When to buy: a month-by-month guide to seasonal discounts
Sales emails arrive every day, but some of the deepest price cuts still follow the calendar. Here is what tends to get cheaper, and when.
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With a constant stream of promotional emails, app notifications and flash sales, it is easy to assume that timing no longer matters. Price researchers at Consumer Reports found otherwise: for many products, the steepest reductions still arrive at predictable points in the year.
There are two main reasons. The first is model turnover. When a manufacturer launches a new version of a TV, laptop or car, retailers need to clear the older stock, and the discount does the clearing. The second is tradition. Some sales have run in the same month for decades, such as the January linen sales that department stores have held for generations.
Use the calendar below
Select a month to see the product categories that are typically discounted then, along with the reason behind the drop.
What tends to be cheaper this month
Seasonal price patterns compiled from consumer research. Pick a month to plan a purchase.
- Cruises
- Jeans
- Toys
- Lawn equipment
October is a quiet month for cruise lines, which often run promotions.
Sources: Consumer Reports, Reader's Digest, Consumers Credit Union
Three things to keep in mind
- Lowest price and best choice rarely coincide. End-of-season sales clear what is left, so popular sizes, colours and configurations may already be gone.
- There are always exceptions. A retailer may run an off-cycle promotion at any time, so a calendar is a guide rather than a rule. Price-drop alerts help catch these.
- Asking still works. In a Consumer Reports survey of 2,000 American adults, the large majority of those who tried negotiating said they had secured a lower price at least once, particularly on appliances, electronics and furniture.