Don’t Buy New Furniture at This Time of Year
Shopping for furniture usually doesn’t require that much financial willpower. If what you want isn’t on sale now, wait a while. It probably will be soon.
While it seems like the next furniture sale is always right around the corner, there are seasons and holidays when you can count on most sellers to offer their deepest discounts of the year — and there are other times when it makes sense to wait.
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If you want to know the right time to buy, retailers will be sure to announce when they’re planning a sale — but knowing when not to buy can be a little more tricky. If you’re in the market for a new living room set, dining room set, bedroom set, or coffee table, these are the times of year when it’s probably best to hold out and keep waiting.
Understanding the Cyclical Nature of Furniture Inventory and Sales
Timothy J. Williams, the founder of CMO services platform Thinksia, is an expert in consumer purchasing behavior and trends with a professional certified marketer (PCM) credential from the American Marketing Association, certifications in SOSTAC planning and various certifications from Temple University, Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business.
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For him, cyclical market analysis is the key to buying furniture or anything else.
“Regarding the worst times to buy new furniture, understand the industry’s seasonal cycles,” he said. “Prices tend to peak around February and August in anticipation of new model releases in March and September. During these months, retailers are looking to clear out the old stock, but discounts are not as deep as they will be after the new models arrive. Avoiding these peak periods and waiting for clear-out sales post-new releases can secure better deals.”
In Most Cases, Spring and Fall Are the Worst Times of Year To Buy Furniture
Shopping expert Steve Pogson, the founder of First Pier, an e-commerce growth agency based in Portland, Maine, has spent more than 20 years analyzing consumer purchasing decisions and market trends.
He mostly agrees with Williams’ analysis.
“Generally, right before the release of new collections, which typically happens in the early spring and late fall, prices can be at their highest as stores make room for new stock. Consumers might end up paying a premium if they shop in anticipation of these new arrivals rather than waiting for clearance sales that follow.”
The clearance sales Pogson mentions are concentrated in late winter (January-February) and late Summer (August-September).
That, as Pogson and Williams agree, leaves fall and spring as the most inopportune times of year to buy furniture — but there are a few exceptions to the rule.
The Cyber Five Exception
Generally, fall is one of the worst times to purchase furniture. But if you’re willing to buy online, the five days between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday — known as the Cyber Five — is not just an exception. It’s a boom time for online furniture sales.
Furniture accounted for a full 16% of Amazon’s home and garden sales during last year’s Cyber Five busy period.
DigitalCommerce360 reported that furniture sales increased by 84% during Cyber Five in 2023, putting it in the top six across all categories and all sellers, and furniture saw some of the steepest discounts throughout the five-day sale period.
The Outdoor Furniture Exception
Fall is a historically bad time to buy furniture — but only the kind that goes inside your house. According to Better Homes and Gardens — and the law of supply and demand — fall is one of the best times of year to buy patio and other outdoor furniture. That’s because the season for using it has just passed and retailers are stuck with the leftovers clogging up precious space, which they need to clear out to make way for the next season’s incoming inventory.
Since it will be cold product by the time next year’s models arrive the following spring, the only way to offload it is through fall clearance sales.
If It Isn’t a Long Holiday Weekend, Wait for One
Except maybe mattresses, long holiday weekends are known for furniture sales above nearly all else in retail discount events. According to Elle Decor, Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day and Labor Day are the top furniture sale holidays. However, Veterans Day, Columbus Day/Indigenous People’s Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day see consistently deep discounts, too.
Long weekends with federal holidays are scattered throughout the year and nearly everyone witnesses major furniture sales. Therefore, the wrong time of year to buy is often any time that isn’t a long holiday weekend.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Don’t Buy New Furniture at This Time of Year
