Labor Day Is the Best Grill Sale of the Year — Here's What to Actually Buy
For grills, Labor Day beats Black Friday — it's end-of-season clearance. Here's which deals are real and which picks are worth grabbing before fall.
For most of the year, buying a grill is a bad idea. Not because grills are bad — because the timing is. But Labor Day weekend is the one exception, and it's a bigger deal than most shoppers realize: this is end-of-season clearance, the deepest grill-discount window of the year, and it's already live ahead of the September 7 holiday.
Here's the counterintuitive part. For TVs, the honest advice is to wait for Black Friday. For grills, it's the reverse. Grills are seasonal stock, and retailers dump current-year inventory in late summer to clear floor space for fall. By November the good models are sold out or swapped for next year's version at full price. If you've been putting off a grill purchase, this is the week to stop.
The deals worth chasing
Weber is running the strongest promotion. The company is taking $100 off select Genesis grills — including the Weber Genesis E-335, our number-one gas grill — and bundling free accessories like a smart hub and a cover with the purchase. Weber almost never gives away accessories at full price, so the bundle is worth as much as the markdown.
The better value for most people is a step down. The Weber Spirit line has been dipping under $450 this week at major retailers, which is real money off a grill that earns two spots on our list: the three-burner Spirit E-425 at rank 3 and the compact Spirit E-310 at rank 5. Either one out-cooks anything in the doorbuster bin, and at these prices they're the easiest recommendation of the weekend.
Premium buyers have one thing to watch: the Napoleon Prestige 500 RSIB, our number-two pick. It's a grill that almost never discounts, so if it slips below its usual $1,879, grab it — that price won't come back at Black Friday.
What to skip
Ignore the no-name four-burner "$149, was $499" grills that anchor every Labor Day flyer. Those run stamped-steel burners and thin lids that warp within a season or two. The low price is the entire product, not a discount off a good one.
Skip the built-ins, too, unless you're mid-renovation. The high-end Bull Angus and Coyote C-Series on our list rarely see real Labor Day cuts, so there's no reason to rush a $1,500-plus purchase to beat a sale that isn't happening.
Buy the grill, not the banner
The rule is simple: a real deal is a discount on a grill you'd want at full price. Weber, Napoleon, Broil King, and Char-Broil all make the cut. Everything else in the doorbuster aisle is a clearance of a grill that was overpriced to start.
See the full rankings — freestanding, premium, and budget — on our Best Gas Grills list, where the community weighs in on which picks actually earn their spot. Cooking for a crowd this weekend? Our summer grill roundup by backyard type sorts the picks by who cooks what, and if you're short on space, the Best Portable Grills guide covers the tailgate and balcony crowd.
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Common Questions
Labor Day 2026 falls on Monday, September 7. The sale window is wider than the holiday itself — Weber, Home Depot, Lowe's, Amazon, and specialty retailers like BBQGuys began cutting prices the week of August 25 and will run through the holiday Monday. The deals are already live, and the best inventory on popular models tends to sell through before the actual weekend.
Yes — and this is the opposite of the advice for TVs. Grills are seasonal inventory, so retailers clear current-year stock at the end of summer to make room for fall and holiday goods. Labor Day routinely produces the deepest grill discounts of the year, often 30 to 40 percent off, with free-gift bundles Weber rarely repeats. By Black Friday the best models are frequently sold out or replaced by next year's version at full price.
For most backyards, a Weber Spirit is the sweet spot — the Spirit line has been dipping under $450 this week, which is real money off a grill that lands on our Best Gas Grills list at ranks 3 and 5. If you want the top pick, Weber is taking $100 off select Genesis grills, including our number-one Genesis E-335, and bundling free accessories. Premium buyers should watch the Napoleon Prestige 500, which almost never discounts.
Skip the no-name four-burner doorbusters priced at $99 to $149. Those use stamped-steel burners and thin lids that warp within a season or two — the low price is the whole product, not a discount. Also skip the high-end built-in grills unless you have a specific reason: models like the Bull Angus and Coyote C-Series rarely see meaningful Labor Day cuts, so there's no urgency to buy now.
Ignore the strikethrough 'was' price on the banner and check the model's normal selling price at two or three retailers. On a known-good grill like a Weber Spirit or Genesis, a price 20 to 40 percent below its typical listing — plus free assembly, delivery, or an accessory bundle — is a genuine Labor Day deal. If the discount is only on a brand you've never heard of, it's usually a clearance of a grill that was overpriced to begin with.
Products Mentioned
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