Best Times To Go Shopping for Clothes

For frugal shoppers, shopping means buying clothes when you can get the very best prices, which can often take a bit of pre-planning. You can follow a few simple timing guidelines to get the best deals on new clothing, such as knowing that Thursday night may be the best day of the week to go to the store.

Key Takeaways

• Paying attention to the best times to shop can lead to the best deals on clothing.
• This could be anything from choosing the right day of the week to the right time of day or night.
• The end of the season is often ideal for shopping for clothing that you won’t need until the following year.

Thursday Evenings

Stores typically reorganize their racks on weekdays in order to replenish stocks for the weekend rush. They will also mark down items that will be on sale over the weekend.

If you want to beat the rush and get to those sales items, Thursday night’s a great time for bargain shoppers to hit the malls. You won’t have to compete for the bargains like you would during the busy weekend either.

Each store has its own schedule, though, so it’s worthwhile to learn when your store restocks.

Six Weeks into the Season

If you’re in need of clothes for this season, try to avoid giving in to the urge to buy all the exciting new arrivals when they’re first in the store. Most stores start marking down prices for seasonal items when the season is on its way out.

Assuming there are three months to a season, you can start looking for discounts after about six to eight weeks. If you can wait a measly six weeks, you’re likely to get a better price than if you buy immediately.

One of the downsides is that some very popular items might sell out over the six-week period. However, if you’re purchasing from a chain store, you can always ask a sales associate to phone other locations to see if your item might be in stock elsewhere. Another great perk of waiting to buy is that it helps curtail impulse spending. If you’ve completely forgotten about that item before the time is up, chances are you didn’t really need it anyway.

End of (or Out of) Season

If your clothing size doesn’t change much from year to year, stocking up on clothing at the end of the season is a great way to save money, and to have a good supply of new clothing available for next year. This works well for many classic or staple items, like suits, pants, jeans, or cardigans that aren’t prone to going out of style too quickly. Trendy items may be a bit riskier as they tend to become passé after a season or two.

Keep in mind that fashion seasons are different than the seasons marked on your calendar. When it comes to fashion, the new season usually begins a few months prior to the official change of season. Given this fact, if you wait until the end of the season, you should still be able to get a little bit of wear out of a new item before having to pack it away for next year.

In January or February, you can start looking for cold-weather clothing. Jackets and winter accessories often start to go on sale around this time. August is when you’ll find bathing suits, summer clothes, and sandals on sale as the summer starts to come to a close. Athletic footwear often goes on sale in January when people are looking to get going with New Year’s resolutions, though you’ll often find sneakers on sale again in April. Jeans go on sale in October after the back-to-school rush has subsided.

Note

Other ways to get great deals on clothing include joining newsletters online and checking off-price retailers.

Scout the Sales Online

Many popular clothing retailers allow consumers to subscribe to their newsletters online. Stores will often send out advance notice to their subscribers of big sales, or perhaps even allow subscribers to pre-shop at special events. If you get the newsletter, you’ll know when all the promotions are happening at your favorite stores so you’ll know when and how you can save on those clothing items you’ve been admiring. You may also find that some stores offer discounts at their online stores that may not be available at the brick-and-mortar stores.

Discount and Off-Price Retailers

Not interested in planning your shopping trips according to seasons and sales? Discount and off-price clothing stores can be a great choice. These stores typically buy large volumes of clothing from stores that have excess inventory, are clearing space for new merchandise, or have gone out of business.

You may not always be able to find what you need, and you might find that some of the clothes on sale in these shops are completely out of season. But if you’ve got the time to spend and the desire to dig, you might find a few gems. Keep in mind that many of these discount retailers also sell staples like socks, hosiery, t-shirts, activewear, and other items that are not as prone to seasonal changes.

What Are the Best Times to Go Thrifting?

Although thrift stores are usually a matter of luck, there are some periods when you can improve the likelihood of a successful haul. Experienced thrifters recommend going on weekdays rather than weekends, because stores will be less busy. In addition, spring and summer seasons tend to offer the best hauls because that’s when people declutter their garages and attics.

When Is the Best Time to Buy Electronics?

Most experts say that the best time to buy electronics is in the lead up to the Black Friday/Cyber Monday holiday deals. Other good times to shop are mid-January (when last year’s models go on sale) and August, when items go on sale for the back-to-school season.

When Is the Best Time to Buy a Car?

The best time to buy a car is at the end of the year, when dealerships are trying to clear inventory for next year’s models. Three-day weekends are also popular, as dealerships often offer special rates on vehicles or financing.

The Bottom Line

Whether you find shopping for clothes to be the most entertaining activity in existence or whether you detest it more than anything, we all need clothing. Not only is it a good idea to buy once a season’s already started, it’s typically best to avoid buying too close to a major holiday when many clothing items are purchased as gifts.

On the other hand, once these major holidays have passed, clothing items usually go on sale to liquidate the excess stock (sales after Christmas, for example). Though it’s prudent to follow these guidelines for frugal clothes shopping, keep in mind that bargains can be found at any time during the year, and in every season. It’s just a matter of scoping out the sales and having the courage to battle the crowds.