July and August Summer Sales: What to Buy

It’s time for summer sales. Outside of Black Friday, you may not find deals as good as what you’re going to see in July and August.

There are lots of reasons why the summer sales season heats up like it does. So, this article outlines all of the specials you can expect to find in this two-month span.

Summer Sales: Why July and August have great shopping

In July alone, you’ve got three big retail shopping holidays. They are:

• Amazon Prime Day
• Nordstrom Anniversary Sale
• Target Circle Week

Also in July: tax-free shopping holidays.

You’ll find a repeat of those summer sales in the form of tax holidays in August. In fact, July and August have the most sales tax holiday weeks and weekends than any other time of the year.

Let me outline all of these summer deals for you.

July Summer Sales

As I mentioned, there are three big retailer sales every summer. Here’s a brief recap of what you can expect from each.

Amazon Prime Day

In 2022, there were two Amazon Prime Day holidays. The first was in July; the second was in October.

I don’t know if Amazon will offer two in 2023 as well. However, what I do know is that the summer Amazon Prime Day is July 11-13.

Here is what you need to know when shopping Amazon Prime Day.

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale occurs every summer. It kicks off officially at the end of July and goes into August.

This year it is July 17-August 6, 2023.

However, Nordy Club members like me get to start shopping earlier. For 2023, here are the dates when different Nordy Club level members will have access to sale prices:

• Icons: July 11-16
• Ambassadors: July 12-16
• Influencers: July 13-16

Currently, I have Ambassador status. So, I can shop for real starting July 12. However, everyone can preview the sale starting July 3rd and start adding items to your wish list. I can’t wait as this is one of the best summer clothes sales.

Target Circle Week

Anyone who is a member of Target Circle, the store’s free rewards program, will benefit during Target Circle Week. In 2023, it’s July 9-15. So, seven-days long.

I’m looking forward to seeing savings of up to 50% on food and beverage, beauty, everyday essentials, electronics and more.

Here’s a first look at some of the top Target Circle Week savings. Target will reveal addition deals on Target.com on Sunday, July 9.

July and August Tax Free Summer Sales

One of the reasons that so many states run tax free shopping days, weekends and weeks in July and August is because of back-to-school. I’m guessing they want their residents to benefit from the summer sales before school starts up again.

Anyway, what’s interesting is you can shop in-person during your state’s tax holiday. However, you’re also supposed to be able to shop tax free if you decide to shop online, including at Amazon.

Look at how many states have tax holidays in July and August devoted to back-to-school shopping.

July sales tax holidays

• Alabama (July 21-July 23, 2023)
• Mississippi (July 28-29, 2023)
• Tennessee (July 28-30, 2023)

August sales tax holidays

• Arkansas (August 5-6, 2023)
• Connecticut (August 20-26, 2023)
• Illinois (Date TBD)
• Iowa (August 4-5, 2023)
• Maryland (August 13-19, 2023)
• Massachusetts (August 12-13, 2023)
• Missouri (August 4-6, 2023)
• New Mexico (August 4-6, 2023)
• Ohio (August 4-6, 2023)
• Oklahoma (August 4-6, 2023)
• South Carolina (August 4-6, 2023)
• Texas (August 11-13, 2023)
• Virginia (August 4-6, 2023)
• West Virginia (August 4-6, 2023)

As you can see from the list above, the most popular time in August for summer sales tax holidays is the weekend spanning August 4 through August 6.