There’s a very interesting question regarding when the best time of year is to buy a new lawnmower. You could make an argument for either Spring or Fall:
- Spring – get ready for another busy season of grass cutting. (Likely) avoid breakdowns and downtime because everything has new parts, is serviced, has proper fluid levels, etc.
- Fall – you’ve made it through another year of cutting, getting the most out of your old mower. It’s like replacing a furnace or roof – can I get one more year out of it to maximize value?
One thing to note about the timing for buying a lawn mower is that it can very much be determined by price. But when do lawn mowers go on sale?
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When Do Lawn Mowers Go On Sale at Lowe’s and Other Big Box Stores?
Lawn mowers typically go on sale at big box stores when they need to sell them. That’s usually the Spring prior to the start of the cutting season, the Fall after the season, or on holidays – specifically Christmas and Father’s Day.
You’re typically not going to find a mower on sale in these stores during the busy cutting season. If somebody is looking for a mower in July, it usually means it’s a pretty urgent purchase. Of course these big box stores can’t just mark up something a huge amount during these months either, because the consumer will just go to a competitor.
Why Would Lawnmowers Be on Sale in Spring?
Lawn mower manufacturers, much like auto sales, roll out new models each season. They add new features either for performance or ease-of-use, and sell these units for higher prices to increase their profit margins.
Like the old saying ‘out with the old and in with the new‘ goes, in order to make room for these higher priced new mowers, they need distributors to sell the old models. The best way to move product? Lower the prices.
You might also see lawnmowers on sale more frequently in the Spring so that manufacturers and distributors can take advantage of the market. It’s been a long offseason, and people might have moved, experienced damage to their mowers while in storage, or just need a new cutter for one reason or the other. When the demand is high, there’s more money to be made in volume sales.
Why Would Lawnmowers Be on Sale in Fall?
More often than not, if there’s not an incentive to buy a mower in the Fall most consumers will not. Who wants to store a new mower all Winter? Why not spend the Winter months continuing to add to the mower budget and get a real high end model in the Spring? What if I need the money I’d spend on a mower now for an emergency like a furnace repair?
These are all viable questions that homeowners have – until a price drop makes it so they almost cannot afford not to buy the mower in the fall. Moving mowers in the Fall or Winter creates a win-win situation as the homeowner gets a deal on something they need, while distributors move product to create room to display more topical products (snow blowers, space heaters, etc.).
Lawn Mower Sale Summary
The best advice is to keep an eye out if you know your current mower is getting to the end of its service to you. Your local Lowe’s or Home Depot often has refurbished models for sale at prices 25-30% off or they might have special price match offers where if you find a product for less within 30-days they’ll honor that.
