31 Things Smart Shoppers Always Stock Up On at the End of Summer

The end of summer has a particular feeling to it — something between relief and mild panic, depending on how prepared you are. The days are still warm, the stores are still stocked with warm-weather inventory, and retailers are quietly desperate to clear shelf space before fall merchandise arrives.

That desperation is your opportunity. Smart shoppers know that the six-week window between late July and early September is genuinely one of the best buying periods of the entire year, not just for sunscreen and patio furniture, but for a surprisingly wide range of goods that disappear from shelves or spike in price the moment the calendar flips.

Here’s what’s worth grabbing before the season closes out.

Sunscreen

Sunscreen goes on clearance at the end of summer, and yet the sun doesn’t stop existing in September. Stock up now at 40 to 60 percent off and you’ll have enough to last through fall hikes, winter ski trips, and every unexpectedly sunny day in between.

Expiration dates on most sunscreens run two to three years out — so buying six bottles today is just math, not hoarding.

Patio Furniture

Patio furniture markdowns at the end of summer are almost aggressive in how good they get. Retailers need the floor space back — and a $600 sectional that’s been sitting since May suddenly becomes $210 with a clearance tag that nobody’s going to argue with.

Buy it, store it if you need to, and next spring you’ll be the person with the great outdoor setup who paid almost nothing for it.

Outdoor Lighting

String lights, solar path lights, lanterns — all of it gets quietly shuffled to the clearance aisle in August. And yet the useful life of outdoor lighting extends well into fall, when evenings get cooler but no less enjoyable.

The price difference between August and May, for the exact same product, is often 50 percent or more.

Grills and Smokers

End-of-summer grill pricing is one of retail’s genuinely reliable patterns — a $400 grill in June becomes a $190 grill in late August, and the grill hasn’t changed. The grilling season doesn’t end in August either; it just becomes a more deliberate activity, which is arguably better. Go figure.

Lawn and Garden Tools

Lawn tools bought in late summer come with the kind of discounts that make the spring version of you feel a little foolish. Rakes, aerators, spreaders, hose reels — they all get marked down while the stores transition to leaf blowers and snow shovels.

The tools work exactly the same in October as they did in June: so buying them cheaper in August is just sensible behavior.

Bug Repellent

Bug repellent sitting on a shelf in late August is a product in quiet freefall — the store wants it gone, the season’s winding down, and the price reflects both of those facts simultaneously. But mosquitoes in September are just as committed as mosquitoes in July, and outdoor events, camping trips, and backyard evenings don’t stop just because retailers have moved on.

Stock up before the markdown racks get restocked with Halloween candy.

Swimwear

There’s something almost philosophical about buying a swimsuit in late August — you’re essentially purchasing optimism for next year at this year’s clearance price. Swimwear markdowns at the end of summer regularly hit 60 to 70 percent off original retail, and the sizes are still reasonably available if you shop early in the clearance window, before the picking gets thin.

Buy a size up if you’re uncertain; returning something you bought for eight dollars is never worth the trip.

Cooling Fans and Portable Air Conditioners

Portable cooling units at end-of-summer prices are among the more underappreciated clearance finds of the year. They’re discounted hard because retailers assume the need is gone, but anyone who’s lived in a city in September knows the heat doesn’t always consult the calendar.

A $180 tower fan for $65 is the kind of deal that quietly pays for itself the first time you actually need it.

Camping Gear

Camping gear in late summer sits at this peculiar crossroads — the stores are done promoting it, but camping season still has weeks left and fall camping is genuinely better in most of the country. Tents, sleeping pads, camp chairs, and lightweight cookware all see meaningful discounts starting in August.

So the shopper who picks up a quality four-season tent at summer clearance pricing is essentially buying gear for every camping trip they’ll take for the next decade.

Pool Supplies

Shock treatments, clarifier tablets, test strips, skimmer nets — pool maintenance products are relentlessly useful for anyone who owns a pool, and they store perfectly well over the winter. End-of-summer clearances on pool supplies can cut prices by half or more, which means buying a full season’s worth of chemicals in August and storing them in a cool, dry place is just good for the household economy.

Pool supply stores practically beg you to take this stuff off their hands in September.

Sandals and Flip-Flops

Sandals don’t expire between August and June, but their price does drop considerably — a solid pair that was $55 in May might be $18 in late August, same shoe, same shelf. Quality sandals (the kind with actual arch support, not the foam slabs that last two weeks) are the ones worth targeting in the clearance bins.

