Please Don’t Ever Buy These 20 Popular Items at Full Price
I’ll be honest, the idea that we would make a list of things to never pay full price for when that’s literally the premise of Brad’s Deals seems a little silly. Where do you even start making a list when pretty …
I’ll be honest, the idea that we would make a list of things to never pay full price for when that’s literally the premise of Brad’s Deals seems a little silly. Where do you even start making a list when pretty much everything belongs on it?
It got much easier when we decided to focus just on the recurring deals that our readers love most. These 20 items are some of our most popular, most requested deals whenever we post them, and we see them return often enough that the idea that anyone would ever pay full price for them is mildly heartbreaking. It’s just so unnecessary!
We may not have deals on all of these right now, but we can all but guarantee that we will soon. I mean, very soon, because they always come back around. If you see something you’re looking for, we’ve provided links to set up deal alerts that will drop you a note when we find them again.
KitchenAid Stand Mixers
Best time to buy: Black Friday
Where:Kohl’s, JCPenney, Best Buy, Macy’s, Belk, Home Depot, Target
Though we see discounts of varying magnitudes on KitchenAid stand mixers year round, Black Friday is historically the best time to buy them. The 5-quart model has a sticker price of $399, and it’s not unusual to see it on sale for $200, though we saw it go as low as $152 at JCPenney last December.
Set a deal alert for “KitchenAid”
Down-Alternative Comforters
Best time to buy: After Christmas
Where: Macy’s, Kohl’s, Zulily
Quality is all over the map, so prices vary wildly, but an average sticker price on a good quality down-alternative comforter is about $100. We frequently see them discounted to $30 during white sales, but we have seen good options as low as $20 after the holidays.
Set a deal alert for “down-alternative comforters”
Patio Dining Sets
Best time to buy: April and May
Where: Home Depot, Lowe’s, JCPenney, Walmart, Target, Best Choice Products, Hayneedle
This is another case where quality and style heavily influence price, ranging from ultra basic to ultra lux, but we’ve seen attractive 5-pc patio sets go for as little as $149 as recently as May.
Set a deal alert for “patio sets”
UGG Boots
Best time to buy: After Christmas, or May/June
Where: UGG, Shoes.com, Eastbay, Nordstrom, Proozy, Neiman Marcus
Please don’t ever pay full price for UGGs, not when finding a discount is so easy that we wrote an entire article about it. Take the popular Bailey Button style, which retails for $170. We commonly see these boots discounted to $130, and we even spotted them for $85 just this month at Proozy.
North Face Jackets and Gear
Best time to buy: November/December or May/June
Where: Cabela’s, Steep & Cheap, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Backcountry.com, Moosejaw, Mountain Steals, Macy’s
Like UGGs, North Face gear is handsomely discounted as we head into the summer offseason, and discounts are so ubiquitous that there is never a reason to pay full price. We have an article about finding North Face sales, too. Using the North Face Denali 2 as an example, it’s not unusual to see it marked down to $125 from it’s retail price of $179, and last November we actually found it selling for $70 at Cabela’s.
Set a deal alert for “North Face”
Levi’s Jeans
Best time to buy: August/September
Where: Levi’s, Macy’s, JCPenney, Sears
Back-to-school season is the best time to buy blue jeans in general, so it’s no surprise that Levi’s follows the trend, too. We do see deals year round on Levi’s, which generally retail in the $55-$88 range. The best deals on Levi’s, however, are when we find them priced from $17. We’ve seen that kind of pricing as recently as February.
Major Appliances
Best time to buy: December/January
Where:Sears, Home Depot, Lowe’s, JCPenney, Best Buy
Major appliances like washers and dryers, refrigerators, and oven ranges are generally at their best prices in December and January. Checking our database, we found a French door refrigerator with a sticker price of $1,900. We see them marked down to $1,000 a few times per year, but we spotted one for $900 at Sears in May.
Set a deal alert for “French door refrigerator”
Roomba Vacuum Robots
Best time to buy: Black Friday
Where: Kohl’s, Macy’s
We always get excited about the discounts we see on Roomba vacuuming robots during Black Friday week. With a sticker price of $400, it’s not uncommon to see the Roomba 635 marked down to $288 on sale. The best deal we’ve seen on the 635, however, came last October, when we found it for $246 plus $50 Kohl’s Cash at Kohl’s. In fact, the existence of Kohl’s is the main reason why you should never have to pay full price for a Roomba – they’re frequently discounted, and the Kohl’s Cash is a terrific deal sweetener.
Nike Athletic Shoes
Best time to buy: August/September
Where: Nike, Finish Line, Macy’s, JackRabbit
We pretty much always have some kind of deal posted for Nike athletic shoes, so it’s hard to imagine anyone ever needing to pay full price for a pair. Take the Nike Zoom Pegasus, which has a sticker price of $110. We regularly see them for $60, and we even found them for $45 at Macy’s in June. Back-to-school season is prime time for Nike discounts in general.
Set a deal alert for “Nike shoes”
Ray-Ban Sunglasses
Best time to buy: Spring
Where: JomaShop, TimeToShade, Timepiece, BLINQ, Overstock, Shnoop, Rakuten, Luxomo
There are so many scammers out there hawking knock-off Ray-Bans that you’d be forgiven for believing that any discount must mean that they’re fake. Fortunately, for our readers, we’re well-versed in how to find deals on authentic Ray-Bans, and that means you don’t need to spend a small fortune on the iconic brand. While popular styles can run as high as $175 at full price, we’ve seen the real deal on sale for as little as $61 at Luxomo just this past May.
