Experts say buy mattresses for Memorial Day

NBC News Select published a Memorial Day shopping guide on May 18 that put mattresses near the top of the list for shoppers looking for large-ticket discounts. The guide said the timing of spring product rollouts can push retailers to clear older mattress inventory during the holiday sales window. NBC also said indoor and outdoor home-improvement categories are among the other areas worth watching this week. Memorial Day falls on May 25 this year, and many retailers have already started promotions ahead of the long weekend. NBC’s guide framed the holiday as a moment to target categories with predictable seasonal markdowns rather than treating every advertised discount as a bargain. ### Why are mattresses singled out during Memorial Day sales? (nbcnews.com) NBC News Select said mattresses are one of the best Memorial Day purchases because new models typically arrive in spring, prompting stores to move older inventory. That seasonal turnover can create discounts on products that are being replaced for merchandising reasons rather than because of a quality issue. (nbcnews.com) Forbes and Sleep Foundation published separate Memorial Day mattress-sale roundups this month that also described the holiday as a major shopping window for beds, with brands already advertising steep markdowns. Those guides did not set the market standard, but they showed mattress promotions were widespread across the category in mid-May. (nbcnews.com) ### Which expert did NBC cite on holiday sale timing? Stephanie Carls, a retail insights expert at RetailMeNot, told NBC that holiday sales are most effective when retailer priorities match shopper demand. NBC quoted Carls as saying that alignment is “very much the case during Memorial Day” for seasonal home and outdoor goods. NBC’s guide used that framework to steer shoppers toward categories tied to late spring and early summer use. (forbes.com) The article grouped mattresses with household and outdoor purchases that retailers are actively promoting as the season changes. ### What else did the guide tell shoppers to look at? NBC News Select said indoor and outdoor home-improvement items are another category to watch during Memorial Day sales. (nbcnews.com) The guide pointed readers toward practical household purchases instead of discretionary items with less predictable pricing patterns. NBC also published a separate early-deals roundup on May 19 that included mattresses, home appliances, beauty, tech and other categories already marked down. (nbcnews.com) That article suggested the promotional cycle is underway before the holiday weekend itself. ### Does the advice say to wait until Memorial Day itself? NBC’s May 18 guide did not present Memorial Day Monday as the only day worth shopping. (nbcnews.com) Other current sale coverage points to promotions appearing before the weekend, with brands and retailers already posting mattress offers. CW33 Dallas/Fort Worth, citing a separate analysis summarized in the broader briefing, reported that some of the best Memorial Day deals can show up in the middle of the week rather than on the holiday weekend itself. (nbcnews.com) That reporting supports the idea that shoppers comparing prices now may not need to wait until May 25. ### What should shoppers watch next? (nbcnews.com) May 25 is the formal Memorial Day holiday, and retailers are expected to keep updating promotions through the week. NBC News Select’s May 18 shopping guide and its May 19 early-deals roundup are the clearest named references in this cycle for mattresses and home-improvement discounts, with additional sale trackers from Forbes and Sleep Foundation listing live mattress offers as of this week. (nbcnews.com)