Alcohol on Clearance - Liquor Gift Sets after Christmas are your Best Friend
Happy holidays. Christmas is a couple of days away. If you're like me, your budget is pretty spent as of now, and hopefully done with shopping for your loved ones. Following up on our mantra of "buy low, sell high", and the previous post on fitness memberships, let's talk about something not related...booze.
Good ole booze. A lot of us enjoy a nice drink every now and then, almost as much as saving money. There are good, and bad times to buy. Right before Valentine's is not good, for instance. You also have to look at things that are "limited" items. The regular bottle of Don Julio will never go on clearance. That gift set with the cheap looking glass you probably saw at a white elephant exchange...that's different. Much like Halloween and Easter candy, liquor gift sets have a very limited shelf time. Once the holiday they celebrate is over, stores have to do their best of getting rid of them so they can put different products on shelves. That's the time when you should be like Mr. Potter when the Bayley's Savings and Loan was down. Here are some tips on maximizing savings:
Avoid specialty stores. This applies to all items. It's highly unlikely you will find great deals at Bevmo, for instance.
Go for stores like CVS and Walgreens. Alcohol is not their specialty. However, having a large variety of gift items is a priority. After Christmas, having this stuff hurts them a lot more than a Target, for instance.
Check Target Cartwheel. Target is also a pretty good destination, not as good as the two above. Check the Cartwheel app the day after Christmas. If there are deals on gift sets, speed over there if you can.
Pre-game if you can. Take a casual look at potential locations close by a little before Christmas. Make a mental note of stores with an overabundance of stock. They're most likely to discount more heavily.
Negotiate. I know, this sounds hella cheap. It doesn't matter. Clearance inventory in retail is like fleas. It itches. They want to get rid of it. Talk to a manager. They may be willing to let you buy five $10 clearanced sets for $40 for instance, after you offer $30...
Go out there, and make something happen. Especially if you got coal in your stocking or...whatever is appropriate for your beliefs.
Get boning!
