SAN ANTONIO — March is known for spring break. You might not be able to travel this spring, but you could buy for trips further in the future.
“Historically we’ve seen deals upwards of 80%,” said Sara Skirboll, a shopping expert with RetailMeNot.com. “Now, with all of the new travel restrictions, you really want to make sure you’re reading the fine print. Just know whether or not if you have to cancel it, you may have to pay a rebooking free or some sort of penalty fee. But, again, you also might not.”
Not ready to travel, then get discounts on gear so you are ready for your next trip.
“Lots of great travel gear deals like luggage and duffel bags and noise canceling headphones,” said Trae Bodge, shopping expert of TrueTrae.com. “We could stock up on the things that we need so when we’re ready to travel, we have all our gear.”
Skirboll recommended looking at Kohl’s, Samsonite and Macy’s for sales on luggage and other travel gear.
A spring break essential is also on sale.
“Sunglasses, you’re to find deals upwards of 36 percent off, lots of buy one, get one deals at places like Eye Buy Direct and even Sunglass Hut,” said Skirboll.
For those planning a staycation and want to sleep in, you will find plenty of sales for better slumber.
“Fantastic deals on things like mattresses, pillows and then sleep aids,” said Bodge. “I’m seeing a lot of CBD, sleep aids, melatonin, magnesium, all those great ingredients that help you calm down and relax and hopefully give you a better night of sleep.”
Bigger ticket sleep items like mattresses will also see sales. Bodge suggested this trick for finding the best deal:
“Use a deal site like SlickDeals.net,” Bodge said. “You could search for the category 'mattresses' and see what deals there are. Or if there’s a specific brand, you can search by brand. You can also set a deal alert if you have a specific mattress that you have your eye on. Then the other thing that you can do is just download their free browser extension so as you’re shopping around online, you’ll automatically be alerted to available deals as you shop.”
Beauty products will also be discounted including skincare, makeup and beauty tools.
“We’re on the cusp of the season changing and many people want to change their skincare routine,” said Bodge.
Most of those deals will be in the with medium sized and independent beauty brands. There will not be great sales on high end beauty items, but you are likely to find more generous gifts with a purchase.
There also are plenty of deals to be found on items going out of season.
“The weather is warming up,” said Skirboll. “Retailers are looking to get in their summer inventory. They need to move product off the shelves. How do they do that? Clearance and sales. So winter clothing is going to be upwards of 40 percent off and even higher in some instances. Check out places like Dick’s Sporting Goods, Athleta and even North Face.”
Other items you will want to wait for better sales.
“You might think it’s a great time to maybe buy some new patio furniture in anticipation of being outside, but it’s really not ideal to look for patio furniture right now or camping gear for that matter,” said Bodge. “So I would wait until the April, May timeframe. You’ll find better deals. I also recommend avoiding electronics right now. The best next time in the coming year will be around July when we have Amazon Prime Day.”
If you like designer dudes, which rarely see discounts, look now for sales of 15 to 20% off. Take a peek at Kate Spade and Ralph Lauren. Tory Burch sometimes hosts a private sale during this month.
“Always make sure you find a coupon code or cashback offer because you really want to layer on those extra savings on top of sales,” said Skirboll.