Insider Secrets on the Best + Worst Online Purchases to Make This Spring
Who’s up for some retail therapy? You know we’re in, but our wallets aren’t so sure — times are still pretty tough for a lot of us. Fortunately you canshop smart and make those big purchases without hoarding coupons like an episode of Extreme Couponing. Leave that to the folks at DealNews, who scour the Internet all day, every day to find the best deals on consumer tech, home goods, clothing and even travel. They do the heavy lifting and research, and you save: win-win. We got the scoop from Lindsay Sakraida, director of content marketing at DealNews, on the best and worst purchases to make during the spring and summer months.
Mark your calendars: June is THE month to shop for bras, underwear and shapewear. You’re probably familiar with Victoria’s Secret’s Semi-Annual Sale, which takes up to 70% off, but what you might not know is that other brands like Maidenform, Frederick’s of Hollywood, Aerie by American Eagle and Spanx have jumped on the bandwagon, offering the year’s best prices last June. Even department stores like Target and Kohl’s ran similar ad campaigns. Stock up now, because you won’t see prices this good again until December. (Photo via Aerie by American Eagle)
Save the Rest of Your Closet Overhaul for the End
Meanwhile, if you’re looking for a new summer wardrobe, you’re better off waiting until the end of the season. Lindsay says the price trends go like this: When a new season of fashion comes out, you’ll start seeing moderate discounts of about 30% off roughly two months later. By mid-summer, they’ll creep up to about 50% off. Then when next season’s fashions are released, that’s when you’ll get the clearance pricing of up to 80% off summer styles. Can’t wait that long? Use the three big holiday weekends (Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day) to score extra discounts on sale items. You’ll find some of the best extra savings at Gap, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor LOFT and J. Crew, but that’s not all — luxury brands like Michael Kors and Neiman Marcus are starting to join in on the summer-sale trend too.
Hit Those Summer Sales for Patio Furniture and Grills
Despite what email blasts proclaim, not every sale is the ~*BEST SALE EVER*~ and as a rule of thumb, it’s better not to buy seasonal items during the season. But backyard bashes are way too fun to skip, so you can still shop smart by deal hunting for outdoor goods during the three big holiday weekends. For patio furniture, grills and decor, Lindsay says you can get up to 40% off on Memorial Day weekend by shopping at Sears, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Target, Walmart and other department-style stores. Those aren’t bad savings at all — but if you can wait until August, end-of-season sales will save you up to a whopping 80% off.
Skip the Tech this Time of the Year
DealNews highly recommends you leave your TV purchases until Black Friday, since that’s when new models come out, yielding deep discounts on previous models. Same goes for laptops, unless you have access to a .edu email address, in which case you can get great back-to-school gift-card bundles with Windows computers. Don’t buy a new iPad just yet — Lindsay says you can avoid buyer’s remorse by waiting until the fall, when there’s likely going to be an iPad upgrade. Lastly, this is a toughie, but unless you MUST be an early adopter, take a miss on the Apple Watch until the next generation comes out. The DealNews research team believes we’re not going to see any sizable price cuts until then, and that gives Apple enough time to work out the bugs and fixes of the first generation. (Photo via Apple)
Which spring and summer sales are you keeping an eye on this year? Show us your shopping list in the comments!
