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Now that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are over, it’s still possible to get great deals if you just let the calendar be your guide.
Retailers typically do 40 percent or more of all their annual sales during the Christmas shopping season. But the deals they offer are concentrated heavily at two times — early in the season and then much later on.
So don’t fall for the ploy where you see stores promoting sales that are actually not sales. In general, the deals won’t pick back up again until mid-December.
Clothing won’t go on sale again until between Dec. 10 and 15. Dec. 17 is a key date, particularly for seasonal goods. That includes women’s robes, men’s belts, wallets; basically anything you buy where you’re clueless about what to buy for that person on your list.
With electronics, the great deals are pretty much already in the bag, though you may see additional steals with a big push around Dec. 14 and 17. These late-breaking offers will typically come with free shipping in time for Christmas delivery.
And then what about the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day? It used to be a deal, but now it’s frightfully expensive because of a couple of factors.
People want to do their gift returns and spend their gift cards while they’re out shopping that week. Plus, you have people off from school and work who are hitting the stores. The retailers know they’ll have the customer volume, so they don’t necessarily do any discounting just yet.
But when the calendar flips, it becomes a whole different story. You have another opportunity for real markdown bargains beginning Jan. 7. Anything left at that point will be deeply discounted until they can clear it off the shelf.
Remember, the calendar is your friend for deals.
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