And the brands that hold up tend to mark down late in the season rather than early, so patience here pays off.

Outdoor Rugs

Outdoor rugs get overlooked in the end-of-summer clearance cycle, which means the deals are good and the competition for them is low. They’re also genuinely versatile — outdoor rugs work in mudrooms, garages, and covered porches long past summer.

A durable one at 50 percent off in August is a smarter buy than the same rug at full price in May.

Children’s Summer Clothing

Kids’ summer clothing in late August is the clearance category that rewards patience and planning in equal measure — the sizes that remain on racks are often the ones that will fit next year, which, as any parent knows, arrives faster than expected. Shorts, swimwear, lightweight tees, and rash guards all go on deep clearance right as the back-to-school rush winds down.

Buying a size or two ahead at end-of-season pricing is a habit that parents with multiple kids treat as something close to religion.

Insect Killers and Traps

Bug zappers, fly traps, and mosquito coils all follow the same clearance trajectory — summer wraps up, stores discount aggressively, and smart shoppers quietly clean up. The products don’t lose efficacy sitting in a garage over winter, and next summer they’ll be right where you left them, fully functional and already paid for.

Spending full price in June on something you could have bought in August for half the cost is the kind of thing that’s hard to justify once you’ve noticed the pattern.

Sunglasses

Sunglasses are one of those categories where the end-of-summer markdown is disproportionate to the remaining usefulness of the product — the sun stays bright through October in most of the country, and polarized lenses matter just as much on a fall drive as they do at the beach. Retailers discount eyewear heavily in August to make room for fall accessories, and that creates a genuine window to buy quality pairs at fraction-of-retail pricing.

Grab a backup pair while you’re at it, because sunglasses have a way of disappearing.

Portable Coolers

View of insulated coolers and water jugs on store shelf. Brampton, Canada – November 16, 2025. — Photo by egunes_

A good cooler bought in late August at clearance pricing is the kind of purchase that earns its keep across tailgate season, holiday road trips, and every outdoor gathering between now and next Memorial Day. Hard-sided coolers that were $90 in June can drop to $40 or less in August clearance events — and quality coolers, unlike disposable ones, genuinely last years.

The price gap between peak season and end-of-season for the same cooler can be startling.

Beach Towels

Beach towels are just large, useful towels — and at end-of-summer clearance pricing, they’re also very cheap large, useful towels. They work as pool towels, gym bag staples, and picnic blankets, which means buying several in August at $4 or $5 each is one of those low-cost, high-utility moves that quietly improves daily life.

The novelty prints get a little aggressive at this point in the season, but the solid colors are always there if you look.

Garden Hoses and Sprinklers

Garden hoses sitting on a hook in a garage don’t know what season it is — they just work or they don’t, and a new one bought at half price in August works just as well as one bought at full price in April. Sprinklers, hose splitters, and nozzle heads follow the same clearance curve and are worth picking up in multiples given how routinely they crack or get left behind after a move.

The fall gardening window is shorter, but it’s real, and having good hose hardware already on hand makes it easier.

Portable Bluetooth Speakers

Waterproof and outdoor-rated Bluetooth speakers get discounted at the end of summer alongside every other outdoor product, even though their useful life extends year-round. The connection between “outdoor speaker” and “summer” is mostly a retail marketing construct — the speaker doesn’t know it’s September.

Outdoor-rated speakers bundled with summer inventory often see markdowns of 30 to 40 percent in late August, which is a respectable discount for a product with no seasonal expiration.

Aloe Vera Gel

Aloe vera gel is one of those products that disappears from front-of-store placement the moment summer ends, even though sunburns, dry skin, and minor irritations don’t observe a seasonal schedule. Stocking up in late August when large bottles are on clearance is smart household management, not excess.

It stores well, it’s useful year-round, and the clearance price is often absurdly low compared to what it costs in June.

Lightweight Athletic Shorts

Athletic shorts in late summer clearance are a quietly excellent find — the technical fabrics, the better waistbands, the decent brands that cost $45 in June and $14 in August. Running and working out don’t stop when summer ends, and quality athletic shorts are the kind of item where buying five pairs for the price of one full-priced pair is just math that happens to be wearing clothes.

The color selection gets eccentric by clearance time, but function doesn’t care what color it is.

Water Shoes

Water shoes have roughly a six-week moment of retail relevance each year, and then they vanish from stores entirely until next June — so late August clearance is the last reliable window to find them at any price. They’re useful for kayaking, beach trips, lake weekends, and any outdoor activity where regular footwear would get destroyed, and those activities don’t stop in September.

