June is a month of celebration. Graduation. Father’s Day. Weddings. Pride. And just … summer!
And that means June is a month of gifting and other requisite buys, whether you’re sprucing up your outdoor spaces for entertaining, hunting for a wedding present or prepping for outdoorsy summer vacations.
So, while June has no major sales events (wedged as it is between Memorial Day in May and Prime Day in July), there is still plenty of shopping to do and plenty of ways to save. To help you take full advantage of the best early-summer savings, we used our internal discount data to calculate average discounts June shoppers can expect in popular categories — and zero in on the Top 5 categories to shop this month.
Top Sales to Shop in June
In addition to the categories below, be sure to check out these June sales:
- Father’s Day sales: Like clockwork, retailers start offering Father’s Day sales right after Memorial Day sales draw to a close. Father’s Day falls on June 16 this year, so the first two weeks of the month will be filled with deals on tools, men’s grooming gifts and men’s clothing.
- Disney Store Twice Upon a Year Sale (through June 9): The sale features up to 50% off clothing, toys, costumes and more. Shop all the deals here.
- Bath & Body Works and Victoria’s Secret semiannual sales: Dates haven’t been announced, but these big sales both reliably kick off in early June and run pretty much the rest of the month.
- Gap Cash redemption period: From June 5 to June 10, you can redeem any Gap Cash you’ve racked up (redeem $10 for every $25 you spend online). Learn more about Gap Cash.
The 5 Smartest Things to Buy in June
Whatever you need (or want) to buy in June, there are plenty of sales to shop and smart buys to make.
1. Photography Services (Average Discount: 47% Off)
June 16 is Father’s Day. And that means photo gift sites will be coming on strong with promo codes for custom photo gifts — albums, calendars, blankets, mugs, framed photos. As most of these sites provide essentially the same services, they’re all competing for your business. Expect up to 70% off. Also, look for unlimited-pages discounts for photo books. Even if you’re not shopping for Dad, you can take this opportunity to shop custom photo gifts for birthdays, anniversaries and maybe even the holidays (that’s a massive head-start, we know, but the deals are THAT good).
Here’s where to look for savings. Some of these photo gifts sites also offer RetailMeNot cash back, so be sure to activate those offers to get a percentage BACK (via Venmo or PayPal) of what you spend. Yes, our cash back offers stack with whatever promo codes the photo sites themselves are offering.
2. Health and Beauty (Average Discount: 25% Off)
Beauty retailers throw summer sales just like any other retailer. Expect those sales to be heavy on skincare (thanks to all that sun damage) and summery hues of lip gloss and plush. In particular, pay attention to:
- Ulta: We expect a Jumbo Love sale (Ulta’s semiannual sale on full-sized hair care products) as well as the Summer Beauty sale in June.
- Bath & Body Works: The Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual sale is practically a given in June. And the discounts are reliably good — think up to 75% off.
3. Home & Garden (Average Discount: 23% Off)
Missed out on Memorial Day sales? Don’t worry. The home category still has strong savings in June.
Stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s offer discounts on tools and home improvement essentials in the weeks before Father’s Day, knowing that shoppers are seeking out the right gift for Dad.
Plus, retailers know shoppers are on the lookout for home improvement items as they prepare for garage cleanouts, patio parties, gardening and other time-honored summer traditions. So they’ll be offering sales to ensure shoppers check out with them.
4. Clothing (Average Discount: 23% Off)
If you need to make some last-minute clothing purchases to get ready for summer (vacation clothing, shorts, tees, etc.), you’ll find an average savings of 23% off in June. Shopping hack: You can up your savings by shopping a season behind. So snap up any spring items that are still on the racks for upwards of 60% off. Expect smaller discounts on the stuff that’s in demand now.
Smart shoppers will check the Target weekly ad to find different summertime staples on sale every week. Or, check out Kohl’s, which refreshes its discount codes every week or so. Plus, take advantage of Old Navy’s June Super Cash earnings period which kicks off June 1) and then cash in that Super Cash to get your whole family clothing.
5. Travel (Average Discount: 16% Off)
When it comes to booking travel in June, to get the biggest discounts, you’ll want to concentrate on last-minute travel for summer and fall travel.
When it comes to the last minute, Expedia is offering 25% or more through June 12 on last-minute bookings.
Later in the month, you’ll likely start to see travel sites offer discounts on fall travel, knowing that summer is likely already in the books. Last year, for example, we saw Frontier launch its All-You-Can-Fly fall pass in early June. Cruise lines will also start debuting deals for their off-season (careful, though: Fall is hurricane season in some areas). Royal Caribbean, for example, is offering some solid September deals
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