When to Buy Carpet
Did you know there is a right time to buy carpeting and a not-so-right time? It’s true. In fact, buying carpet at the right time of year can save you 25 percent or more! You just have to know when to make the purchase and how to negotiate the best deal for yourself. We’re here to tell you how.
Just like any other business, the carpet business is cyclical. If you go into a carpet store to try and negotiate a deal during their busy season, you won’t have much luck. After all, they’re busy – why would they negotiate when they have another customer lined up behind you willing to pay full price? If, however, you do the same during a period when business is slow, you have a much better shot at saving yourself some cash.
Worst Carpet Buying Times
Let’s start with the seasons in which you shouldn’t buy carpet. The end of winter and beginning of spring are very busy for carpet retailers – specifically between February 20 and April 30. This is the time when many home and business owners are eagerly awaiting their tax refunds. What do they do with those refunds? They tend to buy big-ticket items like carpet that they’ve been waiting all year to afford.
Another busy time is between the Fourth of July and August 31. This is the time when people have vacations and days off work throughout the summer, and they decide to tackle home renovation projects. They want to get the remodel done while they have the time off, or in the case of moving to a new home, they want to achieve this before the kids start school in September.
The next busy season comes in mid-October through mid-December. Home owners are thinking ahead to the holiday season and want to get in their new carpet before their guests start arriving for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s, etc.
Best Carpet Buying Times
Now, if you’re looking to save money, you know which times to avoid. Looking ahead to the best times to buy carpet, there are generally three windows of opportunity to have the upper hand in negotiations. After December 10th or so, people start to concentrate on decorating for Christmas and not so much on carpeting. This is a great time to buy – all the way up to about January 31. After that, you’re running into tax refund time.
Next window of opportunity is between May 1 and June 30, when Memorial Day, end-of-school activities, and summer vacations are all starting to happen. People are outside and in their gardens rather than worrying about carpet at this time. Specifically, May 15 through June 10 is a great period for negotiating.
If you miss that window, it’s best to wait till after the kids are back in school. People are outside trying to cling to the last vestiges of the summer weather, settling their kids in school, and getting caught up at work after a busy summer. No one is thinking about the holidays at this point, so consider September an ideal carpet-buying month. If you wait much longer than that, the holiday preparations are in full swing and you’re cooked till January.
For help in buying carpet no matter what the season, come to Carpet Heritage for year-round affordable prices!
