An expert shares everything consumers need to know ahead of the sales

• Best Labor Day deals: Look for deep discounts on grills, mattresses, major appliances, and furniture.

• What to skip: Hold off on fall fashion, toys, and most tech until later sales like Black Friday.

• Smart shopping tips: Start holiday shopping early, stack promo codes and cashback, and take advantage of bundles or retailer perks.

With the upcoming holiday weekend, many consumers are keeping their eyes peeled for the Labor Day specials and sales.

To help you sort through the best and worst buys of the season, ConsumerAffairs spoke to RetailMeNots Retail Insights Expert Stephanie Carls.

She shares insights on what to buy, what not to buy, whether its too early to start planning for the holidays, and more.

Best and worst buys

If youre stuck on what to buy this weekend and what to avoid Carls has some advice.

Labor Day is basically clearance season for the home, she said. Grills are a top buy with big markdowns as summer wraps up. Mattresses and major appliances always show up strong this weekend, and youll find some of the best furniture savings of the season as stores make room for fall.

On the other hand, fall fashion is still full price and better to wait on, Carls said. Toys and gaming are a skip unless its something you know will sell out. And for tech, unless youre grabbing a last-gen model, hold off. Black Friday is where the bigger price drops usually land.

Is it time to start holiday shopping?

According to Carls, this weekend may be the time to start thinking about starting your holiday shopping.

If something is on sale now and you know its going to be on your list later, it makes sense to grab it early, she suggested.

Labor Day is a smart time to pick up gifts that are useful, timely, or seasonal. Think home upgrades, college essentials, or even early decor. And if you are trying to avoid that last-minute crunch in November and make sure the items on your list don't sell out before you're able to grab them, this is a great way to get ahead.

Stack your savings

Another thing to think about this holiday weekend: there are plenty of ways to stack your savings.

Labor Day is one of those under-the-radar weekends that can really pay off if you shop it right, Carls said. Look for ways to stack your savings that means starting with the sale price, then adding promo codes, cash back, or both. S

Some retailers will price match if you ask, and even if they cant, they may throw in a bundle instead. Bundles are a hidden perk of this weekend. You might see pillows and sheets included with a mattress, or free haul-away with an appliance delivery. Even buying a washer and dryer together can unlock extra savings.

An expert breaks down the study findings

• 73% of patients said weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy helped them cut down on substance use.

• Many reported fewer cravings, slips, and even quitting altogether.

• Experts believe these medications may mute the brains reward system, making it easier to avoid addictive behaviors

Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy have been the topic of much recent research.

A new study from Levity found a surprising side effect of the drugs: people taking these medications say theyre drinking less, smoking less, and even losing interest in habits they once struggled to control.

The findings suggest these drugs might do more than help with appetite they may also quiet the brains reward system, the part that fuels cravings and addictions. Though early days, the findings are raising big questions about whether these popular medications could one day play a role in treating addiction.

The key findings

ConsumerAffairs connected with Dr. Sophie Dix, Head of Medical Affairs, at Levity to learn more about the study. She broke down the key findings from the study.

• 73% of the GLP-1 medication patients said the drug assisted them in cutting down on substance use

• 29% reported they quit altogether

• 54% cut booze use on average by 58%

• 63% had fewer drug or alcohol slips

• 77% reported fewer cravings after merely four weeks

It's interesting that benefits were felt in domains such as compulsive spending and gambling, as well as consumption of alcohol, drugs, and smoking, Dr. Dix said.

The impact of age

While the study results showed that all ages had reductions in drugs and alcohol, older participants benefited to a lesser degree.

For example, 71% of baby boomers said they used drugs less, and 58% had fewer relapses, Dr. Dix said. In contrast, 82% of Gen-Z participants reported less drug use and 80% had fewer relapses.

This could be that unhealthy behaviors are more hard-wired in the older participants, both from a biological and behavioral point of view. Regardless of the generational differences in the size of the effect, it is still a marked improvement across all groups.

A closer look at the findings

Dr. Dix explained that the survey didnt ask participants whether they were trying to control unhealthy impulses on their own, or if they had been involved in a treatment program. Additionally, because this isnt a randomized clinical trial, the team cant be certain that this finding is due to the medication.

However, four in five of those surveyed felt that their ability to control impulsive behaviours had improved since starting GLP-1s, Dr. Dix explained. In addition, the participants were testifying about the adoption of improved practices in the place of drug consumption 48% replaced drug use with exercise, 44% replaced it with rest or sleep, and 41% replaced it with therapy or journaling.

We cant be sure whether participants were making general efforts to live a healthier lifestyle, or whether the GLP-1s alone curbed impulses that made it easier to make lifestyle changes. We do know that GLP-1s affect the part of the brain that processes rewards. So, by muting the buzz that drives people towards addictions such as drugs, food, alcohol or gambling, it makes it easier for them to engage with healthy alternatives and kick the habit.

