When is the best time to go shopping for deals on Fall clothing for the kids... Don't want to shop too early, and don't want to wait too late for fear of not finding the sizes I need... I like to shop at Children's place, Gymboree, Old Navy, but occasionally get clothes at Target and Carsons... I have a 6 yr old boy and 2 1/2 yr old girl.... I welcome anyone's advice / tips.
If you hadn't heard, the state of Illinois is holding a FREE TAX week for School clothes and school supplies. Aug 6-15. It includes shoes, clothing and school supplies. ( omits anything with computers etc)
Target has a circular out that expires Sat. It is the first one for school supplies/clothing. The sales tax break is the 5% sales tax and it is actually on all clothing as long as the retail is under $100. So if you need a new top, you would not pay the sales tax for the state. You would still pay the local.
You can check out the store websites for coupons. I got a circular/special catalog in the mail the other day from Target. It had $5 coupons for clothes: $5 off a $30 apparel purchase of Cherokee and $5 off a $30 apparel purchase of Circo/Cherokee. With 2 kids, who is NOT going to spend at least $30 for clothes. They might have it online or you can sign up for a mail list. Usually Old Navy will have their circulars and it will include some type of coupon, usually about $5 off a $25 purchase or so. For Payless, go to couponcabin.com and look for Payless under stores. There is usually a coupon out there for 15% off your purchase. Combine that with a sale and you can save a lot of money. You might also find one for Children's Place but if you g oto their website and sign up for promotions, they wll send a coupon. Also call the local store and ask when their specials will be. They usually are more than happy to tell you.
Try some of the local fall/winter clothing resales. I'm a member of DuPage Mothers & More and we have a big one coming up in September. There are also a number of others that have them at the fairgrounds the same day we do. Here's our website with info. dupagemothersandmore.org. Good luck!
in Missouri we have a weekend every August that is a NO SALES TAX WEEKEND. Every store has sales then. I saw that you are in Chicago which is 5hours from St.Louis so depending on how much you want to buy and if ypu can just go over the border into Missouri (not sure what.the closest town to you is) you might save money. The sale is the 1st or second weekend in Aug. Hope this helps.
Watch the sale ads and shop in bits and pieces for the things you need at the stores you want in order to get great deals. Old Navy, for example, ALWAYS has some sort of sale every time you go in there-- so pop by and see what's on sale right now, but don't buy a single item of clothing that isn't on sale
You are actually a few seasons too late. The best time to shop for the season is when it is WAY off season. I shop for summer clothes from Nov.-Feb. (I have found shorts for $.99 a pop!), winter clothes April-July, and fall clothes I usually get sometime in winter or early spring. I figure spring clothes can be a mix of fall, winter and summer! I hope this helps! (As for this year, just watch circulars and ads to see what people are promoting.)
There is a sales tax holiday in Illinois Aug. 6th through the 15th for school supplies, clothing, and shoes. For more info, see http://www.wifr.com/news/headlines/99356894.html.
M.
I would drop by these places and now and ask the sales associates while you are there. I just heard on the news that a lot of places are offering "Christmas in July sales". You can always check online too. They may offer deals plus free shipping. Carson's online has an additonal 20percent off online or in store with coupons (regular price or sale price). Check the local paper for additional coupons for Carsons. Also if you sign up for their email of these places, they notify you of sales and give you additional discouts. http://www.carsons.com/home.do
I swear by shopping at Once Upon a Child in Schererville, Indiana. Its a resale shop that carries the brands you mentioned but at alot cheaper price and most of the clothes look hardly worn - some with even original tags attached. Getting clothes your daughters size alot of times the clothes have been worn only once or twice. I think there are some of these stores in Chicago but I dont know if they are as nice as the one in Indiana.
I think the best time is mid-August. Most of the stores are pushing their back to school items. You can also find some good deals in December.
