Wondering what the best time of year to pick up some new outside furniture to furnish your backyard or front porch? The answer may depend on what you are looking for. Some people are patient enough to plan ahead and wait until they can get the best discount on their backyard furniture. Others are busy filling their summer calendar with all of the picnics and pool parties they can host and need the furnishings right away.
Whether you are looking to furnish your entire backyard with seating and dining sets, or if you are just looking to furnish a small balcony, add accents to your deck or a bench to your front porch, consider your motivations – are you looking for the best prices, the best selection or the quickest delivery? This will help you determine which month will suit you best when shopping for outdoor furniture.
The Best Selection of Patio Furniture – February – April
If you want to buy the latest and greatest, newest options of the season then late winter and early spring will provide you with the newest styles and the best selection of patio furniture. All of the stores will start rolling out fresh options in this year’s trend setting colors and styles. Some stores will offer pre-season sales to get traffic into the store so you may luck in to saving a few dollars. In late March and April they will be stocking many items for summer. By the end of May, when temperatures begin to rise and everyone is thinking about summer, much of that stock will be disappearing. If you wait too long, popular items will go on back order and you will likely have to wait a month or two for delivery. Unfortunately by then you will have missed out on a large portion of the summer.
The Best Prices on Outdoor Furniture – July – September
Looking to save lots of money while furnishing your deck, garden or patio? End of summer and early fall are when you’ll find the steepest discounts. However, the longer you wait the fewer choices you’ll have since some styles will have sold out for the year and stores won’t be restocking until next spring. Typically by Labor Day many stores will put outdoor furniture on sale to make room for the next season’s hot items. As soon as these sales go into effect, people will start snapping up the left over stock. Buying in August has the benefit of offering you a few months to use your patio dining or seating sets before the cold weather sets in. Some stores try and clear their inventory right at the end of the summer so if you wait until September or October you may have waited too long. If you are worried about your favorite set selling out, ask the sales person about inventories so that you’ll have an idea on how long the furniture will continue to be in stock.
Months to Avoid Buying Patio Furniture – May – June
Chances are the initial stock of outdoor furniture will have been snapped up during spring sales and availability may be delayed. Plus, smack dab in the heat of the summer there is high demand with everyone wanting to spend time outside either hosting family BBQs or backyard pool parties. Stores are typically not offering discounts on these items during these hot summer months. You may get lucky around the 4th of July as some stores will offer sales, however they typically aren’t the deepest discounts.
Instead, if you aren’t in a hurry, use the summer as time to shop around and compare your options. Try seating out to assess comfort and durability, and explore different color combinations. Be sure to measure your outdoor space and measure the furnishings that you like to ensure a good fit. And then once you’ve picked out a few great options just sit back and wait for the sales to start.
And keep your eyes peeled. If you have a favorite store or favorite patio set, you never know when a store may put a set on sale. Maybe they over stocked on that set you love and will put it on sale to make room in their warehouse.
