What to Know About Wayfair's Way Day 2021 Sale
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Wayfair's fourth annual Way Day sale is here. So if you’ve been wanting a new couch or other piece of furniture, an area rug or other home décor, lighting, or kitchen appliances, you may be able to save during this two-day sale.
To get the products you want and to maximize your savings, you might want to do some research before you buy. This is especially important when buying furniture and décor online when you can't see it in person.
Launched in April 2018, Way Day is Wayfair’s answer to Amazon Prime Day. This year, Wayfair’s annual sitewide sale kicked off at midnight ET Wednesday, April 28. The sale will conclude at 11:59 p.m. ET Thursday, April 29.
What's on Sale?
Wayfair says almost everything on the site will be on sale during Way Day at prices that beat those of Black Friday. Shipping on all Way Day orders is free. And its sister brands—AllModern, Birch Lane, and Joss & Main—are running promotions as well.
The majority of Way Day discounts, such as those listed here, should last the duration of the event:
Up to 80 percent off rugs and wall art
Up to 70 percent off living room furniture and bedding
Up to 65 percent off outdoor furniture, mattresses, lighting, bathroom upgrades, and tabletop
Up to 60 percent off kitchen upgrades, pet essentials, and curtains
Storage and organization starting at $10
Décor and pillows starting at $25
Bedroom furniture starting at $90
Major appliances starting at $350
Beyond these price cuts, Wayfair is also running flash deals that last a few hours at a time, with new offers cropping up every hour throughout the sale.
How to Get a Good Deal on Way Day
It can be hard to tell whether a Way Day price is actually lower than the usual Wayfair price because many of the site’s products always appear to be discounted. But there are two easy ways to find out how good a deal really is.
Compare prices between Wayfair and other retailers. If you didn't get a chance to compare Wayfair prices, the next best option is to look for the items you want on other retailers’ sites. To find other places where the same items are sold, search for the product name or use a reverse image search.
To perform a reverse image search, open up Google in your browser. Click on the word “Images” in the top right corner and a new search bar will appear. Then click the camera icon on the right-hand side of the search bar and it will prompt you to upload a photo or paste an image URL. The search results will show you other similar images.
When you spot a photo of the same product, you can navigate to the page where that image lives. In most cases, this will take you to another retailer, where you can compare prices and shipping options against Wayfair.
Much of Wayfair’s inventory, especially when it comes to large and small appliances, can be found at other stores, including Amazon, Overstock, and Walmart. These retailers may or may not drop their prices to match Wayfair’s.
Compare Wayfair’s prices before and during the sale. If you didn't do this research before Way Day, there's no way to know for sure what something was selling for before now. So this advice will be useful only for flash deals. Items that are not already discounted for Way Day may be available for lower prices for a few hours during the two-day sale. Note the price now so that you'll know how much extra you can save when that flash sale begins.
How to Avoid Low-Quality Items
Shopping online, especially for furniture and décor, can be tough because you can’t see the items in person. And remember, while it’s nice to save on a new couch, returning a large, bulky item can be a real hassle. So it’s especially important to do your research before you buy.
Though Consumer Reports doesn’t test individual pieces of furniture, you can check our ratings of 17 online furniture stores based on CR member feedback about their experiences shopping online. Wayfair ranks toward the top of the ratings, earning a good score for quality and showing up strong in the on-time delivery category.
You may also be able to find professional reviews of Wayfair brands, if not the specific pieces you’re considering.
Customer reviews can be useful as well. They may help you get a better idea of quality, ease of assembly, potential shipping issues, and even the accuracy of colors listed on the site, especially if they include a photo of the item in the review.
But because reviews from individual shoppers are subjective, read as many as you can and look for patterns. If only one or two people mention that their new chair arrived damaged, it may be a one-off issue. But if a dozen reviews indicate the same problem, it may be a sign to keep searching for a higher-quality item.
Where Else to Shop for Deals
Though Wayfair's Way Day is nowhere near as big as Amazon Prime Day, the annual sale has spurred a few major retailers to take notice.
Walmart is holding a competing sale at the same time, with a focus on home products. The retail giant is discounting furniture, cooking tools, storage, luggage, bed and bath products, home décor, vacuums, mattresses, freezers, mini fridges, air conditioners, and more.
Home Depot is also promoting a two-day spring savings event that covers many of the same categories. The home improvement retailer is offering discounts of up to 40 to 55 percent off furniture, mattresses, bedding, kitchen essentials, and décor.
Our best advice? Check all three retailers before buying anything, because one may have a better deal than the other on the same or similar items. And if sale prices are close, consider shipping times and costs (most deals include free shipping at all three retailers) to make the best choice.
