Here’s How Shoppers Are Using Slickdeals to Beat Inflation

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Inflation is back in the headlines — and Slickdeals users aren’t waiting around for it to get worse. The March 2026 Consumer Price Index came in at 3.3%, the highest reading since May 2024, driven by a record-breaking 18.9% spike in gas prices tied to geopolitical disruption in the Middle East. The national average for a gallon of regular gas crossed $4.50 as of early May, a price point Americans haven’t seen since the summer of 2022.

In response to this, some clear trends have emerged in what Slickdeals users are searching for over the past month. Shoppers are actively hunting for deals on gas, food, telecom and entertainment.

Here’s what the search trends reveal about which products people are hoping to save big on right now, as well as a recap of recent related deals for each category.

Gas Deal Hunting Prevails

In early April, searches for variants on “7-Eleven” spiked considerably — a brand that rarely appears in top search data. The driver? A promotion offering savings of $1.41 per gallon at 7-Eleven pumps. With gas prices up more than 30% year-over-year in many states, that kind of discount is unarguably noteworthy.

On the related Deal Thread, the community made it clear this offer landed at just the right time. At the time of this writing, the offer has amassed a score of over +400, along with almost 300 comments and over 110,000 views. Commenters rejoiced, describing this as exactly the type of deal Slickdeals was made to uncover.

It’s worth noting that as of this article’s publication, this deal appears to still be live. Don’t miss out on your chance to score your next tank of gas at a serious discount.

Restaurant Discounts Keep Eating Out on the Table

One way savvy shoppers have managed to save money while eating out (despite the rising cost of food) is by purchasing discounted gift cards. For example, if you purchase a $50 gift card for $40, and you know you’ll use it at some point, you’re basically getting $10 worth of free money.

To that end, Chipotle searches surged more than 10x its previous four-week weekly average in early April. This was likely due to a discounted gift card promotion, and amounted to the biggest single-brand spike we’ve seen this year.

Dunkin’ and Panda Express both saw searches roughly double their recent baselines during active deals. Dunkin’ was offering free coffee for people who ordered through its app, whereas Panda Express gave residents in select states a $7 meal deal to celebrate a recent Dodgers win.

Five Guys also managed to explode onto the scene by offering a BOGO deal on burgers in early March. This led to close to 7,000 searches, an increase of over 700% compared to the previous month. 

Interestingly, Shake Shack also offered a BOGO deal on Korean menu items in March, but this only led to a couple hundred searches for the burger chain. It seems users were more interested in securing deals on their go-to menu items.

It’s worth noting that none of these restaurants tend to generate this kind of search volume organically. And while it’s never a bad time to receive a nice restaurant freebie, current economic conditions undoubtedly made these offers even more welcome.

Cutting the Monthly Bills

Beyond one-time purchases, Slickdeals users are also tackling recurring expenses. Luckily, we saw a flurry of good deals on discount subscriptions to Walmart+ and Sam’s Club, which led to a rise in search volume for both retailers in mid-March.

Deals like these can do a lot to help consumers weather times of economic instability, as they continue to provide value for months to come.

DIY Over Pay-Someone-Else

Tools has been the single most-searched category on Slickdeals for the better part of three months, consistently outpacing smartphones and laptops, which historically reign supreme. With tariffs pushing up the cost of hardware, appliances, and home services, more consumers appear to be choosing to fix, build, and maintain things themselves, as searches for brands like Milwaukee, Dewalt, EGO Power and Greenworks have all surged.

Laptops Cool Off

Not every search trend in March pointed toward deal-hunting. On the contrary, some pointed toward deferral. Laptops held the top spot in Slickdeals search volume every week from January through February, but in March interest took a complete 180.

Laptops dropped out of the top category rankings as spring outdoor demand took over, and even a MacBook Air M4 launch in early March only produced a modest, product-specific bump rather than a broad category revival.

The timing lines up with a tariff environment that has made laptops meaningfully more expensive. When a big-ticket electronics purchase carries more sticker shock than it did a year ago and no compelling deal is in sight, shoppers move on. While there still is likely demand for laptops, searchers are prioritizing other, more readily available deals.