Best time/place to buy charcoal?


 
Ted from Bristow

Ted from Bristow

TVWBB Member
Lowes currently has two/20lb bags of Kingsford blue for $19.99. Not bad, but I feel like I've seen it much cheaper before.

Does Kingsford tend to go on sale at some point in the year? Where? If so, I might buy a trunk full.

At full retail, one smoke can burn through $10+ worth of charcoal. Definitely and noticeably adds to the expense of the meal.
 
Right before Labor Day & Memorial Day. Typical price for 2 20lb. bags is around $10.
 
Around here (SoCal) Lowes & Home Depot sell (2) 20lb bags for $10 right before Labor Day, 4th of July & Memorial Day. Stock up!!!!
 
that's around $0.50 / pound..... or about the high end. It's not outrageous but it's no bargain... Costco is closer to $15 for that but it's usually Kingsford Competition (I have no preference to kb or kc, really). I'll load up when the cost is closer to 30-35 cents per #
 
The entry points to stock up are usually Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day. You might see something around President's Day, but the best pricing (~$.25/lb) is around one of those first three. Lowe's and Homer's.
 
You are prolly a little late for good deals on fuel. You might find the occasional (red tag) deal on fuel as the store is clearing out for X-mas stocking.
Check way back in the lawn and gardens section and you might still find some deals.

Tim
 
Like everyone else said, weeks leading up to the big BBQ holidays typically have the best prices. When you see the ads pop up, check the stores websites for buying (in store often has a limit to how many you can purchase). I've picked up (and still working on) over 300lbs of charcoal in one online purchase. Left work one morning, drove over to Lowe's and loaded it all in the back of the truck. Got home, pallet on the basement floor, and unloaded. Convenient, dry storage and it's lasted since last year. I think I have 40 or 60 lbs left.
 
My last haul of Kingford came from Safeway, believe it or not, about 5-6 weeks ago. $5.99 for #20 lb bags, limit 2, with a tiny coupon in their ad. Since they have the weekly ads right by the front door, I grabbed a handful and visited Safeway every day for a week, while coupon was good.
 
Lew said:
Right before Labor Day & Memorial Day. Typical price for 2 20lb. bags is around $10.
Click to expand...

^^^^^^
Lowes ran it for at least three weeks, took Home Depot a couple weeks to sell it at that price without asking for a price match.
Keep a lookout at Thanksgiving too, sometimes it is a unadvertised sale.
 
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Last year Home Depot ran a good sale on Kingsford the week between X-Mas and New Years. If I remember correctly my local Depot had Kingsford twin packs at under $10.00. They had a very limited supply and it was gone quickly, but I got some!
 
Charcoal, like many products, runs afoul of what we learned in economics class. We were taught that prices go up when demand is high. That is often not only false but the opposite of reality.

Retailers are willing to make less on charcoal to get you in the door and sell you other stuff. It's called a loss leader.

So when a big grilling holiday like Memorial Day, 4th of July, or Labor Day roll around, bargains are available.

But when there is low demand in the middle of winter, when you'd think they'd lower the price to move it, they want full sticker price.

Crazy but true. Stock up on the summer holidays.
 
Chris in Louisiana said:
Charcoal, like many products, runs afoul of what we learned in economics class. We were taught that prices go up when demand is high. That is often not only false but the opposite of reality.

Retailers are willing to make less on charcoal to get you in the door and sell you other stuff. It's called a loss leader.

So when a big grilling holiday like Memorial Day, 4th of July, or Labor Day roll around, bargains are available.

But when there is low demand in the middle of winter, when you'd think they'd lower the price to move it, they want full sticker price.

Crazy but true. Stock up on the summer holidays.
Click to expand...

Yup, you nailed it Chris. Commodity stuff like charcoal, sheetrock, landscape rock, concrete mix, etc. are all loss leaders for the big home improvement retailers.
 
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