Buying a couple of pairs now means never scrambling to find them in stock next summer.

Citronella Candles and Torches

Citronella products are deeply seasonal in a way that retailers treat almost personally — by late August, they’re priced to move quickly, and the outdoor torch oil, replacement wicks, and large pillar candles that were slow to sell in July are suddenly deeply discounted. Fall evenings on a porch are arguably the best use case for citronella candles, when the air is cooler and bugs are still present but the pressure is off.

Stocking up now means next summer starts without a citronella shopping trip.

Reusable Water Bottles

Reusable water bottles tagged as “summer” items get marked down at the end of the season despite being useful every day of the year — this is a retail categorization quirk that works entirely in your favor. Insulated bottles that keep drinks cold in August also keep coffee hot in January, which makes the “summer clearance” label something of a fiction you can profit from. Brands like Hydro Flask and YETI see meaningful discounts at big-box retailers during late-summer inventory resets.

Lawn Games

Cornhole sets, bocce ball kits, badminton sets, and horseshoes all land in the clearance section in August — and fall gatherings, tailgates, and backyard parties are just as improved by lawn games as summer ones. The sets that were $45 in June are often $20 or less by the time stores are trying to make room for Halloween decorations.

Buying lawn games in August for fall use is one of those things that seems obvious once someone mentions it.

After-Sun Moisturizers

After-sun products follow sunscreen onto the clearance rack in late summer, and the better formulas — the ones with aloe, vitamin E, and actual hydrating ingredients — can drop to almost nothing. Skin that’s spent a summer in the sun benefits from continued moisture treatment through fall, and these products work just as well on wind-dried winter skin as they do on sun-exposed summer skin.

The clearance timing is arbitrary; the usefulness isn’t.

Inflatable Pool Toys and Floats

Inflatable pool floats are not a timeless investment, but they’re a fun one, and at end-of-summer clearance prices they’re essentially disposable fun at a price that makes sense. The giant ones — flamingos, pizza slices, lounge chairs — that were $35 in June regularly drop to $8 or $10 in August clearance bins, and if they last one more summer that’s plenty.

Grab a patch kit while you’re at it; those always disappear before the floats do.

Outdoor Storage Boxes

Deck storage boxes and outdoor benches with storage inside are bulky items retailers desperately want off the sales floor at the end of summer — which translates directly into meaningful markdowns for anyone willing to haul one home in August. They’re immediately useful for storing the patio cushions, lawn games, and garden tools you just bought at clearance prices.

Turns out the thing that stores your summer deals is itself a summer deal.

Wide-Brim Hats

Wide-brim sun hats get marked down at the end of summer with the conviction of a retailer that has given up on the category entirely — prices that drop 70 percent are not unusual. And yet fall sun at lower angles is famously harsh, particularly in the eyes, and a wide-brim hat on a September hike earns its keep just as readily as it does on a July beach.

The straw and packable styles that photograph well on vacation also travel well in October, which is worth knowing.

Summer Bedding and Lightweight Blankets

Lightweight cotton blankets and summer-weight bedding sets — the kind that breathe in high heat — are genuinely useful in the shoulder seasons, when the temperature swings between chilly nights and warm days within the same week. Stores cycle these out aggressively in late August to bring in flannel and heavier bedding, and the markdown percentages on quality cotton blankets can be significant.

A good lightweight blanket bought now for $15 is the same product that costs $40 in a spring refresh.

Portable Shade Structures

Portable canopies, pop-up shade tents, and beach umbrellas are priced at their lowest point of the year in late August — and fall outdoor events, from football tailgates to farmers markets, use them just as much as summer ones do. A 10-by-10-foot canopy that was $120 in June might be $55 in late August, same product, same stakes and tie-downs included.

The wind doesn’t get calmer in fall, so make sure you grab the weight bags too.

The Cart You’ll Thank Yourself For

There’s a certain satisfaction in being the person who already has what they need before everyone else remembers they need it. End-of-summer shopping isn’t about stockpiling for its own sake — it’s about recognizing that retail timing and actual usefulness are almost never perfectly aligned, and that the gap between the two is where smart shoppers do their best work.

Most of these items will be sitting in your garage or closet for a few months, and then one day in March or May you’ll pull them out, remember what you paid, and feel quietly, unreasonably pleased with yourself. That feeling is worth the August trip to the clearance aisle.

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