Don’t Buy That!

I noted with great interest a slide show on Kiplinger.com this week talking about things you should avoid buying as Christmas presents (or the equivalent). I’ve published a gift guide in this space every year I’ve been writing this blog, but that’s been about the Rules of what is or is not a good idea from a social awkwardness/relationship standard; this Lifestyles and Consumer Interest slideshow is about pricing and opportunities, and one in particular caught my eye: Snow throwers…

Astute readers may recall some of the posts from our first winter in Michigan, when all of the local retailers ran out of snow throwers at the end of January, and the local news anchors began making fun of anyone who had put off purchasing their snow machine until later in the season. Not surprisingly, Kiplinger’s says the best time to buy these is at the end of the season (March or April, depending on where you live), when retailers will be trying to clear out their stock to make room for the spring and summer merchandise that will be in the pipeline by then. Skis, snow boards and other winter sports equipment work the same way, and for the same reason, as do winter clothing and outerwear. Some of the other categories were a bit more eccentric, however…

Consider, for example, digital cameras. Obviously, these make for a nice present, especially if the person you’re shopping for has ever expressed any interest in photography, but given that the main electronics trade shows take place in January and February, and that new models are introduced (and old ones are discontinued) at that time, you might be better off getting something in March. Personal computers (and accessories for them) are also affected by the electronics show season, but apparently the best deals come in late summer, when college students are getting ready to go back to school, and retailers need to clear out their stock to make way for the Christmas specials merchandise that will arrive in September. The one that really surprised me was power tools; apparently these are marked up to capitalize on the Christmas rush, but will be marked down for Father’s Day in June…

Now, no one is saying that you shouldn’t give any of these items as gifts, or even that price (or level of discount) should be the deciding factor in what you give people for any occasion. The point of this article, and the reason I’m calling it to your attention here, is that if YOU need any of these items, you may wish to purchase them during more favorable conditions (e.g. sometime next year). By the same token, if your household needs a new car, or any other really big-ticket item, you may want to wait until the week between Christmas and New Year’s and see if you can find a dealer who needs to clear inventory off the books before the end of the tax year. This last bit is important for businesses that need equipment and want to avoid paying income taxes for the current year, too, so I’d definitely check with your accountant as soon as possible…

The Kiplinger’s people didn’t specifically mention them, but there are two items that have been popping up all over the Internet on this subject that deserve mention here: anything with the legend “anti-aging” printed on it, and anything that is advertised as enabling the user to meet his or her fitness goals in just a few minutes each day without actually doing anything. Even if these products do work as advertised (and I wouldn’t bet money on that) there’s still an excellent chance that any potential recipient will interpret the message you are trying to send as “You look older than crap” and “You need to get into better shape” respectively; sentiments which will rapidly become problematic if they aren’t already – especially if they are true…