No grill lasts forever. The cheaper units start to cause problems after as little as 3 to 5 years, and the sturdiest ones wear out after 10, maybe 15 years if you use and care for them well.
You know it’s time to replace your grill when it frequently breaks or rusts irreparably. A cracked, rusty firebox with holes, leaking hoses and connections, and a faulty igniter are some of the signs that your grill is past its prime.
So if this is the year you finally get a new grill, you have two options:
- You can buy it when you feel like it, at any price
- You can buy it during a sales event or in the off-season when you can get it at a bargain
With the price of everything rising faster than a hooker’s hemline, it’s no wonder more and more grillers are looking to save up. So if getting the best bang for your buck is the goal, let’s talk about the best—and the worst—times to buy a new grill.
When to Buy a New Grill
Watch out for sales at and around these holidays:
| Day | Sale |
|---|---|
| February | Valentine’s Day, President’s Day |
| April | Easter, Home Depot Spring Sales |
| May | Mother’s Day, Memorial Day |
| June | Father’s Day |
| July | Independence Day, Amazon Prime Day, Target Deal Days, Walmart Deals for Days |
| September | Labor Day |
| October | Halloween |
| November | Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday |
| December | Christmas, New Year’s Eve |
The best time to buy a grill is during a Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Prime Day, or Black Friday sale, or off-season, when retailers are ready to sell their units at a discount and cash out rather than keeping their money tied up in inventory till next summer.
And yet, as any experienced griller can attest, buying a new grill at a bargain price is not just about knowing the date. For our best tips on how to plan and prep properly, read on below.
At Sales Events
Brick-and-mortar stores like Home Depot, Lowe’s, Target, and Walmart usually have great discounts on national holidays.
On Small Business Saturday, the day after Black Friday when big retailers have their clearance sales, mom-and-pop stores offer big discounts.
Amazon has its own annual sales event, Prime Day. On this day, you can typically get a significant discount on the grills and accessories that Amazon offers in its online store. (Note: You have to be, or become, a member of Amazon Prime, though. There’s a free trial.)
Almost every online retailer has their own exclusive sales event. The best way to figure it when it is to subscribe to their email newsletter so you can stay posted.
Tips for buying a grill offline:
If you prefer to buy a grill from the store, keep in mind that you will have a lot of competition. It is advisable to do your research in advance and identify your preferred makes and models a day or two early so you can act quickly at the store.
Consider making yourself a cheat sheet—a list of the brands, models, and features you’re looking for. This way, you can read through the labels in the store and shop like a pro.
Tips for buying a grill online:
Don’t wait until the sales start to find your next grill. Check out our buying guides, pick five or six favorites, and then open them at Amazon or whichever online store you shop from and save them in your browser’s favorites.
(If you’re old-school like I am and you don’t get along well with technology, create a Word document and copy/paste the web addresses in it; works like a charm.)
Have your computer ready when Prime Day, Black Friday, or Cyber Monday comes around so you can visit the sale pages of the grills you’ve saved and check if they’re offered at a discount.
In the Off-Season
Grilling season starts in June and ends in August.
This is the time when everyone is thinking that they want a new grill, which means that prices for grills and accessories will be the highest, and retailers will want to negotiate the least.
It’s a different story from September through May, when consumer demand for grills declines and retailers large and small are stuck with units in inventory. Most won’t want to wait until next year to sell their grills.
The best months for buying a grill in the off-season are September through November and January through March. April and May are when grillers start prepping for grilling season, so demand and prices go up again.
All in all, if you know how to bargain, you stand a good chance of negotiating a 20% to 25% discount on any model.
How do I start negotiating at the store?
A couple of conversation starters to help you chat up the sales associate or, in smaller stores, the store manager:
- “Do you have one of these lying open-box in inventory? I’m ready to get it out of there and on my patio if you give me a discount.”
- “I want to get this floor model off your back and in my backyard. But I find the price a little too steep. Anything we can do about that?”
- “I read that the new model is coming out later this year. I was planning to wait for it, but I’m happy to reconsider and buy the old model if you give me a discount.”
Remember to talk to the right person who is authorized to give discounts, and good luck now!
Which grills are most likely to be sold at a discount?
Floor models, open-box, and refurbished grills are the easiest to purchase at a discount. Still, with good planning and a little charm, you can also get a discount on a brand-new grill.
Grill manufacturers regularly update their models, making minor improvements and adding bells and whistles. When this happens, retailers are usually ready to get rid of the previous year’s models as soon as possible—but not everyone is willing to buy them.