Results beyond weight loss

Dr. Dix explained that consumers should be aware that although GLP-1s most often get prescribed to lose weight and control blood sugar, research is showing that the medications also impact impulse control and cravings beyond food.

GLP-1s are not currently approved for treating addictions, but there are research studies ongoing, she said. If someone is already taking them for a licensed indication (weight loss or T2DM) and has a habit they want to kick, they may find it easier while taking the medication. It will likely boost the power of psychological therapies and help more people live happy, healthy lives free from addiction.

Congress passed a law in 2021 requiring back-seat safety equipment but no implementation rules have been issued

• A 4-month-old baby boy died after being left in a vehicle in Williamsburg County, South Carolina, earlier this week.

• He is at least the 24th child nationwide to die in a hot car in 2025, according to Kids and Car Safety.

• Safety advocates warn that federal regulators are more than a year overdue on implementing life-saving technology mandated by Congress.

Authorities confirmed that a 4-month-old infant boy died on August 25 after being left inside a vehicle in South Carolina. The case marks at least the 24th child hot car death this year in the United States, continuing a tragic pattern that has claimed more than 1,150 young lives since 1990.

According to the nonprofit Kids and Car Safety, the vast majority of victims are 3 years old or younger, with more than half unknowingly left behind by otherwise responsible parents or caregivers.

Death toll continues to rise despite available technology

Hot car deaths surged after children began riding in back seats, where they are less visible to drivers. Safety advocates stress that technology already exists to detect rear-seat occupants and alert caregivers before tragedy strikes.

Congress included a requirement for such technology in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, ordering the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to finalize rules by November 2023. That deadline has passed, leaving the regulation more than 18 months overdue.

Since the law was signed, more than 130 children have died in hot cars.

On May 1, grieving families sent a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg urging immediate action to issue the long-delayed rule.

Families and advocates demand action

Janette Fennell, founder and president of Kids and Car Safety, said the continuing deaths highlight the cost of inaction.

We are committed to the push for occupant detection technology in all cars immediately. As we continue our advocacy, children continue to die week after week. It is beyond heartbreaking, Fennell said. Automakers do not have to wait for the final regulation they can add occupant detection technology to their vehicles today.

Education and prevention

While technology is viewed as the ultimate safeguard, Kids and Car Safety continues to educate families on preventive steps. The group stresses that tragedies often occur in ordinary families who never imagined such an accident could happen to them.

Resources, including fact sheets and information on currently available hot car detection technology, are available from Kids and Car Safety.

AGs want platforms to help prevent the creation and spread of sexually exploitative AI-generated content

By Truman Lewis of ConsumerAffairs

• Attorneys general from 48 statesare urging major search and payment platforms to take stronger action against nonconsensual deepfake pornography.

• The coalition is pressing companies to disclose their current safeguards and commit to further steps to prevent the creation and spread of sexually exploitative AI-generated content.

• Officials say the technology is increasingly being used to harass, intimidate, and exploit victimsparticularly women and girls.

A bipartisan coalition of 47stateattorneys general in sending letters to search platforms and payment processors, demanding stronger measures to combat the growing problem of nonconsensual deepfake pornography.

DeepfakesAI-generated videos, images, or audio clips that appear authenticare increasingly being used to create sexually explicit material without the consent of those depicted. Such content has been weaponized to bully, harass, and exploit victims, raising urgent legal and ethical concerns.

Tools that allow people to generate intimate images and videos of real people without their consent can cause significant harm to the public particularly to women and girls, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said. As technology rapidly evolves, I am committed to engaging with industries to ensure were all working together to guide AI toward positive potential that will benefit us not hurt us.

The letters request information from major search engines and financial platforms about the steps they are taking to limit access to deepfake porn and call on them to strengthen their policies. Search providers, for instance, can filter out results that promote deepfake creation tools, while payment processors can ensure they are not facilitating transactions for those selling such content.

A growing threat

Deepfakes pose a growing threat to all of us, but especially to women and girls, and tech companies must do more to stop the spread of these harmful materials, said Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark. Vermont law already includes non-consensual deepfakes in its revenge pornography statute. Its time for search engines and payment platforms to take responsibility for their role in spreading this harm and crack down on the proliferation of deepfakes. I am proud to have led these bipartisan letters.

In their letters, the coalition points to existing industry practices that can be deployed to address these deepfakes. For example, search engines already limit access to harmful content such as searches for how to build a bomb and how to kill yourself.

The attorneys general urged these companies to adopt similar measures for searches such as how to make deepfake pornography, undress apps, nudify apps, or deepfake porn. The coalition also urged payment platforms to deny sellers the ability to use their services when they learn of connections to deepfake non-consensual intimate imagery tools and content and remove those sellers from their network.

The bipartisan coalition behind the deepfake pornography crackdown spans nearly every U.S. state and territory, underscoring the widespread concern about the potential harms of artificial intelligence when left unchecked.