I love End of Season Sales! End of Season and Year End sales can be good opportunities to get great bargains on brand new camping equipment. Stores need to clear out seasonal summer merchandise to make room for winter products. Expect markdowns of 25-50%, except on big ticket items like RVs. But you can still save thousands of dollars on RVs during year end sales. Who doesn't like to get a bargain? It may seem early, but some stores are already starting to markdown their camping items in July and August! I've been keeping an eye on the markdowns on camping stuff at a local farm and ranch store and have snagged several good finds. I'm seeing half price on many different items, ranging from fishing lures to huge family tents. Getting a $330 tent for $165 definitely qualifies as a bargain in my book! Some other good buys included pot danglers and other campfire cooking accessories, camp stoves, lanterns, fishing lures, sleeping bags, and first aid kits. I picked up several first aid kits. Its always good to have them for vehicles and home use as well as for camping.
But bargains are not bargains, no matter how low the price, if it isn't something you need or will use. I left that $165 tent on the shelf because I already have all the family tents I need, at least for now. On the other hand, getting a pot dangler for half price was too good to pass up. What the heck is a pot dangler you might ask? It is a support system to dangle your coffee pot or dutch oven over your campfire at a different height than your grill -- or without using a grill. Basically it consists of a steel post you drive into the ground and a cross member you can set at different heights and different extensions out over the fire. Pretty clever and handy device! Since it is optional and not absolutely necessary, I never bought one at full price, but at half price it is a nice addition to my campfire accessories and something I look forward to trying out.
Some stores start out right away with great markdowns to move inventory quickly. Some take it in increments to maximize their profits. Waiting for a great price sometimes means missing out on a fairly good price as clearance stock often sells quickly. You'll want to decide for yourself whether a 25% savings is enough to warrant a purchase or if it is worth risking them all selling out before the next markdown. In my personal experience, I find I usually regret waiting for a better price and finding items I'm interested in sold out. My philosophy is "get them while you can". If I buy something and come back to find a significant additional markdown, I may by a second one, but, in case they sell out, at least I got the first one at a discount. So, how can they afford to sell items at 50% or more off? Well, I worked in retail several years ago and ultimately the store looks at things from a broader perspective than individual items. For example, let's say they buy 100 RV widgets at $50 each and begin selling them for $90 each. They paid $5000 for 100 of them. When they have sold 80 of them at $90 each they have brought in $7200 for a $2200 profit. They don't have to make a profit on each and every individual item, just on the whole batch. So when they offer the remaining 20 products for 50% or even 90% off, they're not marking them down because they are defective or don't sell. Let's say they sell the other 20 for 50% off or $45 each. Now their total profit on the whole lot is another $900 so they made a total of $8100 on a $5000 investment for a $3100 profit. Ultimately, at the end of the year they will probably wholesale a bunch of outdated merchandise to a liquidator and get only pennies on the dollar, so selling them to you at 50% off is a good deal for both you and the store. I used to feel a little guilty when I would go into a store and buy only sale merchandise, but now that I understand how it works, I can enjoy my savings -- over and over without feeling at all guilty or worrying that there is something wrong with the items I'm buying or that I am somehow taking unfair advantage of the seller.
Different stores have different clearance techniques. Some take wide markdowns across whole categories of merchandise (e.g. 30% off all patio items) and then keep lowering prices until the clearance has done its job and the merchandise is gone. Others may start off marking down only some items, then adding more items as the season progresses. Either way, it pays to check back often to see either what else has been added or how much more the prices have been reduced. Each time you check back you may find either new items that have been added or prices that have been further reduced, perhaps reaching your personal break point to purchase. Remember that $330 family tent for $165? If it comes down to, oh, say, $50, I might buy it as a backup or a gift for a family member or as an addition to my emergency preparedness cache. I did snag an extra two-person tent for $10 which we've already found useful. I suspect that in a disaster situation, there will be a lot more people needing help than I'll have supplies to take care of. Having extras to share or use to barter for things I may need could be advantageous. And with 6 kids and 17 grandkids, there's always someone who needs some additional camping gear.
