Like after-Christmas sales, end-of-the-summer clearances present huge savings to savvy shoppers with the foresight to plan ahead for next year. Wait for late July, August, and even September to get the best deals on summer fashions, outdoor landscaping products, gardening supplies, and camping and sporting goods.
Following are some of the items it pays to buy at the end of the season. If you’re lucky, unseasonably warm fall weather may allow you to use your purchases before you pack them away for next year.
Cheap Deals on Swimwear, Beach Towels
Walk down any department store aisle after July 4th and find one-piece swimsuits, bikinis, swim trunks, and bathing suit cover-ups on sale. Discounts often start at 25 percent off, but quickly rise to half off and then 75 percent off as August approaches. The pickings become slimmer with each markdown, so watch sales closely to get the best deal on the suit you want. Or settle for your second or third choices at a greater discount. To keep track of markdowns, call store personnel at regular intervals to ask whether the store has further reduced the price on the items you want.
Online stores, such as JCPenney.com, drastically reduce prices on swimwear at the end of the season. At press time, the discount plus-size tankini (pictured below) sold for $16.99, down from $46.
Another store, Disneyoutlet.com, offers a giant Mickey Mouse 40-inch by 70-inch beach towel (see photo below) for $8.99, reduced from $24.50.
Patio Furniture Sales
Hold out until the end of summer for patio table and chair sets and get great discounts on furniture that will last for many summers. In August 2008, Sears.com reduced the price of its Garden Oasis 10 pc. Patio Set, Augusta Hills Collection, (see photo below) from $549.99 to $384.99. The set includes four sling chairs, two sling recliners, two sling ottomans, a 66-inch rectangular tempered glass dining table, and a 20-inch square tempered glass side table.
Gardening and Landscaping Deals
Annual flowers, such as marigolds, are at their priciest in May and June. Wait until July to take advantage of stores that virtually give away packs of drooping petunias and impatiens. Just snip off the spent flowers, plant and water deeply and these bargain beauties will flower until the first frost.
Gardening gear, such as sprinklers, hoses, gloves, and pruners, often sell for a discount in late summer, particularly at large stores such as Target. The retailer’s online store offered a 50-percent discount on the Orbit 22-Hole Slimline Oscillating Sprinkler in late summer 2008, which sold for $14.99, down from $29.99.
Sales on Outdoor Gear
Grills, camping supplies, and summer sporting goods are offered at their greatest discount at the end of the season. The biggest markdowns are at the big box stores, like Wal-Mart, where inventory needs clearing out at the end of the season. Watch for bargain prices on discontinued tent styles in particular.
Shopping for summer deals takes an ability to defer gratification as well as an eagle eye for bargains. Anticipate next summer’s needs in swimwear, patio furniture, gardening, and outdoor activities, and look for end-of-summer deals online or in stores for a big savings.
Judith Zwolak - Judy is a mother of two and a freelance writer living in South Dakota. Raised by notoriously frugal parents, she comes by her family ...
