After the end of a busy holiday season, shopping may be the last thing on your mind. If that’s the case, then you may want to think about that again. The days immediately following Christmas are a great time to find major bargains at all kinds of stores. Most retailers have an abundance of after-Christmas clearance to unload, so it’s a good time to pick up some deals on items that you can use now or to stock up on holiday items for next year.
Where to look for the bargains:
The day after Christmas is a notoriously busy day for retailers. Most stores are crowded with an onslaught of shoppers bringing back holiday returns; so smart retailers try to entice the customers already in their stores by offering unbeatable deals on holiday clearance items. Most stores mark down holiday items to 50% off the original price the day after Christmas. Some stores mark down prices even further. So where are the best places to check for reduced price merchandise?
-- Discount stores. Your favorite discount store has a ton of stuff that they need to get rid of to make room for new stock. Check all of the departments that previously housed Christmas items, such as the clothing departments, holiday décor and gift wrap sections, book and music sections and paper and food aisles. Most discount stores offer great reductions on extra toys that they had in stock for the holidays, so scout the toy aisles for unexpected bargains on hot new toys. Many discount stores move all of their Christmas clearance to one central area in the store, so be on the lookout for that.
--Grocery stores. All of those unpurchased fruit baskets and Christmas cookies from the bakery need to be sold! Your favorite supermarket is a great place to shop the day after Christmas. Be sure to only purchase perishable items that you can use in the near future. Stock up on other after-Christmas food items like candy, hot cocoa mix and other items that will keep a little longer. Remember, most supermarkets have seasonal aisles so check for leftover wrapping paper, cards and other holiday items as well.
--Book stores. Now is the time to grab some Christmas storybooks and advent calendars for next year. Many bookstores mark these items down to 50% off or more immediately after the holidays. Calendars for the New Year are usually discounted as well.
--Christmas specialty stores. These types of stores, which tend to pop up in malls and shopping centers around Thanksgiving time, often close up shop by mid-January. They have to clear out their inventory, so check them out for beautiful Christmas ornaments, tree lights and other holiday décor items.
-- Online auction sites and online retailers. Log on to your favorite online auction site and type in a search for “Christmas clearance” or “Christmas sale”. Just like regular retailers, online sellers have Christmas clearance that they want to get rid of. Check the websites of other online retailer stores that you like to shop at-- many will have a holiday clearance section where you can easily search for bargains.
Some other tips:
--Try haggling to get a better deal. Now is a great time to brush up on your negotiating skills. If you ask a seller to reduce the price on an item even further than the clearance price, they just may agree to do it. They want to sell the stuff, so it can’t hurt you to ask. It may even help you!
--Check again after New Year’s. Many stores do an initial reduction right after Christmas and then reduce prices even further after the 1st of the year, so check back at your favorite stores often.
-- Don’t buy items that you don’t need or can’t use in the future. It’s no longer a deal if you buy something just because it’s on sale and then never use it.
Items to buy if you will be able to use them soon: Food items like fruit baskets, holiday cheese and cracker baskets, tins of cookies, holiday crackers, hot cocoa mix and Christmas candy.
Items to stock up on for next year: Holiday wrapping paper (at half price you can even afford the fancy foil wrapping paper), Christmas ornaments, lights, wreaths, Christmas cards and party invitations, holiday-themed paper products, holiday dishware, toys, Christmas sweaters and holiday outfits for the kids.
Finally, try to enjoy the after- Christmas shopping season. There are many bargains to be found, and with the stress of Christmas already behind you, you can relax and take your time to look for great deals on items that you can really use.
