When visiting the United States, knowing when to shop allows you to get the best savings for your hard-earned money. In doing so, you can allot the amount you saved for dining, watching local shows, checking out tourist attractions, and even more shopping. As a frequent traveler and avid shopper myself, I make sure that I schedule my U.S. shopping sprees during these times to maximize potential savings for both personal and gift items. The same thing goes whenever I visit other countries such as South Korea and the Philippines.
There is no “best month of the year” to shop for specific items in the country. However, as a general guide to foreigners, most sales for clothing items are best available during the following months: January to February for winter clothes and accessories; January and April for athletic footwear; August for summer clothes, bathing suits, and sandals; and October for jeans and day-to-day rugged wear.
For appliances and entertainment systems, September is an ideal month to buy, especially if you consider buying prior models just before the new ones arrive. This is also the best time to buy school supplies and other school-related items. Take note that these products are not confined within the typical pens and papers. A lot of them are actually something any person typically needs including laptops, printers, and the like. During the said month, especially after Labor Day, stores mark down prices so they can get rid of older products faster. This is more practical for them than storing the items or shipping them back to warehouses.
August is also a good time to check out similar deals. The demand may still be high during this time, considering that it is a few weeks before the new school year begins. But since the competition is fierce among manufacturers and retailers, you may still find good promos and discounts around. Moreover, certain states have one tax-free weekend in August, which means about 3% to 8% savings in state sales taxes from your shopping items. If you want to take advantage of this, simply search online to see if the state you’re visiting offers it.
If you’re coming over the United States during Thanksgiving, you have the chance to try the first big sale of the Christmas season some time during the latter part of November, Black Friday. This is another great time to buy electronic items, clothes, and just about everything else. If you’re in for the adventure of lining up during midnight or even camping out with locals a few days before Black Friday, this can be an interesting experience for you.
If you don’t want to get into the physical challenge and chaos of this much-anticipated yearly sale, you can still find similar deals via online shopping. In doing so, you can skip the long lines, the many hours inside stores, and the usually high risks you may encounter along the way, including literally bumping into other shoppers and snatching and getting snatched of the best deals in store.
Generally, the best time to buy furniture items is every January, right after the Christmas season, and July, a time when there are incoming new inventories and stores need to clear out their old inventories in favor of their spring and fall lines.
