Still interested in deals? There will be plenty after the holiday.

Stories of people waiting until after Christmas to go shopping are legion. Traditionally the prices are better the day after the big gift-giving holiday as retailers unload inventory that never got off the sales floor. According to the retail bargain-tracking site Dealnews.com, 2013 should be no different.

Typically you’re looking for things that don’t have to be under the Christmas tree, but Dealnews suggests some “After Christmas Sales” actually might have started on Christmas Eve. This year those sales could have started as early as Monday, Dec. 23. While many people believe Black Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year, in reality that honor normally belongs to the Saturday before Christmas. So retailers believing that people have already done most of their shopping might have been willing to start dropping prices before the actual holiday.

Name brand clothing stores are likely to discount fairly heavily after Christmas, as will stores selling sweets and holiday decorations you can store away until next year.

Electronics can be another good place to find good deals as retailers attempt to move 2013 inventory out of the store to make room for some new. You may want to wait a few weeks, however. The new year for gadgetry historically begins a couple of months after everything else, according to a story in the Associated Press. That’s because much of the newer stuff is introduced at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in January in Las Vegas. That means top-tier equipment often doesn’t get discounted until February or March.

Another Associated Press story reports people in the market for a car should consider the end of the year a good time to buy. Auto dealers typically offer the best prices at the end of every month anyway, according to a hilarious, hour-long broadcast dedicated to the process on the public radio show This American Life. The AP story reports end-of-year sales are especially good for buyers. Like electronics retailers, car dealerships should be eager to unload 2013 inventory to make room for more 2014 models. Dealerships are also under pressure to meet end of year sales goals and that could put you in an attractive bargaining position.

If you’re interested in bargains throughout the year, including but not limited to end-of-year sales, PC Magazine has a list of 10 sites that show you where the best deals are at all times. The list of sites is from 2010, but all are still operating and offering deals on items from computers to skinny jeans. A couple of them are focused on electronics, while most have information about a broad range of deals. Amazon is the one name-brand retailer mentioned.

A dedicated bargain hunter can find plenty of deals in the stores or online. Done right it could usher in a second round of gift-giving, a time to buy gifts for yourself or to stock up for birthdays and even Christmas 2014.

Published Dec 25, 2013.