Father's Day Gifts: Where to find the best deals online

Father's Day is fast approaching, and if you're like most consumers, chances are you're still looking for a gift for dad. That's where we come into the picture.

But, rather than barrage you with yet another generic Father's Day gift guide, we're here to show you what sales you should shop in order to save the most money. So whether your dad is into sports, gadgets, or designer polos, these are the sites you should visit in the days leading up to Father's Day.

Deals Will Make it Easy to Give Your Dad a Wardrobe Makeover

Last June, men's apparel dominated all other sales categories, accounting for 35% of all of our Father's Day deals. This included everything from shorts and polos to sportcoats and men's shoes. For dapper dads, keep an eye out for sales from Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale's, which each took 70% off a selection of designer men's clothing including brands like Versace, Armani, and Cole Haan. Ralph Lauren also took up to 50% off its own merchandise with free shipping on all orders.

For more casual clothing, expect to see deals from JCPenney, Eddie Bauer, and Belk, which featured discounts of up to 50% off. For its members, Rue La La also took up to 74% off brands such as adidas, Original Penguin, Ben Sherman, and Calvin Klein. In terms of dollar-off sales, Pumatook $25 off for every $75 spent, whereas Kohl's took $10 off purchases of $30 or more and took an extra 15% off via a stackable coupon. Shoe sales were a little harder to come by, however, Allen Edmonds took 37% off select men's shoes and up to 60% off small leather goods, such as phone cases, wallets, and money clips.

Sitewide Electronics Sales Will Discount Laptops and Accessories

Every dad needs a few good gadgets in his life and although this time of year isn't generally the best season for electronics deals, with a little digging you can score a few bargains. Keep in mind that tech items only represented 21% of last year's Father's Day deals, so when you see a deal that fits your budget, you'll want to act immediately, as that deal may not resurface until later in the summer.

That said, we noticed an abundance of sitewide sales last year at stores such as Best Buy, Target, and A4C with discounts that took from 50% to 82% off a wide variety of items. Best Buy's sale was particularly noteworthy for including Apple devices such as iMacs and MacBooks. For notebooks,Lenovo also merits a mention for taking up to 39% off of its selection of laptops.

Alternatively, T-Mobile took up to $100 off select 4G tablets during its Father's Day sale, whereas smaller vendors such as ZAGG will likely take up to 70% off its selection of accessories including headphones, Bluetooth keyboards, and cases.

This year you may also want to pay close attention to Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference. It's expected Apple will use this event to launch its rumored $10/month music-streaming service. Even if you find that too expensive for your budget, Apple's unveiling could spark a temporary price war between competitors like Spotify and Rdio, which may announce specials in an effort to keep their customers from jumping ship.

Tools and Sporting Gear Will Offer the Lowest Starting Prices

If your dad loves the great outdoors, you'll be happy to hear that 25% of all Father's Day deals last year included outdoors or sporting equipment. The stores with the most noteworthy deals included Bass Pro Shops and Gander Mountain. The former offered deals from $3, whereas Gander Mountain offered 70% off select camping, hunting, and fishing gear.

For DIY dads, last year both Home Depot and Lowe's offered a wide variety of gifts starting at just $5. Lowe's had slightly better prices in that it offered an extra 10% off via a stackable coupon. However, if there's a particular item you want, we recommend price checking both stores.

Finally, if you just don't know what to get your dad this Father's Day, there are many unconventional gifts/deals you can choose from. Omaha Steaks slashed up to 60% off select meat packages and bundled in free shipping and a free 6-pack burger kit. 1-800-Baskets discounted select Father's Day gift baskets by up to 40%. Travel site Jetsetter also partook in the deal slinging with discounts at 10 international golf hotels (prices started at $94 per night). And of course, online giant Amazon took 60% off a wide assortment of gifts for Father's Day. It even offered a student special wherein students would receive a $10 credit with the purchase of a $50 Father's Day gift card.

No matter which route you take, your dad is bound to love his gift and the best part is, he'll never need to know just how much (or how little) you spent on it.

Louis Ramirez is a writer for DealNews, where this article first appeared.