Deals worth buying, and the ones that only look like deals

A 40% discount on something you didn't need is a 60% charge for clutter. That's the starting point for every deal we look at. Before we call something a bargain, we check whether the original price was real, whether the model on sale is the current one or a stripped-down version made for sale events, and whether the return window changes during the promotion.

We won't run fake countdown timers or invent a discount to make a price look better. If a sale price is simply the usual price with a red banner on it, we'll tell you.

Sale events around the holidays, back-to-school season and big retail days get extra attention. Those are the weeks when return policies shrink and 'limited stock' messages multiply.

Until our own deal checks are published, The Strategist's picks below are a reasonable place to see what's actually discounted.