The day after Christmas, you can stock up on wrapping paper, Christmas decorations, and all the other goodies you wanted, but at a much lower price.
With most people typically having off December 26th, the big box stores know people are looking to exchange their unwanted and wrong-sized Christmas gifts, and they tempt consumers to spend while they’re at it.
However, there is some huge day after Christmas sales you can really take advantage of when you use these simple steps below!
1. Browse the Christmas Isles & Big Box Stores
Many of the big box retailers have to unload all of their Christmas stuff they didn’t sell. This includes:
- Christmas Decorations
- Christmas Gift Wrapping & Packaging
- Christmas Themed Candy & Foods
- Anything else that is Christmas themed!
Knowing that people will be in the store, they first start with creating isles, typically in the back or sides of the story, with all the leftover Christmas stuff at a discounted rate. While the rate may vary, some items are marked 25% off and sometimes 50% off.
Looking to really up their sales before the slowest retail month of the year (January), stores also look to attract consumers and shoppers to get other things.
Clothing stores, appliance stores, and electronics are often sold at discounted rates – sometimes lower than before Christmas – with special incentives.
What to shop for:
Not everything is on sale. Just because you’re out shopping the day after Christmas doesn’t mean your groceries or hand towels will not be on sale (unless they’re Christmas towels). Obviously, holiday-themed items are on sale and will continue to be reduced each day from the day after Christmas all the way up to the New Year.
That being said, what to look for the following:
- The aforementioned Christmas themed items (Never pay full price for wrapping paper again).
- Winter items like jackets, boots, sweaters
- Home decor
- Gift-like items (Colognes, toiletry sets, etc.)
Pro Shopper Tip: Ask for the actual receipt when applicable from family members instead of a gift receipt. You will get more back on the return. Another option is to ask for gift cards instead of actual gifts if you have family members who always give you clothes!
2. Use the Week After Christmas Method
Use this with caution, because there is always the chance you might not find what you’re looking for, but the week after the day after Christmas is when you can really save some money!
Now beginning to hit panic mode with Valentine’s Day fast approaching, retailers are desperately looking to unload the leftover Christmas excess to find more floor space for their boxed chocolate displays.
This when the somewhat ransacked Christmas isles start to become littered with 75% off signs and “Buy One Get One Free in This Section” promotions. Whether you’re looking to scoop up a new Christmas tree or grab some more wrapping paper – now is your time!
Lastly, one of the best Christmas savings tips is to do your Christmas shopping the day after Christmas or subsequent days after. If you’re someone who is super organized and well-budgeted, the days after Christmas are some of the best opportunities to score gift like items for people.
The Verdict
With the increase in online shopping, combined with COVID, perhaps the best bet is to look online. But if you want to find a fake Christmas tree for 50% off or you’re like me, and you can’t stand to buy full price wrapping paper, then December 26th is your date to get some sweet sales!
Just be sure you have a list, don’t spend recklessly, and also keep this one last point in mind:
Make sure you have storage for all the deals you plan on capitalizing on! Fifty rolls of wrapping paper and 10 fake Christmas trees can take up quite a bit of space for 364 days!
