The Best Time to Buy 9 Common Items

By Braden Becknell

Going shopping can be tedious at times, especially when you see SALE signs everywhere. How do you know when you are truly getting a good deal? Through basic analysis, I have found the best time to buy 9 common times based on average prices for each season and month.

1. Winter Clothing

Generally, the best time to buy winter clothing is right after the season ends. Towards the end of January/February (depending on location) the prices on these items drop even more as the stores start trying to make room for their spring/summer clothing and merchandise.

2. Exercise Equipment

Exercise equipment usually goes on sale at least seven to eight times a year. Some of the sales are better with larger percentages taken off, while others just have a small drop in price. However, the prices on most exercise equipment, dieting pills, and weight loss related items drop even more as the first of the year comes around. Gym memberships, exercise equipment, and other weight loss mechanisms drop the price right before the New Year to reach a new audience they didn’t have the previous year.

3. Top of the Line Laptops

The brand name laptops that many people desire are most marked down when school is about to start back up. This is generally when people search for laptops more and looking more at the capabilities they have, size/dimensions, and processing speed. With these things already in the consumers mind, retailers must meet the demand and compete with other companies by providing cheaper brand name laptops.

4. Brand Name TVs

Brand name TVs usually go on sale when a surplus of money is extended to the general public and interests in watching TV goes up, which is usually leading up to the Super Bowl in February.

5. Designer Purses

Designer purses, similar to other items, temporarily drop prices, but the prices only drop by an estimated 5-8% from the usual high prices. One reason for this is that designer purses rarely go on sale. As seen with the financial troubles Coach is facing, discounting the price on brand name items lessens the value of the brand name. Louis Vuitton purses are normally burned if they are not sold the first time around.

6. Kindle Tablets/eReaders

The best time to buy a Kindle tablets is right before school starts since it is becoming normal to use a tablet to read books/textbooks instead of paying the ridiculous prices. Also, as Amazon has already released that they are almost finished with another tablet, pretty soon the expensive tablet will drop prices as a newer, slicker, and faster tablet hits the market.

7. Gift Cards

Gift cards have the best benefits when people are not already planning on buying them. Incentives such as a cheaper price or more points (for some stores) are only used when they are not expecting large sales on such an item. The best time to buy a gift card is during the March/April time period when less gift cards are purchased.

8. Furniture

Furniture is usually cheaper when the temperature outside is warmer. This seems like an odd perception, but spring cleaning is when people freshen up their homes and get rid of things they might’ve gathered over the year. This is also when people are more interested in buying furniture as they already cleaned out their home and prepared it for the large items that will soon inhabit it.

9. Tools

December actually has more sales for tools and a greater discount. Last year alone there were 16% more tool offers in December than in November. Tools are cheaper during the winter season when stores are trying to make room for outdoor items such as things related to the lawn work and patio furniture.

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