Don’t Become A Victim of Labor Day Deals

Labor Day Weekend marks the second largest retail sales weekend of the year. This holiday weekend is the official end-of-summer celebration, marking the beginning of back to school for children and the end of family vacations. With Black Friday being only a couple of months away, many shoppers will be scoping out stores nationwide to snag some of 2013’s best deals.

But don’t be fooled by those well-lit, well-placed ‘Sales’ signs that you will see posted throughout the stores and the store’s internet sites. Not all ‘sale’ items are really that much different than their regularly marked prices, as you will see the same products go on ‘sale’ for a much more reduced price a couple of months down the line.

So to avoid wasting your money, and to insure that you get the best buy for your dollars, here are a couple of items that you may want to stay away from purchasing this weekend.

Winter Clothing

Many stores will debut their cold weather clothing and jackets this weekend with sales signs posted up all over. Department stores are the guiltiest ones that do this every year, and many Americans run to the stores hoping to purchase their winter apparel at a savings. What most shoppers fail to realize about these stores like Macy’s, Burlington, Nordstrom, Kohl’s, and JC Penney’s is that the ‘on-sale’ merchandise is actually new, if not freshly off the truck. As these clothes are new, the prices associated with each item have yet to be reduced as they are new arrivals. This discount that they are advertising only means that they are selling the items for cheaper during this weekend, than they will next week due to them be new arrivals for the holiday weekend, but the best reduction won’t come until the items have been in the store for a while. If you wait until the Thanksgiving weekend to purchase these same items, you will thank me as sales will be at their peak.

Electronics

Another major arena that promotes a lot of sales and discounted items this time of the year is electronics. Electronics and winter clothing fit in the same bracket as the best deals on these items won’t be out until late Thanksgiving, stemming from the Black Friday shopping holiday. A lot of major electronic stores have started advertising anywhere between 30% to 65% off of their in-store supply, which sounds like a great deal. However, when comparing to the 70% to 85% that will be discounted in a couple of months, it is good to practice self-control as your wallet will thank you later.

Airfare

No matter how many flight deals are advertised, it is never a smart choice to purchase plane tickets for November or the holiday season in September. According to DealNews.com, holiday flights are usually the cheapest each year in October. The difference between booking in September and in October can be a savings of a couple of hundred dollars. In the travel industry, marketing pushes for the holiday season are usually scheduled for October once the summer season is just a distant memory to consumers.

The best thing to do for any consumer who is looking for sales this weekend, is to just hold off as a couple of months down the line in November there will be an overabundance of the best sales and deals of the year. Not only at this time will you be able to get those items that you may have wanted all year long, but you may even be able to buy a couple of more surprise items without going over budget as the savings offered are truly at a major discount.

Jessica Williams is Consolidated Credit’s Marketing Communications New Media Coordinator. As a member of the education team, Jessica focuses on helping consumers make better financial decisions while living debt-free. She has previously worked with Take Stock In Children, where she was a mentor and communications specialist, and SouthPromo.com, where she managed community relations, event planning, marketing, and public relations. Jessica attended both the University of Florida and the University of Central Florida where she received her B.S. in Interpersonal/Organizational Communications and Marketing. Connect with Jessica on Google+.