Black Friday isn't automatically the cheapest time to buy everything
End-of-season deals are happening now: Retailers are clearing grills, patio furniture, lawn equipment, and other summer merchandise.
Waiting has a downside: Prices could fall further, but the model, size, or color you want may disappear first.
Some things are worth waiting for Black Friday: Adobe's 2025 holiday data shows shoppers got some of the deepest discounts on electronics, toys, apparel, TVs, and computers.
If you're eyeing a new TV, waiting for Black Friday probably makes sense. But if it's a grill, lawn mower, or patio set, waiting could be a mistake.
That's because retailers are already clearing out some of the very products that aren't likely to be the stars of Black Friday. And while prices could fall further, the tradeoff is that the size, model, or color you want may disappear first.
Consumer Reports' September price tracking shows discounts across a number of outdoor and seasonal categories, including grills, lawn mowers, and outdoor power equipment.
Here are six purchases worth considering right now.
1. Grills
If your grill barely survived the summer, don't assume Black Friday is the best time to replace it.
Consumer Reports says prices are dropping on grills and other outdoor products as summer winds down. September is a transition month for retailers, when seasonal inventory starts getting cleared to make room for what's coming next.
And there's a second reason to shop now: better selection.
The longer you wait, the greater the chance the grill you actually want is gone. That means the lowest clearance price in November won't do you much good if all that's left is a model you don't want.
Current deals:
Nexgrill 4-Burner Gas Grill with Side Burner: $199 at Home Depot, down from $279 $80 off (29%).
Blackstone Bronco griddle/smoker combo: $898 at Walmart, down from $998 $100 off (10%). That price was reconfirmed in a Sept. 21 update.
Pit Boss Austin XL 1000 pellet grill: $536 at Walmart, down from $596 $60 off (about 10%). A grill-price tracker checked the price Sept. 25 and identified it as the current Pit Boss deal.
2. Patio furniture
This might be the strongest "buy now" category on the list.
Retailers have a powerful incentive to get bulky patio furniture out of stores and warehouses once summer ends.
And the markdowns are already showing up.
Amazon patio furniture was recently being advertised at discounts of as much as 80%, including an outdoor umbrella base marked down from $399 to $80 and outdoor furniture sets selling for hundreds less than their listed prices.
Don't get hypnotized by the percentage-off number, though. Retailers can discount products from inflated list prices, so always search the exact model before buying.
The smart move: If you find the patio set you actually want at a substantial discount, there's little reason to gamble on it still being available two months from now.
Current deals:
UDPatio 3-piece rocking bistro set Walmart: $148.99, down from $249.99 $101 off (40%), explicitly marked clearance.
JUSKYS 7-piece patio conversation set Home Depot: $383, down from $558 $175 off (31%). Home Depot's listing is current today.
Target Southport outdoor loveseat: $350, down from $500 $150 off (30%), explicitly marked clearance.
Walmart Mainstays Chelsea 4-piece deep-seating set: $447, down from $597 $150 off (25%), currently labeled Rollback.
3. Lawn mowers and outdoor power equipment
Your mower may have made it through another summer, but now can be a better time to replace it than next spring.
Consumer Reports lists lawn mowers among the products that commonly get discounted in September and says prices are also dropping on products such as string trimmers and pressure washers as summer winds down.
It makes sense as a lawn mower taking up floor space in September is quickly becoming old inventory. Next April, that same category is suddenly something shoppers need again.
Be sure to not just look at the price of the tool. For battery-powered equipment, check what replacement batteries cost and whether the battery works with other tools you own.
Don't stop your clearance hunt at the lawn mower aisle, as discounts can extend to pressure washers, string trimmers, and other outdoor equipment as retailers transition into fall.
These aren't necessarily products shoppers associate with Black Friday, which is exactly why the end-of-season window matters.
Pro tip: Always search the model number and check its price history before buying. A giant "40% OFF" sign doesn't tell you what the product actually sold for a month ago. Theres a good chance its a fake sale and waiting may make more sense.
Current deals:
Ryobi 40V HP self-propelled mower Home Depot: $449, down from $599 $150 off (25%)
Milwaukee M18 FUEL mower + trimmer bundle Home Depot: $1,399, down from $1,549 $150 off
Ryobi ONE+ HP leaf blower Home Depot: $199, down from $229 $30 off (13%)
Greenworks 60V self-propelled mower Walmart: $398 with battery and rapid charger
4. Window and portable air conditioners
Buying an air conditioner when summer is ending feels backward.
