If your holidays left you with a few missing gifts or a resolve to finally upgrade the kitchen, good news: the post-Christmas sales are in full swing. Retailers and Amazon are clearing inventory and slashing prices on everything from countertop blenders to dutch ovens — and some discounts are genuinely worth a click.
Standouts you’ll actually use
Editors and testers at Serious Eats, Food & Wine and EatingWell all gravitated toward the same handful of winners. These are items that tend to stay useful year-round, and right now many are marked down substantially:
- A workhorse blender: Vitamix models (including the Propel/Ascent lines) are widely discounted — you can find top-tier units for a few hundred dollars instead of the usual $500+. (Check current listings on Amazon.)
- Mixer magic: The KitchenAid Artisan 5-Quart tilt-head often drops $100–$150 in these sales and remains a staple for bakers. Serious Eats, Food & Wine and EatingWell flagged this as a best-buy while it’s reduced.
- Instant-read thermometers: The ThermoWorks Thermapen ONE and similar ThermoPro options are on sale and are the quickest fix for dinner panic moments.
- Vacuum sealers and sous-vide gear: Anova’s Precision Vacuum Sealer Pro got consistent praise and big markdowns in roundups.
- Nonstick and ceramic pans: From Caraway and Our Place to ceramic sets like Carote, there are nontoxic nonstick options that tested well and dropped in price.
- Cookware classics: Le Creuset and Staub dutch ovens are discounted at multiple retailers — a good time to buy if you want a lifetime pot.
- Make a short list now. Prioritize what you’ll use rather than what's trendy.
- Compare across sellers and watch return windows. Year-end purchases often come with extended returns, but policies vary.
- If you’re eyeing big-ticket electronics or appliances, wait a few days and watch prices — post-Christmas and early-January can show additional drops as stores reset inventory.
- Consider storage and timing: Invest in deals you can store if you’re buying early for birthdays or weddings next year.
Serious Eats’ editors called out convenient picks (like a KitchenMama electric can opener and ThermoWorks thermometers) that make everyday life easier; Food & Wine highlighted bargains across cookware and appliances with discounts up to 76% at Amazon; EatingWell emphasized healthier, nontoxic swaps like bamboo utensils and ceramic pans.
Where to look (and how deep discounts usually are)
Amazon is the largest playground for these after-Christmas markdowns: expect heavy discounts on appliances (Ninja, Instant Pot, Vitamix), cookware (Staub, Le Creuset, Caraway) and organizational staples (Rubbermaid, OXO). Some publications found deals starting as low as $9 on small gadgets and 40–60% off pricier items.
Specialty retailers also run year-end sales: Williams Sonoma, ThermoWorks, and maker sites for Vitamix or Anova frequently match or beat marketplace prices. Real Simple pointed out that Amazon Prime members sometimes get exclusive member-only markdowns — the small, impulse buys (knife sets, blenders, storage solutions) can be especially cheap if you have Prime.
Smart shopping habits for these sales
Retailers are clearing shelf space for the new year. That’s actually an advantage: models and colors change in January, so if you don’t need the absolute latest, you can save big.
A few practical tips inspired by consumer advice from financial writers:
Healthy-cooking and “nontoxic” picks
If your New Year’s goal is cleaner cooking, EatingWell’s picks are worth noting: Our Place Always Pan and Caraway ceramic pans tend to be marked down in these sales, and small items like bamboo utensils or high-quality salad spinners make healthy routines easier. They also flagged accessible countertop appliances (personal blenders, air fryers) that are great for meal prep.
Member-only steals and small splurges
Real Simple’s roundups found surprising member-only steals — think a 13-piece knife set for under $20 or cozy slippers that look expensive for a fraction of the cost. These are ideal for padding the gift drawer or treating yourself without buyer’s remorse.
Electronics and larger buys: timing matters
If your list includes consumer electronics — laptops, tablets, or consoles — post-holiday deals are often competitive with Black Friday prices. For example, MacBook Air discounts that deepened around seasonal sales can make now a tempting time to buy; publications tracking those drops have been closely following the M4 MacBook Air pricing swings, which can help you decide whether to pull the trigger or wait (see recent coverage of MacBook Air deal patterns).
Gamers: consoles and accessories also show up in these sales. If a console or streaming device is on your radar, watch bundles and marketplace discounts — and note new software or hardware announcements that sometimes push last-year models into clearance. Nintendo and Sony items often hit attractive price points, plus you can read context on streaming changes for Sony’s hardware in this piece about the PlayStation Portal’s new features.
If you’re hunting for a specific high-ticket item like a laptop or a console and want one-click convenience, the M4 MacBook Air is frequently included in seasonal sales and — for console buyers — the PlayStation 5 Pro Console is a direct way to compare prices when bundles appear.
A final nudge (but not the usual wrap-up)
There’s a sweet spot between impulse and patience: small, useful gadgets and tested kitchen staples are often safest to buy now; bigger gear benefits from a little price-watching. Whether you want a better blender for smoothies, a dutch oven for braises, or a gadget to declutter meal prep, the after-Christmas window is a practical time to upgrade without paying full price. Happy hunting — and may your kitchen be the one room that benefits from a very merry markdown season.