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Labor Day is right around the corner but we are already seeing sales and deals appear at major US retailers.
The US national holiday always falls on the first Monday of September. While in itself a celebration of American industry and the labor movement, retailers take the opportunity to launch time-limited sales on everything from clothing to laptops, home and garden products, technology, and cameras -- and this includes home security setups.
Prior to the event and on the day, we will be keeping an eye on the best security camera deals we can find at retailers including Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and Target.
Labor Day is taking place on September 5, but ahead of the event, we've rounded up the best deals on security cameras available online. Check out our top picks below.
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Another deal worth watching at Best Buy is for the wired version of the Google Nest Doorbell. Currently on offer with an $80 discount, the video doorbell streams video footage 24/7, sending real-time footage to your smartphone in Full HD resolution when you check in -- or alerts when motion is detected.
You can also bundle this device with a Nest Hub or Nest Hub smart display for a discount.
Our top pick ahead of Labor Day is the SimpliSafe home security kit on sale at Best Buy.
This is a full security solution for homes contained in one package. In total, the $159 kit -- currently with a $60 discount -- comes with seven pieces: a base station for central control, a keypad, four entry sensors, and a motion sensor, of which the latter could be placed at an entryway, for example.
The SimpliSafe home security kit is compatible with Amazon Alexa or can be controlled via your smartphone. If you want to add 24/7 professional monitoring, you can choose to subscribe to the SimpliSafe plan. Additional bolt-ons also include glass breakage sensors and a smart video doorbell.
Amazon is offering a cut-price deal on a Ring and eero bundle ahead of Labor Day. For $319, you can pick up a Ring Alarm Pro kit containing a built-in eero router, base station, keypad, contact sensors, and motion sensors for full security coverage in your home.
The Eero router is included as a form of 'backup' connectivity, just in case your standard connection has issues while you're away from home. Some of the kit requires AA batteries, so make sure you have a supply before you begin installation.
There is an optional Ring Protect plan if you want to sign up for professional 24/7 monitoring.
An interesting option ahead of Labor Day for home security cameras is the Brinno peephole camera. The design of this product is slightly different from the usual video doorbells, in which the device is concealed from visitors.
You install the peephole outside, whereas the rest of the camera connects inside your home. The Android-compatible camera then feeds a real-time view from a 2.7" indoor display or your smartphone.
While not the biggest discount, this camera, available on Amazon, is worth considering if you are looking for a pet or baby monitoring device.
The TP-Link Tapo is a compact camera with motion detection capabilities that works with both Google Home and Amazon Alexa, alongside your mobile device.
For its modest price tag, the camera has a wealth of useful features, including a tilting mechanism, wireless connectivity, night vision, and the ability to save footage to a microSD card (up to 256 GB).
Taking place on the first Monday of September every year, Labor Day is a US holiday set by the federal government designed to celebrate "the social and economic achievements of American workers." Ordinances were first passed during the late 1800s to secure the date as a national holiday.
The date changes marginally every year due to the calendar. However, in 2022, Labor Day is taking place on September 5.
It really depends on the retailer. If you're looking for a major appliance, you can expect those to ramp up closer to September 5 -- usually around one week before, which would be around August 26.
However, there are multiple factors at play this year. First, there are issues in the supply chain and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic to consider. Additionally, a lot of stores ended up purchasing items in bulk, and with people still spending, albeit less, they have a lot of extra inventory that they will need to get rid of. That's where the savings come in. While, traditionally, they usually start sales around August 26th, we expect them to start as early as today to encourage shoppers to purchase.
In the past, we've seen Labor Day deals get extended for up to a week after the holiday, so you can expect the deals to go through at least September 12. Anything after that is not guaranteed.
We comb the internet across multiple retailers and take into account a multitude of factors. First, If the product is less than 15% off, it is usually not a good deal. There are exceptions to that, such as Apple products, which are very popular but not usually on sale.
Our general rule of thumb is that it has to be at least 15% off. Additionally, we check over the past six months on any item we think it's a great deal to make sure that you truly are getting a great deal. Anything that has been price-gouged to appear like a deal, where they raise the price a few days before and drop it back down to the "deal" the day of, has not been included on this list. We want to make sure that you get the best deal for these items.
In the lead-up to Labor Day in September, US retailers are offering a range of deals on a massive variety of products. While not every deal is a doorbuster, we have also found other Labor Day sales in 2022 to consider: