Shopping Insight: Don't Expect Last-Minute Discounts

Is it smarter to buy now or wait for bigger discounts down the line? Some observers are saying the best deals will disappear as the holidays come closer.

But is this theory just a marketing ploy, like the way some stores manipulate supply so they can keep demand (and prices) high?

From a Denver Post story:

Marketing experts say zealous coupon clippers and tenacious bargain hunters … will reap the greatest savings this holiday season.

But they also warn that shoppers are unlikely to find the usual last-minute price cuts in the days before Christmas.

Why? To compensate for soft sales throughout the past year, retailers are keeping inventories low to prevent stock from languishing on shelves. Black Friday and Cyber Monday — the weekdays immediately after Thanksgiving — promise shoppers the deepest discounts.

Then again, many marketing experts are in the business of getting shoppers to buy early, now aren't they? Of course they'll tell you not to wait.