Holiday Shopping - when to shop to spend the least without missing out.

-
Well before Halloween brings trick-or-treaters to our doors, holiday shopping is already mainstream in the advertising world. Some companies want to capture their holiday sales before Black Friday even begins while others heavily rely on the Black Friday or Cyber Monday sales to make their numbers. There are families that look forward to their tradition of heading out to the shops as soon as their turkey coma has lifted. Others are thrilled to see companies like REI boycotting Black Friday and spearheading campaigns like #optoutside to get people out of the stores and into nature and time with friends and family. Whatever camp you fall into, saving money on items you already plan to buy for the (very expensive) holiday season can be welcome.

I recently found a fantastic Wall Street Journal article that goes into research-tested details on the specific days to shop where you will save the most money without risking the item being sold out. Read the details here, but for a summary of the article, here's what it recommends:

TOYS: Shop the Saturday before Thanksgiving - Don't risk missing out on that highly-coveted miracle toy just because you heard it would be 70% off on Black Friday! If you want to get ahead without breaking the bank, the Saturday before Thanksgiving has decent discounts and the toys are three times less likely to go out of stock before you can snag them.

APPAREL: Shop on Thanksgiving Day - However, if you want to be shopping free on turkey day, the days after Cyber Monday are your next best bet... even better than Black Friday. Shoppers typically buy apparel for themselves while intending to buy gifts for others (come on, you know you've done it too). Stores are smart to this, so the price of apparel increases during times when people are more likely to be shopping for other kinds of gifts.

ELECTRONICS: Shop on Monday before Thanksgiving - If you start thinking about electronic holiday gifts on Thanksgiving, you've already missed the boat. Amazon electronic sales are up and running well before the holiday, and while there will always be sexy discounts on Black Friday, you run a risk of the item being out of stock that is six times higher than if you get a head start.

JEWELRY: Shop on Thanksgiving Day - Interestingly, Cyber Monday is one of the most expensive days for jewelry, so while you're shopping at your desk try your best to refrain! Can't make it on Thanksgiving? Try the days just before Thanksgiving or the Saturday after Black Friday. Beyond that you risk items being out of stock or unpredictably priced.

When the holidays command a pretty penny, it's dizzying to figure out where to start and where the real "savings" can be found. Thanks to the WSJ, we don't have to blindly guess. Good luck!

You might also like:  
Rethinking the Definition of Classy: Did Coco Chanel Have It Right?
Made to Order: How Do You Like Your Paycheck?
Volunteer Vacations: Give Enjoy And Rejuvenate All At Once    

Popular posts from this blog

When a Career Woman Becomes a Mom

-
Image
Let me preface this post by saying that I've never been what you would call a "feminist". For a long time it was even a stretch to call me "girlie". I was the only girl born to either side of my family among all my cousins. I hated dolls. My best friends in high school were guys. Even when I made global news  about breast milk pumping in airports, I was speaking up out of frustration over the lack of basic facilities for handling a bodily fluid need, not to declare a women's rights war over the sexualization of women's breasts (to clarify: I don't have a position one way or the other here, just that whatever works for a mom and her hungry baby is what matters). I  say this just to set the stage for where I've come from in my perspective on this topic.  There's an unrest among many women in my position. We are career women who have embarked on parenthood. We have heard and embraced the ideas of, "if you can dream it, you can do it...
Read more

Born of the Great Depression - One Man's Story of Building Financial Freedom

-
Image
Grandpa Ferd enjoying his 90th birthday in Colorado - forever the traveling man! It seems fitting after all this time that I share the inspiration for Classy Not Pricey.  Two words:  My Grandpa. I am the proud granddaughter of a 100% Italian man, the son of an immigrant to New York City from Piacenza, Italy.   Ferdinand, lovingly called Ferdie, was the ultimate survivor.  At 91, he outlived his parents, all four younger brothers, his wife, and two of his three daughters.   He was a child of the Great Depression, although he never realized the state of his family's needs at that time.  Regardless of his financial status, he worked for almost his entire life...
Read more

What is Clean-Crafted Wine? Is it really that much better?

-
Image
If you're wondering what the "buzz" is about with the Clean-Crafted™ wine movement, you've come to the right place. The wine is delivered to your door and has a variety of benefits, so there's plenty to gain from learning more about it. Feel free to read top to bottom or skip around to your specific questions. I'll get straight to the Frequently Asked Questions : "What is clean-crafted wine?" "Clean-Crafted™" wine is a trademarked term created by the Scout & Cellar winery. Their Clean-Crafted Commitment® requires that grapes are farmed without toxic pesticides, and that wine is produced without synthetic processing aides and is low in sulfites. The requirements are verified by internal review of documented viticulture and winemaking practices, and validated by independent lab testing.  Founded by an attorney (Sarah Shadonix) turned Advanced Sommelier, Scout & Cellar was born out of deep dive on the ingredients in the majorit...
Read more