When Do Holiday Sales Start at Major Retailers?
By George · Last updated April 2026When Major Retailers Start Their Holiday Sales
The retail calendar has a predictable rhythm. Once you understand when each major sales event begins and peaks, you can time your purchases to hit the best combination of price, selection, and availability.
January: Post-Christmas clearance runs from December 26 through early January, with holiday merchandise reaching 70–90% off by the final days. January is also when fitness equipment, diet products, and gym gear go on sale as retailers capitalize on New Year's resolution behavior. Winter apparel hits its deepest clearance discounts late January as stores make room for spring inventory.
February: Valentine's Day candy, flowers, and gifts are sold at a premium through February 14, then immediately marked down 50% or more on February 15—one of the best single-day clearance events of the year for candy buyers. President's Day weekend (third Monday in February) is historically the best time for mattress and furniture purchases, with most major furniture retailers running their deepest annual sales.
March–April: Easter preparation begins in mid-February with candy, baskets, and seasonal decorations. Easter clearance—the week after Easter—offers 50–70% off remaining seasonal items. Spring cleaning products and organizational supplies go on sale throughout March and April.
May: Memorial Day weekend is the peak event for grilling equipment, charcoal, propane, and patio furniture. Grocery stores run their deepest deals on barbeque-relevant food: hot dogs, burgers, chicken, buns, condiments, and chips. Cinco de Mayo (May 5) generates brief but real deals on Mexican food products at grocery chains.
June–July: Father's Day (third Sunday in June) drives electronics and tools promotions. Back-to-school sales begin in early July at Walmart and Target—surprisingly early, but the school supply aisle resets by mid-July at the latest, and early shoppers get the best selection on loss-leader supplies like notebooks, folders, and pencils priced at near-cost to drive foot traffic.
August: Peak back-to-school season with dorm essentials, clothing, and electronics all on promotion. Tax-free weekend (specific dates vary by state, typically in August) makes this one of the most important shopping windows of the year for clothing and school supplies in participating states.
September–October: Fall decor appears in stores immediately after Labor Day. Halloween candy arrives in late September and peaks through October. The first Black Friday "early access" promotions and leaked deals begin circulating online in October, with some retailers—notably Amazon—running October Prime Day events that serve as an early preview of holiday deal pricing.
November: What was once Black Friday is now "Black November." Major retailers begin their holiday promotions in the first week of November. Pre-Thanksgiving grocery deals run the two weeks before Thanksgiving, with turkeys, stuffing ingredients, cranberry sauce, and pies all hitting their annual price lows. Electronics, toys, and appliances go on sale throughout November rather than concentrating all deals on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
December: Christmas merchandise peaks through December 24. December 26 begins the clearance cycle, with holiday items at 50% off immediately and dropping to 70–90% off by December 28–30. Retailers aggressively clear space for Valentine's Day inventory, making the final days of December an excellent time to buy decorations, wrapping supplies, and non-perishable seasonal food for the following year.
The Annual Retail Calendar: When Every Major Sale Season Starts
US retail follows a predictable promotional calendar. Knowing the timing in advance lets you plan major purchases around the deepest annual discounts rather than paying full price when you happen to need something.
January: Post-Christmas clearance runs through mid-January (holiday décor, toys, winter apparel at 50-70% off). White Sales on linens and bedding. Major appliance promotions as new models arrive. Winter apparel clearance at department stores.
February–March: Presidents' Day weekend (mid-February) is one of the strongest mattress and furniture sale periods of the year — dealers routinely offer 30-50% off. Valentine's Day chocolates and flowers go on clearance February 15. Tax refund season (late February through April) drives electronics and big-ticket promotions at Walmart, Target, and Best Buy as retailers chase refund spending.
May–July: Memorial Day weekend (late May) launches grilling season — the best annual prices on grills, outdoor furniture, and patio supplies. Mother's Day drives beauty and personal care promotions. Back-to-school season begins in late July at most major retailers — school supplies, children's apparel, and electronics (particularly laptops and tablets) hit their lowest annual prices in August.
October–December: Halloween candy and décor go on sale October 1 at most chains, with deep clearance starting November 1. Thanksgiving week through Cyber Monday is the most compressed and competitive sale period of the year — electronics, appliances, clothing, and toys all hit annual lows. Christmas décor clearance begins December 26 and reaches 50-70% off by the first week of January. For non-perishable holiday foods (candy, gift sets, specialty items), December 26 is one of the best shopping days of the year.
Related Tips
The best items to buy right after each holiday: Buying seasonal merchandise the day after a holiday for use next year is one of the highest-return shopping strategies available. Christmas lights, ornaments, and decorations at 70–90% off on December 27 cost a fraction of what you will pay next November. Valentine's Day chocolates on February 15 are 50% off. Easter candy and baskets the week after Easter hit 60–70% off. The tradeoff is storage space, but for households with room to spare, post-holiday buying is straightforward savings.
Setting deal alerts for specific categories: Apps like Flipp and store-specific apps allow you to save searches for product categories. Setting a search for "outdoor furniture" in April, "school supplies" in June, or "artificial Christmas trees" in late November means you will be notified when relevant items appear in weekly ads without having to actively monitor every circular.
Why you should not buy a TV in spring or summer: Television prices follow a predictable seasonal pattern. They are highest in spring and summer, when no major sales events drive promotions. Black Friday and the Super Bowl pre-sale window (late January) are the two lowest-price periods of the year for televisions. If you need a TV outside those windows, at minimum compare prices using a price-tracking tool like CamelCamelCamel to ensure you are not paying an inflated seasonal rate.