Black Friday and Cyber Monday are done - what now?

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are done - what now?
by FiGuy


OK, so the big shopping days have come and gone, and you weren't part of the throngs. Have you missed out on all the good deals? Thankfully, no. So where and when are the bargains? Having played the Black Friday game a few times, only to see much lower prices (even on loss-leader items) later, I can tell you the best shopping times still lay ahead.

Even with really good retail sales figures, the big stores will still be fighting for your business until after the January clearance sales. In leaner years they will fight harder, and price reductions will be more drastic, but there will be reductions and enticements for sure no matter what the economic climate.

If you can hold off until after Christmas, the year end sales almost always offer the best bang for the buck. Of course, that doesn't put presents under the tree on the 25th, so many of us will pay a little more than rock bottom for tradition's sake.

So, if you want presents under the tree, should you wait until the last minute, say the 23rd or 24th, in order to get the best prices on the things we want to buy? Not necessarily. You might find a slightly better price, but not find the item you wanted in stock! That late in the game most retailers are not expecting or placing any major orders - they are running with what stock they already planned to have on hand, with the possible exception of one or two super-popular items, especially the toy du jour (this year it appears to be a robotic hamster). They will be getting more stock for the end of year sales, but it isn't going to show up in the stores right before the big day (Christmas).

You might get lucky, and find exactly what you want on the 24th at a deep discount, but the odds are against you. Experienced shoppers most frequently recommend the week containing December 15th as your best bet for finding a nice price, and finding the item you want still on the shelf. This year the 15th falls on a Tuesday, so shopping from the 14th through the 20th should get you the best results in terms of price and availability. Monday the 14th is likely to be the last major delivery of fresh stock to the stores until after Christmas, and with time running out the discounts aren't likely to get much better than those you'll find that week.

Of course there are always exceptions, and if you feel the need to explore right up until the last day, you might score something special. However, if you want to do better than just get lucky, go hit the stores sometime between the 14th and the 20th, that's when you'll have the most opportunities.

Good luck, happy hunting, go stimulate the economy!

FiGuy