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What to expect from 2016 Memorial Day sales

It's one of the greatest holiday weekends to shop, especially if you're in the market for clothes, home goods, or a new mattress.

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Ron Edmonds/AP/File
The skyline of Washington, D.C., including the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial and the U.S. Capitol. Although summer doesn't technically begin until June 20, most people consider Memorial Day to be the official start of the season.

Although summer doesn't technically begin until June 20, most people consider Memorial Day to be the official start of the season. This year the holiday falls on May 30, and of course you can expect a bevy of sales.

Unlike some other holidays, Memorial Day sales don't disappoint — as long as you shop for the right stuff. You'll want to steer clear of summer items, as you'll find better deals on things like grills and summer clothing later in the season. (Hold off until August for those goodies.) Instead, stick to the guide below to find plenty of substantive savings.

Sales Start the Week Before

While last year we saw a couple travel deals early in the month, the first proper Memorial Day sale arrived 11 days before the holiday, which would be May 19 this year. Nonetheless, we saw a greater number of sales as the holiday got closer, with a large spike in promos on the preceding Thursday and Friday. Still, many stores will release discounts on the holiday itself, with around 25% of all sales falling on Memorial Day proper.

Save 20% to 90% on Spring Clothing

While we saw a drop in the total number of clothing sales last year, you can still expect about 30% of all sales to be for spring clothing. Expect to see deals from Uniqlo, Macy's, Amazon, Saks Fifth Avenue, PacSun, Sierra Trading Post, Gap, and Eddie Bauer, with discounts of 20% to 90% off. Designer brands like Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, and Cole Haan will also offer discounts, which will range from 30% to 50% off.

However, you won't want to settle for a mere sale price, as most stores will also have coupons offering deeper discounts. Look for coupons taking up to an extra 40% off.

Look for Coupons to Add to Discounts on Everything

Fortunately, stackable coupons aren't exclusive to apparel. In previous years, we've seen similar deals for appliances, furniture, and even musical instruments. You can expect to see coupons for as much as 60% off from Williams-Sonoma, Sears, Crate & Barrel, and more.

Home Goods Stores Will Knock Up to 70% Off

Last year, a full 27% of all sales focused on home items, including discounts on appliances, kitchen supplies, and furniture. Looking to make improvements to your house for the summer? Expect Lowe's and Home Depot to take discounts of up to 50% off and 34% off, respectively. Need to step up your game in the kitchen for summer entertaining? Williams-Sonoma and Chef's Catalog should be cutting prices by 60% and 70%, respectively. Also, look for big sales from Sears, JCPenney, and Cymax.

Mattress Prices Could Drop as Low as $240

Historically, May has always been a good time to replace your mattress with a new one, and we've consistently seen discounts on Memorial Day. Expect deals from Amazon and Sears, since both offered 60% off last year. Also look to US-Mattress to cut prices in half or tack on an additional 40% off select items. Even Groupon could get in on the game; last year the site took up to 80% off and then offered a coupon for an additional 10% discount. Look for prices starting as low as $240 for a twin-size mattress.

Book Your Next Vacation

If you start to get the travel bug while relaxing at home during the holiday weekend, then you're in luck: Memorial Day is a great time to book that summer vacation. Last year we saw both flights and hotels on sale, so expect deals on weekend getaways and longer trips. Look for sales on domestic hotels and flights from Hotels.com, Jetsetter, and Travelocity, as well as directly from airlines like Southwest.

Using the guidelines above, you should be able to find plenty of deals among this year's Memorial Day sales. Enjoy the savings and the extended weekend, dealseekers!

This article first appeared at DealNews.

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