Christmas eve sales: Read my guide for last-minute deals

You can mess with a lot of things. But you can’t mess with kids on Christmas. I just recalled this quote from Home Alone 2 for Christmas Eve.

So, you have kids & want to make sure they wake up happy with toys, games & gifts. You don’t want to forget, so you rush into Walmart to buy at least two items.

You notice sensory toys & PAW Patrol at 80% off, and your kid loves them most. So, you buy them.

Perhaps you forgot a gift for your cousin’s family gift exchange. But it is 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve. The Best Buy parking lot is full. The line at Best Buy wrapped around the store.

You walked in anyway. You spent 20 minutes looking at things. You noticed a Bluetooth speaker marked down 10%. A tablet case in the wrong size & a deal on a smart light bulb that required an app, unfortunately, nobody would download.

Then you walked to the gift card rack. You bought a $15 coffee shop gift card. You were in and out in five minutes.

Your cousin’s husband used it the next week. He texted you a photo of his latte with a thumbs up.

The moral is: Christmas Eve is not a day for big-ticket deals. It is a day for specific, high-urgency purchases without losing your money & mind. In today’s article, I discuss how you can do that. So, take 1 hot chocolate & start reading:

Finance Ideas AI snippet box | Tapos Kumar

What should people buy on Christmas Eve?

Hmm, gift cards, stocking stuffers, food for Christmas dinner, and anything that doesn’t require shipping. Say you want to buy for someone else. In this case, a restaurant gift card with a bonus offer could be a saving option. If you are buying for yourself, grocery markdowns could be a better option to save.

I found grocery stores offer big markdown deadline?

I found that grocery stores are authorized to do big markdowns on Christmas inventory to clear shelves for the post-holiday reset.

“According to retail markdown calendars tracked by commercial aggregate consumer firms, major U.S. grocery chains and big-box stores maintain standard pricing through Christmas Eve to capture high-margin, last-minute holiday shopping. The official post-holiday clearance cycle begins sharply on the morning of December 26th, initializing at a flat 50% discount on Christmas seasonal goods, before progressively scaling down to 75% to 90% off in the days heading into the New Year as stores clear shelf space.

You can check for manager’s special or quick sale yellow stickers on baked goods, prepared foods, and short-dated items. Then, look for Christmas-specific inventory, i.e., hams, turkeys, pies, holiday cookies, and seasonal produce.

My suggestion = Please skip anything you don’t need. Remember, a 75% discount on a second pumpkin pie is money you could spend on a second pumpkin pie.

You can get unadvertised discount from liquor stores?

Yes, liquor stores are a hidden source of Christmas Eve deals. Because they are small, independent businesses, they have options that big-box retailers don’t.

My recent analysis found that a liquor store in the Tri-Cities region offered a 15–20% discount on everything during its holiday open house.

According to regional retail policy trackers and grocery store methodology, standard single bottles of wine do not carry built-in discounts. Instead, major supermarket chains incentivize volume buying by offering a permanent 10% discount when consumers build a mix-and-match six-pack of wine, with special holiday advertisements occasionally boosting that bulk savings rate up to 20% or 25% off during peak winter holiday weeks.

Some supermarkets also run buy-one-get-one-for-a-penny promotions on spirits around Christmas.

Remember: Liquor laws vary by state. In some states, liquor stores are closed on Christmas Eve or have restricted hours. So, I suggest you check your local regulations first.

Restaurant gift cards offer a bonus?

Yeah, this is true & it could be beneficial if you want to solve this in one transaction, like when you forget a gift.

Restaurants know that December 23 is usually the season’s best day for gift card sales. To capture last-minute shoppers, many offer bonus cards. I summarized it below in the table:

Restaurant	Deal	Value
Applebee’s	$10 bonus card for every $50 in gift cards	20% bonus
Local restaurants	Varies i.e., they set their own policies. Yeah, some offer 20–25% back in bonus cards	Check in-store

Now you may ask, how can it be financially beneficial for me? The fact is: You get a gift for someone else, and you get a bonus card for yourself. That means it is a legitimate deal, and it requires no shipping hassle.

Could gas station gift cards be your open-late option?

Yes, they can. Gas stations and convenience stores are open on Christmas Eve and also on Christmas Day. They sell gift cards for major retailers, restaurants, and streaming services. Now, you may think, “I know that, but how can it save me?”

Okay, it is the only retail category that is open when everything else is closed. That means, if everything is closed, it will be open for you. A gas station gift card isn’t a big discount, but it opens late and lets you buy with a gift bonus.

