Christmas is over, but deals remain

Experts offer tips for shopping after the holidays

NEW YORK — Holiday shopping doesn’t end with Christmas.

Shoppers can take advantage of fatter discounts on clothing, home decor and other items between Christmas and well into January.

A National Retail Federation survey of nearly 8,000 adults conducted Nov. 27 through Dec. 5 found that 68% of holiday consumers will likely shop the week after Christmas. Nearly 50% plan to take advantage of post-holiday sales and promotions, and 27% plan to use gift cards. And more than half of shoppers say they will return or exchange any unwanted gifts or holiday items within the first month after receiving them.

But just as shoppers should scrutinize the bargains on Black Friday, they need to do the same for post-Christmas deals.

“Don’t assume that a sale is a good deal,” said Julie Ramhold, senior staff writer at DealNews.com, a deal comparison website. “Do price comparisons.”

In addition to DealNews.com, Ramhold cited such sites as Camelcamelcamel.com, an Amazon price tracker, and Honey, a browser extension that searches for coupons and cash-back offers and tracks prices on websites including Amazon.com, Target.com and Walmart.com. She says shoppers need to figure out the price history of the item and whether it’s lower than Black Friday’s deal.

Holiday shoppers also need to be aware of retailers’ return policies. Some well-known retailers like Bed Bath & Beyond, Macy’s and Kohl’s are following a trend of implementing evershorter return periods. Stores that once had unlimited return policies have cut them to one year, then to 180 days, and now in some cases to 90 days or less, according to Edgar Dworsky, founder of the Boston-based consumer advocacy website Consumer World.

Here are some tips:

Shopping ahead: The post-Christmas shopping period is a good time to stock up on items like wrapping paper, cards and home decor shoppers will need next year. For example, holiday decor is typically slashed by 50%, but those discounts deepen to 80% after Christmas, Ramhold said.

In-season goods: Last year, about one-third of post-Christmas deals were for clothing and accessories, according to DealNews.com. But stores like Victoria’s Secret and Michael Kors also use this period to run semiannual sales. Discounts on sweaters and other winter clothing are about 50%, similar to Black Friday, so it’s best to wait until after Jan. 1 when the deals deepen to 70%, according to DealNews.com.

As for electronics, it’s best to hold off until after the annual Consumer Electronics Show in early January, where new tech products will be displayed. That will help retailers decide which older products to discount. Looking for a new TV? Wait until right after the Super Bowl in early February, according to Marshal Cohen, chief industry adviser of the NPD Group Inc., a market research firm.

Holiday returns: Don’t expect to buy an item in December and go back to the store to return it in April. Every retailer’s return policy is different, and shoppers need to read the fine print on the receipt or check the retailer’s website.

Still, many retailers offer special extended holiday return deadlines, Dworsky says. That allows gifts purchased in November to be returned until mid to late January, beyond the normal return deadlines in some cases, according to Consumer World. Overall, the return deadlines are shrinking.