The best sales to wait for when you are looking for a bargain

Shoppers are spoiled for sales but if you want a genuine bargain there are certain times that are better to buy than others.

Shoppers in Australia are more spoiled than ever when it comes to sales.

There’s Singles Day, Click Frenzy, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, not to mention the Boxing Day and End of Financial Year sales.

With so many new sale events on the retail calendar, it’s hard to know the best time to buy.

According to Professor Gary Mortimer, an advertising and marketing expert at Queensland University of Technology Business School, it depends on what you are looking for.

When it comes to Christmas shopping, Prof Mortimer said November had become the best time for budget-conscious shoppers to start ticking off their lists.

He said this weekend’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales were probably the last opportunity for shoppers to get deeply discounted goods before Christmas.

“(Businesses) don’t have a great deal of motivation to discount significantly in the final week in the lead-up to Christmas … because retailers aim to increase their profits during this time,” he told news.com.au.

This makes it unlikely for retailers to offer significant discounts in the lead-up to Christmas.

“People have a deadline to complete their purchases by the 24th, so (retailers) will only offer minimum discounting to get people through the door.”

November has now overtaken December as the biggest month in terms of retail sales thanks to online sales such as Singles Day, Click Frenzy, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

The popularity of these sales means they are also starting to be embraced by traditional retailers such as Kmart, Big W, JB Hifi and Harvey Norman, which are offering in-store as well as online discounts.

“November is undoubtedly the month where deal shopping is at its absolute peak,” Power Retail managing director Grant Arnott said.

Mr Arnott, who is also the managing director of Click Frenzy, said this year’s sale on November 12, had seen shoppers achieve average discounts of 39 per cent.

According to a sample of more than 2000 Click Frenzy purchases, the average order this year was $337, and the average saving achieved was $214.

This was higher than last year when the average saving was $174 (or 35 per cent) on an average order of $312.

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Black Friday has become a major sale day in Australia. Picture: Hollie Adams/Getty Images

When it comes to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, beauty and cosmetics have become popular purchases.

Last year there was a 54 per cent increase in the sales compared to 2017, and it was the category that saw the largest growth, Mr Arnott said.

However, while it’s possible to pick up some bargains, Black Friday can be hit-and-miss because it tends to be focused on “spot discounting”.

“This is the last weekend to get really good specials but there may not be a broad range,” Prof Mortimer said.

“For example in Big W, they might have a coffee machine on sale but it only comes in black or in Kmart, there might be a chair but it’s only in white.”

While it may not be the most romantic gift, Prof Mortimer said buying gift cards was one way to get more bang for your buck. Recent law changes also meant people now had three years to use most cards.

“Unfortunately not a lot of thought goes into it but it avoids unwanted gifts and the receiver can buy want they want,” he said.

“If they buy after Christmas they can also get more value out of the card (thanks to the sales).”

BOXING DAY AND JANUARY SALES

The annual Boxing Day sales actually tend to last for about five weeks after Christmas.

“The longer you wait the deeper the discounts get,” Prof Mortimer said.

“As they move past Christmas, retailers start to think about clearing out summer ranges and moving into winter,” he said.

“By mid-January, particularly for clothing and footwear, they will have been discounted several times.”

However, waiting for those deeper discounts in late January has its risks. It means you are more likely to miss out on a particular size or product.

January is also a great time to buy electronics such as televisions, fridges and other white goods.

“There’s always a new model coming up next year so retailers are keen to get rid of last year’s inventory,” Prof Mortimer said.

It’s also a great time to buy a car, despite the fact that many dealerships focus their advertising heavily on End of Financial Year run-out sales.

“All dealerships say EOFY sales are the time to buy but no, they have an annual budget and car dealerships are a lot more keen to clear out their 2019 stock as they move into 2020,” Prof Mortimer said. “No one wants to walk into a dealership and buy last year’s build.”

Another reason why dealerships offer good discounts in January is because it’s a quiet month.

“No one is buying cars because they are on holidays or are trying to pay off credit cards from Christmas,” Prof Mortimer said.

Boxing Day sales are still very popular but it pays to wait until later in January for the best prices.

END OF FINANCIAL YEAR

Sales in June and July are a chance to pick up discounted clothing and footwear as retailers seek to clear out their winter inventory and move into summer stock.

If you need a new laptop, digital camera, or office furniture for work or study, then there is a tax advantage to buying in June because you can write it off.

While some shops also have mid-season sales Prof Mortimer said there really wasn’t much motivation for retailers to discount in March and April, or September.

“Particularly in Australia, we don’t have the seasonality they have in places like Europe or the United States,” he said.

While places in the south of Australia such as Tasmania or Melbourne may be an exception, Prof Mortimer said weather changes in Sydney or areas further north were not significant enough for shops to be turning over stock.

“These seasonal changes usually happen mid-year, which is when you get the best sales especially on footwear and clothing.”

There’s a lot of hype around EOFY car sales but the best time to buy is actually in January.

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Originally published as The best sales to wait for when you are looking for a bargain