Walmart’s After-Christmas Sale: Toys, Electronics and More

Daria Uhlig
Updated
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Longueuil,Quebec, ?anada - May 28, 2014:View at a Longueuil Walmart storefront from its parking lot.
Longueuil,Quebec, ?anada - May 28, 2014:View at a Longueuil Walmart storefront from its parking lot.

Christmas might be drawing to a close, but holiday sales continue in full force at Walmart. The retailer hit the ground running this year with early Black Friday specials, parties and other “Rock This Christmas” promotions designed to get consumers away from their computers and into stores. Part of the lure is a Walmart-exclusive product line that includes over 400 toys not found anywhere else, including some that made Walmart’s annual Chosen by Kids list of the top 20 toys for the 2017 holiday season.

Read on to find out what products you’re likely to see discounted this year and how much you can expect to save on after-Christmas deals.

How a Walmart After-Christmas Sale Works

The day after Christmas is one of the busiest shopping days the year and one of a retailers’ last opportunities to move massive amounts of merchandise. Christmas sale decisions are made at both the corporate level, which supplies stores with markdown lists, and at the stores themselves, based on how well the merchandise has sold so far and on inventory leading up to Christmas.

The day of the week Christmas falls on also influences markdowns. In 2016, for example, Christmas day fell on a Sunday. Perhaps due to people taking a long weekend from work, Monday, Dec. 26 was predicted to be the second-busiest shopping day of the year, according to ShopperTrak, a retail consulting firm. This year, Dec. 26 falls on a Tuesday and is expected to rank lower on the busiest-sales-day list. This might prompt Walmart to use aggressive discounts to draw customers into stores.

Regardless of the day of the week, after-Christmas discounts typically are steeper than discounts leading up to the holiday.

“Before the holidays, brands are competing for your dollar against their competitors, but after the holidays, they have to convince you to buy altogether,” said Estee Goldschmidt, CEO and co-founder of ShopDrop, a shopping app that helps urban fashion lovers discover sample sales.

Related: 20 Best Deals at Walmart

Walmart After-Christmas Sales 2017: What to Look For

Pre-season sales are often indicative of the kinds of sales you’re likely to see after Christmas. Use the following guide to find the best deals the day after Christmas and beyond.

Electronics

Drones, TVs, video game systems and connected-home products that compete with Amazon Dot top the list of best after-Christmas electronics sales at Walmart. TV sale prices should be especially attractive, considering that the pre-Christmas sales saw markdowns of 25 to 50 percent on Samsung models.

Some of the best video game pre-season sales discounted retro game consoles, but Xbox One and Nintendo Switch — which were still listed at full price during Cyber Week — could be discounted after Christmas if pre-Christmas sales prove to be more sluggish than anticipated.

Tablet computers and phones — especially Walmart exclusives — should also be big sale items. Online, Bose products — which are new to Walmart.com this holiday season — are likely contenders for post-holiday sales.

Here are some specific electronics products to watch:

Health and Beauty

Holiday-packaged cosmetic and bath gift sets are excellent choices for your after-Christmas shopping list because they’ll automatically be marked down come midnight on Dec. 25. Personal care items like electric toothbrushes and shavers are also hot, and many were already discounted 25 to 50 percent during Cyber Week.

Here’s where you might see some of the biggest after-Christmas price reductions on health and beauty merchandise:

Learn About: Affordable Gifts Your Teacher Really Wants

Toys

Collectible, active and licensed merchandise top Walmart’s 2017 hottest-toy list, and Walmart had already slashed prices on some of them, like the Disney Frozen 12-Volt Ride-On Sleigh, for Black Friday and Cyber Week. Those sales might continue beyond Christmas. Other top toys, like littleBits Star Wars Droid Inventor Kit, were still listed at full price during Cyber Week and might be poised for good markdowns after Christmas.

Pay particular attention to Walmart exclusive models of popular toys, like Fingerlings, that were out of stock after Black Friday, and other items from the Chosen by Kids list:

Home

The first thing many after-Christmas shoppers do is head for the holiday-decor clearance shelves, but cookware, small appliances and furniture should also figure prominently in Walmart’s after-Christmas sales. Pre-Christmas sales have featured 20 to 30 percent discounts on a range of Walmart’s own Mainstays products and on Hamilton Beach merchandise and smaller savings on merchandise from Better Homes and Gardens. Online, Walmart is rolling out Cuisinart products on Walmart.com and might discount those to kick-start sales.

Pay particular attention to these home items after Christmas:

Etc.

Some of Walmart’s best after-Christmas sales might include jewelry, clothing and sporting goods. Jewelry, for example, was still heavily discounted after Cyber Monday, with fine jewelry marked down as much as 85 percent.

In clothing, winter items are most likely to go on sale after Christmas. “Sweaters, coats and boots tank in price after holidays,” said Goldschmidt.

Indoor items like game tables and exercise equipment are good bets for after-Christmas sales, with pre-Christmas discounts in both categories reaching 50 percent or more. Basketball systems and outdoor play equipment like trampolines are also likely to be discounted, based on pre-Christmas sale prices with 10 to 30 percent reductions and a smattering of steeper markdowns.

Check out these prospects for after-Christmas discounts:

Beyond Walmart Sale Prices

The price might drive consumers’ primary motivation to purchase, but convenience is also important, so Walmart is introducing initiatives to help shoppers save time and money this holiday season, according to Steve Bratspies, Walmart’s chief merchandising officer. By offering a wider variety of merchandise and more pickup and delivery options, and increasing the number of staff on hand to assist shoppers, Walmart hopes to give consumers more reasons than ever to shop its stores and its website.

Up Next: Ways to Bargain at Walmart and Other Major Retailers

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Walmart’s After-Christmas Sale: Toys, Electronics and More

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