew Clark said this is a great weekend to grab refrigerators, washers and dryers.

"Customers get an additional $100 off," Clark said, showing a washer-dryer combo.

He also says his store has great deals on grills and smokers.

"Right now for Labor Day, we've got a Charbroil for $249 (down from $299), so they're absolutely a bargain for our customers."

And he said if you need outdoor furniture, now is the time to buy.

"Our patio collections right now are up to 75% off," Clark said.

All the major retailers are advertising deals to draw you in, from Ashley Furniture to Mattress Firm, to Best Buy and Home Depot, along with Lowe's.

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Where to find the biggest deals

Julie Ramhold of DealNews.com says it'll be an interesting sales weekend as retailers may try new ways to one-up the competition.

"You should find different sort of perks added on, like extra discounts or even better free shipping thresholds," she said.

Ramhold says the categories with the best deals will largely be:

- Grills

- Major appliances

- Mattresses

- Patio furniture

- Summer clothing

"And for athletic or casual shoes, it'll be a really good time for those," Ramhold said.

And yes, some people will be shopping with the holidays in mind.

"We may see some consumers taking advantage of these Labor Day sales to actually buy gifts for the winter holidays," she said.

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What to buy and not buy

For outdoor gear, appliances and summer items, DealNews says now is the time to buy.

For tech, TVs, toys and fall clothing, the biggest sales typically come a bit later, with Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days in October and Black Friday in November.  So, you may want to hold off a bit on that big-screen TV or gaming console.

Dale Bundick was scouring the shelves at Lowe's, preparing to grab some deals.

"Oh, I know I'm going to do a little bit of shopping," she said. "They have some good prices."