Black Friday and Cyber Monday are usually associated with discounted tech, appliances, and mattresses. However, grills often go on sale too.
It seems counterintuitive because it's entirely the wrong time of year. In much of the country, it will be far too cold to grill in December. But because demand is low, prices are low too, which can save you huge amounts of money.
I've worked five Black Fridays as a product tester and consumer journalist and every year some of the best grills around are on sale at hugely discounted prices, but not every deal is legitimate. This is all you need to know about buying a grill over Black Friday.
Are grills cheaper on Black Friday than other sales?
It feels odd to buy a grill in late November or December, but the time of year is exactly why the prices are so low.
Online retail expert Brandon Hartman explains 'I have worked in retail for many years, and it is not uncommon to see steep discounts for grills during Black Friday. Retailers do this because winter is about to set in and they know that demand for grills will decline. They offer these discounts to make sure that their inventory is cleared out.'
Because fewer people want grills - and stores want to clear their warehouses of grills before new models arrive in the spring - prices drop. In my time as a product tester and consumer journalist, I've seen some of the best grills on the market discounted for hundreds of dollars over Black Friday.
It's not true of every grill, but if you buy a grill on Black Friday you can sometimes find grill deals at much cheaper prices than you find in Memorial Day or July 4th sales, saving you hundreds of dollars. I've even seen discounts as big as $1000.
Are Black Friday deals legitimate?
Black Friday will see lots of grills for sale, but the sale prices are often fake. What looks like a good discount is completely misleading. In a practice known as 'price anchoring', which is also incredibly common in the mattress industry, stores list a 'sale' price which is actually the retail price, played off against a fake retail price that is much higher.
For example, you'll see a grill on sale for $700, discounted from $1500. It seems like a great deal - more than half off. However, if you watch the price throughout the year, you'll see that the grill is almost always listed at that $700 sale price, not the alleged $1500 MSRP. This means that you're buying the grill at full price, and there's no actual discount.
As a real-world example, I often see my favorite grill, the Weber Spirit II E-310, listed as on sale for $569.99. However, this isn't actually a sale, because it's often listed at that price - or at least it has been for the last couple of years.
These prices aren't legally binding; as long as the store varies the price a little throughout the year, it isn't technically mis-selling, just an unfair practice.
Brandon Hartman says 'Be careful to check the grill's pricing history before purchasing so you're sure you're actually getting a decent discount or cost savings.'
On top of that, grills, like all products, are subject to inflation. Deals can only be relative to the most recent price. For example, take this deal on Weber's original Kettle grill.
What are the downsides to buying a grill in winter?
There are a few downsides to buying a grill on Black Friday. The first is that the range and stock of grills are often limited to older, cheaper models. It's expensive to store these products, so companies want to make a little money on them before they're completely discontinued ahead of new product launches in the spring. This means that a brand-new, WiFi-enabled grill with a timer and fancy digital thermometer probably won't be on sale. Instead, you'll find discounts on cheap grills that have been on the market for years. They can still be fantastic products, and you can save hundreds of dollars but don't expect the best.
This also means that you need to be quick. In spring, grill manufacturers and retailers have plenty of stock to meet growing demand as the weather gets warmer. In fall and winter, however, stock is low, because it's been depleted throughout summer and demand is lower. This means that if you spy a grill at a huge discount, you have to move quickly. There is likely little stock for that grill and if you don't buy it then, someone else will.
Online seller Brandon Hartman gave me a good summary: 'A downside is how limited you'll be when it comes to selection and availability. Retailers may not have the exact model of grill you want as they'd have less stock available.'
The final issue is much simpler. Unless you don't mind being chilly - you can't use the grill straight away. Grilling relies on the weather, and you probably won't want to go out into a snowdrift to grill a few burgers.
That's frustrating, but more importantly, it means you have to be smart about where and how you store your grill, and it also means buying a grill cover. In fairness, you should always use a grill cover, but in summer you can get away without one. In winter, however, this will make your grill rust before you've even had a chance to use it.
Grills aren't the only niche product to see big discounts over Black Friday. We always see hundreds of dollars off bedding deals, mattress deals, and vacuums, saving you money on boring, everyday essentials.
