Let the Sales Begin: Prices on Patio Furniture are Being Slashed Now

Traditionally, the best time to purchase patio furniture is after Labor Day. It's probably true with stores that specialize in outdoor furnishings, especially in regions that experience four seasons.

Personally, I've had amazing luck starting in late June and especially after the Fourth of July, when stores like Target and Pier 1 Imports clear out their summer items to make room for fall stuff. Target usually sets up back-to-school supplies in early July. I've been known to map out all the Target stores within a 30-mile radius of my home and hit them midweek for garden center markdowns. Some legendary finds: a Sean Conway bar for around $60, a wooden Asian-style arbor that was a floor model for $23, and an iron arbor with attached wooden bench for $30. Markdowns often end up at a spine-tingling 75% off; I've also wound up with the odd wooden duck and faux-stone (polyresin) frog on my patio that I could swear I have no idea when or why I bought them, but they've got the telltale orange sticker on their bottoms that I must have been too lazy to peel off.

My advice: don't wait until Labor Day. Start sniffing out the deals now. If the chaise lounge you've had your eye on hasn't been reduced drastically enough for you, keep an eye on it and check back weekly. Make friends with the manager of the outdoor furnishings or seasonal department and call him/her every few days or so to see if a price reduction has occurred. It's always more fun if you can get something for an amount that would make most bargain hunters drool with envy. And the seasonal department manager at Target will be relieved to finally get rid of you, unless you have a thing for marked-down or "as is" pencil pouches and pink-camo backpacks.

Photo Courtesy of Pier Imports 1