Best Buys for July
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It pays to wait to score great deals! Here are some of the items you will find cheaper during July--
Black Friday in July
Beginning in July, we start to see Black Friday-labeled sales. While this trend appeared to have lessened in 2011 compared with 2010, there were still a few offenders. Target once again offered its "Back in Black Friday" sale in the middle of July, with other retailers following suit later in the summer. While enticing, be leery of the labeling; few of these Black Friday sales actually feature the rock-bottom pricing consumers come to expect from the "darkest" of shopping days.
A few choice sales bursting with savings on the Fourth
During Independence Day weekend last year, some vendors like Saks Fifth Avenue and Bebe offered their best sales of the year so far, while most stores (like Macy's) mainly peddled middle-of-the-road discounts. A discount is still money saved, but don't be tricked into thinking these are fleeting offers; many will reappear or could potentially get better if you carefully keep an eye out for a coupon. (Post continues below.)
First chance for sizable sandal sales midseason
As per usual with seasonal apparel items, the longer you wait this summer to buy sandals, the better the price you're likely to get. However, mid to late July is when we start to see some notable discounts on footwear. Look for flip-flops for under $5 and sales on popular brands like Steve Madden, Polo Ralph Lauren, Crocs and Teva.
Mixed messages on sunglasses
Many people crave a new pair of sunglasses in the middle of summer, but according to our deals last year, the best storewide sales (from retailers like Sunglass Hut and 6pm) popped up in September, November and December. That said, as far as individual shades styles go, we see Editors' Choice deals fairly consistently from Oakley and Ray-Ban throughout the year. So, if you're not picky about the style and you just want a great price on one of these top two sunglasses brands, set up an email alert and wait for an Editors' Choice deal to roll in at any time.
Grill deals slowly sizzle
Post-Independence Day sales at department and hardware stores tend to discount summer-friendly purchases like grills. However, if you can wait until August, you will likely see a greater selection of appealingly priced options; there were 30% more deals in August of last year than there were for July. That said, June this year already saw a greater number of grill deals compared with last year, and hopefully that trend will continue throughout July and into August.
Wait until September or October for patio sets
We saw a large spike in patio and garden items in September, but October brought the best markdowns. Several patio sets and gardening items from Sears, Amazon and other merchants hit their lowest prices in October, when they were available for significantly less than we had seen over the summer. If you can wait to replace your existing patio set, cooler months will offer better deals on outdoor goods than July.