That's exactly the point.
Demand drops when temperatures cool. Compare that with shopping during next summer's first heat wave, when thousands of other consumers may suddenly be looking for the same thing.
This is one of those purchases where buying before you need it can work in your favor.
There's an important caveat: Don't buy the wrong-size unit simply because it's on clearance. An undersized AC may struggle to cool a room, while buying much more cooling capacity than you need can create its own problems.
The smart move: If you know an aging unit needs to be replaced before next summer, start checking clearance prices now instead of waiting until it's 100 degrees outside.
Current deals:
GE 12,000-BTU Smart Window AC GE Direct: $275.60, down from $499 $223.40 off (45%).
Vissani 8,000-BTU Smart Portable AC Home Depot: $250, down from $361.77 $111.77 off (31%).
LG 7,000-BTU Portable AC Home Depot: $319, down from $379 $60 off (16%)
5. Summer clothing, sandals, and swimwear
Here's where you have to separate "clothing" from "summer clothing."
Adobe found that apparel discounts peaked at 25.1% during the 2025 holiday season, giving shoppers a good reason to wait, especially on fall and winter clothing.
The takeaway is that there's no reason to rush out and buy jeans, sweaters, or other current-season clothing because you're afraid Black Friday won't have deals.
Summer merchandise is different, as retailers need the space currently occupied by shorts, sandals, swimsuits, and other warm-weather items. That can produce clearance prices that have little to do with the holiday shopping calendar.
The smart move: Shop now for summer basics you'll use next year, particularly if you find your size at a steep markdown. For current-season clothing, waiting for Black Friday makes more sense.
Current deals:
Old Navy: 40% off everything, plus clearance summer/swim items reaching 80%+ off.
Macys: Current womens clearance includes up to 65% off sandals and swimwear, with additional savings using its current promo code on eligible items.
Target: Large summer/vacation clearance selection is live now; Target is also advertising up to 40% off thousands of items during its Oct. 67 Circle Deal Days.
Abercrombie & Fitch: Clearance sale currently has select styles up to 75% off.
6. Trees, shrubs, and perennial plants
Here's the sleeper deal many consumers dont think about. As summer ends, your local garden centers and nurseries have an inventory problem too.
Penn State Extension says garden centers preparing for winter discount in-stock nursery products including perennials, shrubs, and trees, in part because keeping those plants alive through winter costs retailers time and money.
And unlike buying a grill you might store until spring, fall can actually be an excellent time to use what you buy.Cooler temperatures can help trees, shrubs, and perennials establish roots without the heat stress of summer. The exact planting window depends heavily on where you live, however, so shoppers in colder climates need to leave enough time before the ground freezes.
Clearance plants also require some detective work.Brown leaves don't necessarily mean a plant is dead, particularly as it enters dormancy. But diseased, severely root-bound or cold-sensitive plants aren't bargains just because they're 70% off.
The smart move: Check the roots, verify the plant is hardy for your climate, and ask whether clearance plants still qualify for the nursery's normal guarantee.
What should you wait until Black Friday to buy?
Here's where last year's numbers are particularly useful.
Adobe Analytics tracked more than one trillion visits to U.S. retail sites, 100 million products, and 18 product categories during its analysis of the 2025 holiday season.
The discounts consumers actually received peaked at:
30.9% on electronics
29.6% on toys
25.1% on apparel
24.3% on TVs
23.4% on computers
20.3% on sporting goods
20.2% on appliances
18.8% on furniture
These percentages aren't advertised estimates. Theyre exactly what Adobe says happened during the 2025 holiday shopping season. This gives shoppers a pretty compelling reason to wait on a TV or laptop, but not necessarily on a grill or lawn mower.
The holiday deal wars start in October
There's another reason you shouldn't automatically wait until Black Friday: The holiday sale wars are starting weeks earlier.
For example, Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days runs Oct. 6-7 with millions of deals across more than 35 categories. Target is holding its competing Circle Deal Days on the same dates, while Walmart's fall sale runs Oct. 5-11.
The better rule isn't simply "wait until Black Friday, instead, think about why the product is discounted.
If a retailer is trying to unload a grill, patio set, or lawn mower because its season is ending, now may be your opportunity. If it's a TV, laptop, or another product that historically sees deep holiday discounts, waiting will usually pay off.
In other words, don't shop by the calendar. Shop by the reason behind the sale.
Posted: 2026-09-28 21:36:03
