What to Buy in June: 8 Best Bets and 7 Things to Skip

June Bargains

Warm weather and related festivities can be relied on to bring plenty of discounts in June, especially as the country begins to slowly reopen, and businesses and activities resume following pandemic closures. Even in the worst of times there are plenty of product categories where your dollar will go further. Here are June's best buys, several you can safely skip this year, and some that you can look for — but don't expect too much.

Raechel Conover contributed to this article.

Buy: Workout Gear

With more people wanting to get into "swimsuit shape," retailers often offer rock-bottom prices on fitness apparel at this time of year. Think shoes, clothes, and accessories for the gym or outdoor workouts. While Target's in-house All in Motion line is always worth checking out, specialty retailers can also be a solid bet: Places such as REI are trying to make up ground after spring store closings.

Buy: Lingerie

Victoria's Secret holds its famed semi-annual sale in June, bringing deals from the lingerie giant — already teetering on the brink of bankruptcy — and from its competitors including Soma and Macy's.

Buy: Dinner for Dad

Father's Day falls on June 20, and while there aren't many sales on traditional Father's Day gifts, national restaurant chains often advertise deals on dinner out — think buy-one-get-one entrees, free items, and specials. Some of the best deals can be on gift cards bought in advance of the holiday, so look for deals. (If restaurant dining rooms aren't yet open in your neck of the woods or you'd rather not dine in, plenty of deals will likely be good for takeout, too.)

Buy: Dishes and Cookware

May ushered in deep discounts on cookware, between Mother's Day and the dawn of wedding season, and many of those deals continue through June. Prices on dishware also start dropping as wedding season gains momentum — and yes, gifts are still appreciated even if the celebration itself is just limited to family members this year. Dishes and cookware make practical graduation gifts for young adults moving out on their own. Look to department stores such as Kohl's or specialty retailers such as Bed Bath & Beyond for the best deals as these stores try to make up ground lost to store closings.

Buy: Tools and Paint

The absolute best deals on tools typically don't come until October or November, but a few bargains emerge around Father's Day. Take advantage of the discounts at the major home improvement stores, Lowe's and Home Depot, as well as local hardware shops for summer DIY projects that call for power tools or a coat of paint.

Buy: Doughnuts

National Doughnut Day falls on June 4 this year. Be on the lookout for free glazed goodness from places such as Krispy Kreme, Dunkin', and Duck Donuts, all of which gave out freebies last year.

Buy: Foods in Season

June brings a fresh fruit and vegetable boom, an ideal time to get in the habit of buying local produce. Depending where you live, the fruits to buy include melons (watermelon and cantaloupe), berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries), and stone fruits (apricots, peaches, and nectarines). Kick off the grilling season with sales on the first crop of sweet corn, summer squash, green beans, and tomatoes, plus lettuce and cucumber for salads.

Skip: Electronics

Now that school is over, the best laptop deals have run their course, and retailers have mostly cleared out older tech that still lingered on shelves after an influx of updated gadgets toward the beginning of the year. Some deals on smart-home tech may be out there to appeal to summer do-it-yourselfers, but this month is mostly a wash for cheap electronics.

Skip: Mattresses

If you missed all the blowout Memorial Day sales, you're out of luck in this category. Expect slimmer discounts until Labor Day, the next big holiday shopping weekend when mattresses are in the mix.

Related: The Best Ikea Mattresses

Skip: Grills and Patio Furniture — CurtisC Photoography/istockphoto

Skip: Patio Furniture

Reliably warm weather always means plenty of buyers are clamoring for new patio furniture in June, and the pandemic means even more people are trying to upgrade their backyards for safe outdoor fun. Don't expect any exceptional deals in this category while demand is so high.

Backyard Gas Grill — Maksym Ponomarenko/istockphoto

Skip: Grills and Grilling Accessories

There were some deals in this category as late as last month, but like patio furniture, they tend to evaporate when summer is in full swing. If you can wait, the end of summer will bring lower prices, and Fourth of July sales may offer some temporary discounts.

Look For: Movie Passes

June has traditionally signaled deals brought on by summer blockbusters and audiences eager to beat the heat — bmovie theaters were hard hit by the pandemic, making 2020 an exception. But deals should be back as new films return to screens.

Tropical Vacations — dibrova/shutterstock

Look For: Travel Deals (But Skip Cruises)

The onset of hurricane season and sweltering temperatures in the Caribbean usually make June a great time for travelers to scoop up last-minute deals on cruises and tropical vacation packages. That's less certain since the pandemic closed cruise lines for business, and the U.S. State Department still warns that U.S. citizens, particularly those with underlying health conditions, should not yet travel by cruise ship. There's still an increased risk of COVID-19 infection.

Look For: Gym Memberships

June usually meant sales surface at gyms and health clubs that are running hard to sign up new members. Since fitness centers are just starting to reopen after prolonged closings because of the pandemic, even those no longer operating at reduced capacity — and may be starving for new or returning customers after people have gotten used to their at-home workouts.