Bargain shoppers, rejoice! Tea and teaware deals abound, especially for “after season” items. Being a bargain hunter in the extreme, I wait anxiously for special dates and occasions to pass just as avidly as others prepare for their occurring. When it comes to tea, this is especially true.

Holidays are the best example of this. There are after-Christmas sales, after-New Year’s Day sales, after-Valentine’s Day sales, after-St. Patrick’s Day sales, after-Easter sales, after-4th of July sales, and so on. Human nature being what it is, at least in our modern society, we move on quickly and put aside the holidays of the past to get back to our regular lives and prepare for the next special occasion. Vendors know this and so want to move out the merchandise for the holiday gone by and get ready for the special event to come.

Seasons of the year are regarded the same way. Winter stuff goes on sale sometimes as early as mid-January, Spring stuff as early as early April, etc. Out with the old, in with the new.

For tea lovers, this can be really good news. Buy your Santa teapot at a reduced price when everyone else has stopped “Ho-ho-ho-ing!” or your pumpkin-flavored tea when others have moved on to lighter flavored teas to serve their special Valentine. That shamrock- or heart-covered mug doesn’t appeal to most shoppers when time has moved on, but you, the ever intrepid bargain hunter, can smell the deals!

Some foods are seasonal, such as fruitcakes, mince pies from Walkers and Mr. Kipling, eggnog scone mix from Sticky Fingers Bakery, and Bakewell cake slices with green icing for St. Patty’s Day. Go ahead and buy some for the holidays but save room for the after-season sale goodies. Personally, I stock up on mince pies on sale “after season” and ration them out until they come back in season again. The same goes for those yummy Cadbury Easter candies. Chocolate crème-filled eggs are delicious all year round, so grab a bunch while they’re priced lower.

Teas go on sale for reasons other than the flavoring in them. So a tea doesn’t have to be pumpkin- or cranberry-flavored to be available for less dough. Some teas sell better than others, so the ne’er-do-well slacker teas go on sale and are often very respectable tasting. They may just be too daring-sounding or have a bad reputation for some more timid tea drinkers to take a chance. In a way, that’s good for us tea adventurers, willing to plumb the depths of the teacup to enjoy a new tea taste.

Keep your eyes peeled for the next big deal on teas, teawares, and teatime treats. Happy hunting!

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