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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 RetailMeNot’s Retail Insights Expert Stephanie Carls. She shares insights on what to buy, what not to buy, whether it’s too early to start planning for the holidays, and more.

After all, though TikTok may tell you that everyone is doing up their dorm rooms at the cost of roughly a new car, in reality, the average family spend (according to a RetailMeNot poll) is a much less jaw-dropping $598. "Bama Rush showed us how TikTok can turn a very specific college tradition into a national spectacle. Dorm culture is doing the same thing, as what used to be a quiet move-in weekend is now a public performance where the reveal and the viral traction matter as much as the room itself," explains Stephanie Carls, who is RetailMeNot's retail insights expert. "This is not decorating. This is dorm culture. That being said, Ikea will still beat out West Elm for most students."

"From current megastars like Blake Lively to historical literary icons like Jules Verne, gender-neutral names are a thing of both the past and present," stated BabyCenter in a news release. "And it looks like the trend isn't going away any time soon."