Set a deal alert for “Ray-Ban”
TOMS Shoes
Best time to buy: October/November
Where: TOMS, Journeys, Shoes.com, Nordstrom
The $55 sticker price on a pair of classic canvas TOMS can be hard to swallow, even with their “buy one give one” philanthropic program. Luckily, we see them on sale for about $35 pretty regularly, and we saw at least one style priced as low as $30 at Journeys last August. TOMS seem to be at their best pricing in October and November.
Columbia Fleece Jackets
Best time to buy: Spring clearance sales
Where: Columbia, Proozy, Kohl’s, JCPenney, Mountain Steals, Steep & Cheap
Much like North Face and UGGs, Columbia’s cold weather gear gets the clearance treatment every Spring. One fleece jacket we found retails for $50, is often on sale for $25-$35, and we found it for $20 at Columbia in February. However, you’re really not limited to Spring for deals here – we almost always have a few Columbia deals posted year round.
Set a deal alert for “Columbia”
Instant Pot 7-in-1
Best time to buy: Black Friday
Where: Kohl’s, Amazon
This popular multi-purpose pressure cooker is pricey at $130, but there’s no reason you should ever pay more than $85 for one. It seems like this deal pops up about once a month on average. However, if you want to get the best deal, we recommend waiting until Black Friday. Last year, it was discounted to $68 at Kohl’s and came with $15 Kohl’s Cash.
Set a deal alert for “Instant Pot”
Apple Earpods
Best time to buy: Anytime
Where:TechRabbit, Daily Steals, iTechDeals, A4C
Apple gear is notoriously expensive, and rarely discounted if you buy through Apple directly. But you can skip the $29 sticker price by going through an authorized reseller. We tend to see Earpods on sale for $20, but you can also find them for $9 fairly often if you’re willing to buy them “open box” – meaning that they’ll probably come without the packaging, often as leftover inventory from a promotional bundle.
Set a deal alert for “Apple Earpods”
Smart Plugs
Best time to buy: Anytime
Where: iTechDeals, Newegg, Best Buy, B&H Photo, TechRabbit
Similar to the Earpods above, you don’t need to spend a lot for the smart plugs that let you do fancy things like control your lights with your voice. We recently posted a deal for a TP-Link smart plug that retails for $30 but which was being sold “open box” style for $15 at iTechDeals. These deals are pretty easy to come by if you know where to look.
Set a deal alert for “smart plugs”
Yeti Coolers & Tumblers
Best time to buy: After Christmas
Where: Academy Sports, Focus Camera, Moosejaw, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Woot, Backcountry.com, Jet.com,Cabela’s
Yeti is one of the most requested deals we get from our readers, and when you catch a glimpse of the price tag it’s no wonder why – this stuff is expensive! The Yeti Roadie 20 Cooler runs $200 at full price, and we usually see it for $180 when it’s on sale, though we spotted it for $144 at Academy Sports in April. We generally see the best mix of sales and inventory just after Christmas, though deals can be found year round.
NCAA Hoodies
Best time to buy: Anytime, but especially Black Friday
Where: Kohl’s, Lids, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Fanatics, Eastbay, Woot
We see deals on NCAA hoodies so often that if you pay full price for one then, frankly, you’re getting ripped off. The price tag may say $60, but you should never need to pay more than $20 for one. The best price we’ve seen in the past year was at Kohl’s during Black Friday week, when you could buy two for $50 and get $15 back in Kohl’s Cash.
Set a deal alert for “NCAA hoodies”
Wireless Qi Charging Pads
Best time to buy: Anytime
Where: iTechDeals, Amazon, TechRabbit
Depending on the brand, the retail price of wireless charging pads can range from $30 on the low end to $90 for the Samsung version, but we regularly see perfectly serviceable models priced as low as $8. They’re so cheap that you can drop them into every room of your home without spending a lot of money. Even if you’d rather pay more for a better known brand, you shouldn’t spend more than $25.
Set a deal alert for “Qi charger”
Amazon Echo Dot
Best time to buy: Black Friday, Prime Day
Where: Amazon, Bed Bath and Beyond, P.C. Richard & Son, Staples, Best Buy
If you see the Echo Dot sold for $50, just walk away. Amazon seems to mark these popular little home assistants down to $40 for reasons ranging from Emmy wins to Prime Day sales, but you should look beyond Amazon for the best deals. We’ve seen them as low as $30 on Black Friday at Bed Bath and Beyond. Recently, we’ve spotted deals that bundle the Echo Dot with a smart plug for $35, a very good value.
Set a deal alert for “Amazon Echo Dot”
Converse Chuck Taylor Shoes
Best time to buy: Anytime
Where: Famous Footwear, Converse,Nike, Macy’s, Kohl’s, Finish Line
Never pay full price for your Chucks. The low-top styles we found retail for $55, but are on sale for about $25 so often that paying the sticker price is practically criminal. We found them as low as $21 at Famous Footwear in December, but you can find excellent pricing on Chuck Taylors any time throughout the year.