Danette Fettig of Edina doesn't waste time wondering when to find the best deals for Christmas. She's convinced she knows.
"Before-Christmas sales don't hold a candle to after-Christmas sales," she said.
So she and her husband write out coupons for items they think the other might like, wrap them up and open them on Dec. 25. They wait to shop until the new year.
It sounds like a smart strategy -- if you're willing to forgo the traditional gift exchange. But those of us who want to give presents instead of coupons may be wondering if the best deals of the season are behind us or still to come. That's why we asked three retail analysts to handicap the holidays for us.
Brian Hoyt, e-commerce expert and head of communications at RetailMeNot.com; Dave Brennan, University of St. Thomas professor and co-director of the school's Institute for Retailing Excellence; and Burt Flickinger, president of Strategic Resource Group, a retail consultancy agency in New York, offer their advice on when to get the best deals of the season.
Q Should we buy now or later?
Hoyt: Now. After 2009, retailers learned to manage their inventories closely, so don't expect to see lots of overstocked merchandise on sale. Discounts won't get better closer to Christmas. We won't have the bargain basement discounts we had in 2008 and 2009.
Brennan: If it's a unique, non-substitutable item, buy it now, but you could wait on books and electronics. Some e-readers like the Kindle Fire or Nook Color are hot now, but there are so many other models available.