Camping equipment is very seasonal, so year end closeouts are common. Stores need to clear out summer camping merchandise that doesn't sell well in winter months to make room for stuff that does. Even sporting goods stores will shift their inventory and display space from summer camping to winter sports. It is a great time to upgrade your equipment or stock up on supplies for next year. RV stores usually aren't as motivated to liquidate accessory items because a lot of their merchandise tends to sell year round, but they may still have seasonal sales on some items so watch for their ads and brochures and look for "manager specials" and clearance signs when you're in the store. And, of course, year end is always a good time to get a good deal on a new or used RV.
Low end of season prices can also affect used gear and equipment. You may find bargains on used stuff at thrift stores, in classified ads, and online sources like ebay and craigslist. People sometimes dispose of duplicates or unwanted items so they don't have to store them again. Prices on used equipment will probably be higher in the spring and early summer when demand will increase as people hit the road. People may put their unused stuff up at the end of the season so they don't have to store it or they may have taken advantage of year end sales themselves to upgrade their equipment and are ready to liquidate what was replaced. Often they need to dispose of old stuff to make room for their new stuff.
While you're at it, always look for CLEARANCE merchandise all year round. There are often significant markdowns on a few remaining items in a product line. CLEARANCE sales can occur any time of year. I make it a practice to look for the clearance signs every time I visit Home Depot or Walmart. Sometimes they'll be labeled "Manager Specials". In any case you might be able to take advantage of markdowns to stock up. CLEARANCE merchandise may include odds and ends, open packages, or "dent and scratch" items that have minor damage. Inspect open items carefully to make sure you are OK with whatever damage there might be and check for missing pieces. Missing pieces are not necessarily a serious problem. You may be able to get or make the parts you need. I picked up a 7' umbrella tent for $10 because the crosspiece that held all the poles together at the top was missing. I was able to make one out of 1/2" thin wall conduit for just a few dollars. I once bought a Camp Chef 2-burner stove with a missing regulator. Regulators are not very expensive so I took a chance and spent $25 for a $125 stove. Then I was pleasantly surprised when I called Camp Chef to buy the correct regulator and they sent me one at no charge! By the way, that Camp Chef stove works really well and I love the available accessories, like a BBQ box and grill/griddles. It is a great way to cook for a large family or other group. See the Camp Chef web site for more information about their great products.
Clearance merchandise may include overstock, end of run, one of a kind, or returned or damaged merchandise. Overstock, end of run, and one of a kind items are normally brand new and in the original packaging. You may get amazing bargains on "dent and scratch", returned, or damaged merchandise. Sometimes the only thing that is damaged is the packaging. Most "dent and scratch" items have minor imperfections similar to what is likely to occur the first time you use it. Severely damaged merchandise usually doesn't make it into the "dent and scratch" category but is occasionally offered "for parts only" and you may be able to use some components to repair a similar piece of equipment or even repair it yourself if you are particularly handy at such things. Returns may occur for many reasons. Sometimes the item is damaged or has missing parts, but most returns are because the buyer decided they didn't want the item and it may still be in brand new condition. Always check open packages for missing parts or damaged merchandise to decide if you can repair or live with the damage. As I mentioned before, I picked up a 7' umbrella tent for just $10 because the "spider" fitting that connect all the poles at the top center was missing. I was able to make one out of 1/2" rigid conduit for a few dollars and had a fully functional tent for a fraction of its original retail price.
Clearance sales may give you a chance to try out new gear. It may be something that has been on your "wish list" or it might be something you've never even thought about, but getting it on sale may make it cost effective to check it out. If it turns out you it doesn't live up to your expectations, put it in your next garage sale or sell it online and get part of your investment back.
End of Year sales can also be a good time to buy an RV. You are likely to find significant markdowns on left over current year models as dealers need to make room for the new models coming in. Year end sales can also prompt reductions on pre-owned units as the arrival of new year's models signals all existing units are now a year older. For once, depreciation works FOR you!
You may not see them advertised as end of season sales, but you will see better prices on pre-owned items when end of season sales are in progress too. Thrift stores and garage sales face the same seasonal marketing pressures as retailers. Camping equipment sells better in the spring and summer so prices are usually lower toward the end of the season. It is also a time when people often review their inventory and get rid of excess items, both increasing the selection and bringing prices down. So be sure to shop your local thrift stores, garage sales, ebay, and craigslist for end of season bargains.
Happy bargain hunting!
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