Best '14 Apparel Deals Are After Christmas - Maybe Now, Too

JackF The days leading up to Christmas are among the busiest shopping days of the year. However, not all December sales end with the holidays. If you can wait, post-Christmas sales are just as popular and many times provide deeper discounts than pre-Christmas sales. This year we expect after-Christmas sales to start earlier than ever, and if you thought Black Friday sales were particularly good, after-Christmas sales are looking to break a few records of their own. After-Christmas Sales Start Before Christmas Eve Just as Black Friday deals have taken over Thanksgiving Day, so too have so-called after-Christmas sales creeped earlier, beginning before Christmas even. (It's the stores themselves still referring to these sales as "after-Christmas," not us.) It's a trend we've noticed for several years. In 2012, for instance, sales branded as "after-Christmas" started on Dec. 24, whereas last year after-Christmas sales started on Dec. 23. Leading the charge last year was Amazon (AMZN), which debuted its post-Christmas sale on Dec. 23. We predict Amazon will kick things off again this year, especially since the Seattle retailer has a reputation for dominating holiday sales in general. But unlike the hype that surrounds Black Friday, after-Christmas sales traditionally don't have any lead up. Excluding Micro Center, which last year released a massive Black Friday-like ad highlighting its best after-Christmas deals, most major retailers won't bother with ad leaks or hype. In other words, you're not going to see shoppers camping outside any stores. Apparel Dominates After-Christmas Deals