Story perspectives

Nordstrom Leads Memorial Day Sale with Up to 75% Off

5/23/2026

Summary

Nordstrom Opens Memorial Sale

U.S. retailers have opened Memorial Day sales, with Nordstrom’s Half-Yearly sale running through Monday, June 1.
Nordstrom offers up to 75% off best-sellers in fashion, beauty, home and travel.
Coach’s Natural Grain Leather Shoulder Bag sells for $95 at Nordstrom, down from $280.
Anthropologie cuts a $90 sweatshirt to $30 with an extra 40% off, while Old Navy offers a scoop-neck minidress for $8 and halves basics.

Summary

Retailers Launch Clearance

Retailers such as Ashley Furniture, West Elm and Wayfair will launch Memorial Day clearance events on May 25 2026, offering discounts of up to 70 %.
The holiday marks the unofficial start of summer and prompts stores to clear past-season inventory.
Rising prices across product categories have increased consumer interest in these early-summer sales.
The timing also coincides with the start of patio season, encouraging promotion of outdoor furniture alongside indoor pieces.

History

Historical Context

Sears launched the first nationwide Memorial Day sale in 1975, offering a flat 50% discount and generating $1.2 billion in revenue. The move echoed earlier discount-retail growth, such as Zellers’ expansion to 155 stores and $407 million in sales by 1976, establishing a pattern of seasonal price cuts that modern chains now replicate.

1 of 3

Nordstrom Opens Memorial Sale

U.S. retailers have opened Memorial Day sales, with Nordstrom’s Half-Yearly sale running through Monday, June 1.
Nordstrom offers up to 75% off best-sellers in fashion, beauty, home and travel.
Coach’s Natural Grain Leather Shoulder Bag sells for $95 at Nordstrom, down from $280.
Anthropologie cuts a $90 sweatshirt to $30 with an extra 40% off, while Old Navy offers a scoop-neck minidress for $8 and halves basics.

1 / 3