Top Memorial Day 2013 Weekend Sales

May 24, 2013 — -- intro: Despite wet and chilly Memorial Day weekend weather forecasts in some parts of the country, retailers will be displaying their summer goods in full force and with discounted prices.

Memorial Weekend sales at some national retailers started as early as Tuesday, so shoppers may want to shop earlier rather than later, according to Thayer Meicler, co-founder of the free location-based app SaleSorter.

"Whenever there's a big sales weekend, it's always best to be an early bird shopper so you can have dibs on the best items," Meicler said.

Sales for spring and summer items are the most prevalent so far, including warm weather clothing, outdoor accessories and summer-themed home goods, said Meicler.

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Consumer finance website NerdWallet found pickup truck sales at local dealerships will be among the best deals of the weekend with at least 20 percent off manufacturers' suggested retail prices for 2013 model trucks. The additional cuts come after discounts of 11.4 percent for large trucks in April, the steepest average discount of 15 auto categories.

Some businesses, like Macy's, are offering promotions with proceeds benefiting veterans or deals catered particularly to veterans. The restaurant chain Hooters, for example, is offering 10 free wings to veterans, servicemen and women on Monday.

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SaleSorter, available for free in the iPhone App Store with an Android app in the works, helps find favorite stores near you and can notify you of the highest-rated sales.

More than a million sales have been listed in the app since it launched about six months ago, including deals that include everything from electronics, furniture and apparel.

For shoppers looking for a type of apparel item online only, Shop It To Me's latest online feature, "Threads", notifies you if your go-to item goes on sale. Just choose your size and brand or a style, like "black blazer," and you can learn when that item is on sale across a broad range of retail websites.

Meicler and her co-founder and brother, Peter Christodoulo, both Harvard grads, hope to build SaleSorter into the ultimate local shopping resource.

"We strive to build a resource with everything you need on sale," Meicler said. "We'll help you find it, across all categories, prices and stores."

Too often shoppers get inundated with email notifications about sales, which are forgotten when they go to the shopping mall. The department store Nordstrom is currently hosting its half-yearly sale for women and children, which is a popular sale not heavily advertised beforehand.

With the SaleSorter app, users can see the Nordstrom sale has a high rating.

"Or if you add Nordstrom as your 'favorite,' when that sale happens, you'll be notified so you never miss that sale," Meicler said.

Here are some of the best Memorial Day Weekend sales, including suggestions from Meicler:

quicklist:title: Bloomingdale'stext: The department store is holdings its Big Brown Bag sale through Monday, offering 20 to 65 percent off select merchandise.

quicklist:title: Club Monacotext: Club Monaco stores and its website have offered 30 percent off through Monday.

quicklist:title: Express text: Through Monday, Express is offering 40 percent off every single item, for women and men.

quicklist:title: Forever 21text: Starting Friday through Monday, trendy retailer Forever 21 is offering an additional 30 percent of all markdowns, up to 80 percent off, with 500 new product arrivals in select stores.

quicklist:title: Gaptext: Gap's "Red Bright and Blue" event gives shoppers up to 40 percent off select styles through Monday. Kids' denim starts at $18; kids' and babies' shorts, $15; women's and men's shorts, $15; women's dresses, $26, and tees, $10.

quicklist:title: Gymboreetext: Through Memorial Day, everything at Gymboree is $12.99 and under.

quicklist:title: Harry and David text: Get up to 50 percent off select Harry & David food items with the code STARS.

quicklist:title: Macy's text: The department store's Memorial Day Sale offers up to 20 to 50 percent off select items through Monday. Select Rampage sandals, originally $39.99, will be 40 percent off through Monday. Get up to an extra 15 percent off in stores with a WOW!PASS from Macys.com. Shoppers can also wear their support for veterans with a "Got Your 6" pin for $6 for 15 to 20 percent off. One hundred percent of the purchase price of the pin will be donated to Got Your 6 ("a campaign that unites the entertainment industry with top veteran-focused nonprofit organizations," according to the website) and its nonprofit partners to empower returning veterans and military families, up to $3 million.

quicklist:title: Nordstromtext: Nordstrom is hosting its half-yearly sale for women and kids, with savings up to 40 percent.

quicklist:title: Old Navytext: Old Navy's summer sale gives up to 40 percent off select styles through June 1; adult shorts start at $15, kids' shorts at $8, and swimwear at $10.

quicklist:title: Pier 1text: Home goods store, Pier 1, is offering its "9 Day Dealio" sale through Monday, with discounts up to 25 percent off select items.

quicklist:title: Pottery Barntext: The home goods and furnishings store is offering up to 60 percent off items through Monday. Plus, take 20 percent off all outdoor pillows, select outdoor furniture, umbrellas, outdoor rugs, cushions and more.

quicklist:title: REI text: Outdoor and sporting retailer REI's anniversary sale is offering up to 30 percent off during the biggest REI sale of the year through Monday.

quicklist:title: Yankee Candle text: The candle company is offering a Memorial Day fragrance-to-go sale, including $5 for all small jars.

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