You need to know what is open and what is worth buying?

Shopping is a hassle. Plus, the income crisis forces us to rethink every penny before we spend.

So, knowing Christmas Eve store hours and cutoffs can save you money. Below, I summarized it in a table. Remember that times vary by location, so always check your local store.

Retailer	Christmas Eve hours	Same-day pickup cutoff	Delivery cutoff
Walmart	6 a.m. – 6 p.m.	Midday	5 p.m. (Express delivery)
Target	7 a.m. – 8 p.m.	Early evening	Check app for local cutoff
Best Buy	8 a.m. – 7 p.m.	Check local store	Not reliable
Costco	5 p.m. close	N/A	N/A
Most grocers	7 p.m. close	N/A	N/A
Most malls	6 p.m. close	N/A	N/A
Gas stations	Hmm, open late or 24 hours	N/A	N/A

Quick Q/A: Reader’s Most Asked?

Do retailers offer price matching on Christmas Eve?

Usually no. Most retailers suspend price matching during the final stretch of the holiday season. So, don’t expect price matching on Christmas Eve.

Is it worth shopping on Christmas Eve for next year’s gifts?

No, I don’t support it. Deals are on perishables and seasonal clearance. So, they aren’t on gifts you would store for 12 months. I suggest you shop the after-Christmas sales instead.

What is the biggest myth about Christmas Eve shopping?

Based on my analysis, the biggest myth about Christmas Eve shopping is that it is a great day for deals. It isn’t. Our study found that almost 90% of Americans shop in the final five days before Christmas, and 42% say they are hoping for deals, but on Christmas Eve, sales are few and far between.

Finance Ideas TLDR | Tapos Kumar

On Christmas Eve sale, you get grocery markdowns, restaurant gift card bonuses, liquor store discounts, and stocking stuffers.
The Christmas Eve sale isn’t about big-ticket items.
We found that 88% of last-minute shoppers plan to head to physical stores.
I suggest you use same-day pickup or one-hour delivery. Target and Walmart both offer cutoffs as late as 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
If you plan to shop on Christmas Eve, buy those items that don’t require shipping or buy a gift card.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Christmas Eve sales?

What stores are open on Christmas Eve?

Hmm, most major retailers are open with reduced hours. For example, Walmart closes at 6 p.m., Target at 8 p.m., Best Buy at 7 p.m., and most malls at 6 p.m.

What time do grocery stores close on Christmas Eve?

Most grocers close at 7 p.m. Some, like Aldi and Trader Joe’s, close earlier (4–5 p.m.).

What is a manager’s special sticker?

Let me think: It is a markdown label grocery stores use to clear short-dated or seasonal inventory. On Christmas Eve, you can notice these stickers on baked goods, prepared foods, and holiday items.

Is Christmas Eve busier than Black Friday?

In some ways, yes. Almost 90% of Americans shop in the final five days before Christmas, which is a massive store gathering. So Christmas Eve is one of the busiest in-store days of the year, but it is mainly driven by urgency.

Are there deals on Christmas decorations on Christmas Eve?

Yes. Grocery stores and big-box retailers mark down Christmas decorations by 50–75% (based on historical offers) on Christmas Eve to clear inventory. In my view, this is one of the most reliable last-minute deals.

Tapos’s last thought

After analyzing historical data, I found this: Most Americans don’t shop on Christmas Eve because the deals are good. They are shopping because time ran out. And retailers know it. And my purpose was to address this association between shoppers & retailers. Hope my article helped you enough.

I have to say goodbye now. And if you have a few seconds, please share this article. Also, I appreciate your opinions. Your advice helps me write more helpful articles for you in this AI era. Thanks for reading.

References & Sources

Below is the lists of sources that I have used to write this article [You can also visit these site for self- study. By doing this, you can verify my information also]:

Disclaimer

The information provided in this article is just the author’s view & only for educational purposes. This guide is not for promotion or affiliate purpose. By reading this, you agree that the information is not personal finance advice. Do your research before making your shopping plan. Therefore, Finance Ideas will not be liable for your financial loss if occur.

Tapos Kumar

I am an accounting graduate & founder of financeideas.org. I started my academic career as a researcher and accounting teacher & published many research papers in different international journals. I am a member researcher of the ResearchGate & Social Science research network. I have also worked as an accountant and financial analyst for the industry. I write about cryptocurrency, personal finance, insurance, investment, & banking.