I think there should be a song titled “The 12 days After Christmasâ€. What a fantastic time to purchase gifts for others or yourself, seasonal items for next year, and other great items at 50-75% off of the price these same products were just two weeks earlier!
Retailers are very interested in getting you into stores after Christmas because they cannot count gift card purchases in their sales figures until the gift card is redeemed. It’s a win-win situation for both consumers and merchants: merchants can move some seasonal and regular merchandise off of shelves before new stock arrives for February, and consumers can find great deals!
Where to Find Post Holiday Sales
For decorations, wrapping paper, etc., you will find the steepest and quickest mark downs at stores that do not typically carry large amounts of seasonal merchandise, such as the aisle in Walgreens, CVS, or Rite Aid that turns into a Christmas Wonderland in late October, or in your grocery store.
Dealnews [1] is a great website to keep you on top of steep discounts from a variety of stores. If you are looking for deals at a particular store, it’s a great idea to go to the ‘clearance’ section of their website, or visit them directly and take a look around at what is on sale.
Play Chicken with Retailers
Are you the type who wants to rush out to stores the day or week after Christmas to snatch up some deals? Perhaps there is something in particular this year that you have been waiting to purchase. I am here to tell you that you should wait some more.
Stores will typically put items on clearance for 25-50% off for the week after Christmas. But if you wait another week, you can get the same items at a deeper discount. What if you were to wait until three weeks after Christmas? Stores will generally keep merchandise on sale and make steeper and steeper reductions on prices until the last week of January. February is the month when the shelf space is needed for new products and so old merchandise is moved out whether it was sold or not.
Are you willing to play chicken with retailers to get upwards of 75% off? The only issue with doing this is if there is something specific item that you want; someone else may buy it, or the store may pull merchandise before you have the chance to purchase it yourself.
Best Stores in Years Past
While past sales are not necessarily a predictor for future ones, there are several stores that tend to give the steepest discounts on their merchandise after the holidays. Here is a worthwhile list for you to check out this year to score some great deals:
- Old Navy
- Target
- Walgreens
- JCPenney’s
Where do you plan to shop after the holidays?