Your timing is impeccable if you’re shopping for Labor Day grill deals today. During the past two weeks, we saw unprecedented levels of early Labor Day sales leading up to today. We’re especially pumped about 2021’s Labor Day grill sales, because they build on the boosted interest in cooking at home that began in 2020 due to the pandemic, and on outdoor activities, another focus in staying healthy. Seasonality is also a factor as summer’s end is near. Merchants with full inventories of outdoor cooking equipment and accessories have incredible Labor Day grill deals. We’ve listed the hottest grill deals available today below so you can take advantage of this sale.
Despite the abundance of Labor Day grill sales, do you wonder if this is a good time to buy a new grill? We believe Labor Day 2021 is not only the best time to buy a grill this year, but also the best time of the past several years. There are three reasons why we think you should take advantage of this year’s Labor Day grill deals and they all have to do with higher than normal inventories: The continued increase in interest in home cooking; the ongoing trend to more outdoor entertaining at home with the rise of outdoor kitchens, fire pits, and patio heaters; and seasonal inventory clearance.
When we realized that the COVID-19 pandemic was going to mean more time at home than during previous years, including remote working and learning, we changed our spending focus. Many of us decided to use the money we weren’t spending going out or on trips or vacations to make our homes more attractive, more functional, and more fun. Restaurants were closed and even though home delivery services were on the upswing, many people were newly focused on doing their own meal preparation and cooking. As a result, sales of cooking appliances both large and small increased dramatically, in some cases to the point of price pain as factories shut down for months and supply chain and shipment issues continued to threaten retailer inventories. Merchants don’t like empty shelves and warehouses, so many bumped up their future merchandise orders much higher than usual.
The pandemic was not responsible for outdoor kitchens, that trend started about a decade ago, but the growing interest in outdoor entertainment and cooking spaces also influenced manufacturers’ production levels and merchants’ inventory levels.
And finally, summer is coming to a close. More people grill year-round now, but the focus is still greatest during the summer. Prices for new grills are highest in the spring at the start of the grilling season, but now merchants are ready to sell down their inventories. Inventory balancing is a science, but it’s also an art and many merchants are holding larger than usual inventories of grills of all types. Seasonal sales are a given, but this year the savings on Labor Day grill deals may be the best in years both past and future.
If you’ve made the decision to take advantage of this year’s Labor Day grill deals, we suggest that you don’t buy based on price alone, or at least don’t just go for the greatest savings without being sure that your new grill meets your needs and fits your budget. All sales aren’t equal and just because some Labor Day grill sales have mind-blowing discounts, be sure to focus on what you need and do your research to be sure the price savings stated in a sale are accurate. In addition to those general caveats, consider the grill’s fuel type, size, and features.
If you are an experienced griller, you already know whether you want a grill that cooks with charcoal, liquid propane gas (LPG), wood, wood pellets, or any combination of the above. Charcoal grills are the most common grills with the longest history, but many people don’t like to wait for the charcoal to burn to the proper state for cooking. LPG-fueled grills are also plentiful and they’re usually ready to cook within a few minutes. Most outdoor cooks find it easier to control temperatures and maintain different temperature cooking zones on a grill surface with propane grills than with charcoal grills.
Cooking with seasoned hardwood or with cooking-grade wood pellets are less common than grilling with charcoal or propane. Grillers who buy wood or pellet grills are usually experienced outdoor cooks who prize specific features of those fuel sources such as when they are used for smoking meats or fish or for long-term, unattended cooking. Wood chips or logs are commonly used for smoking food and wood pellets with self-feeding pellet hoppers are great if you want to cook food for 6, 12, or more hours but don’t want to have to tend the fire often. Electric grills that you can use inside or outside have a great advantage on those inevitable days when it starts to rain when you step onto the patio to begin grilling.
The size of the grill matters, too. If you’re grilling just for yourself and maybe one or two others, the smallest grills will be the most efficient, the easiest to move around, easiest to clean, and easiest on your wallet. Loading up a huge kettle grill with half a bag of charcoal to cook four burgers is not worth the expense. On the other hand, if you regularly grill for groups of six or more people and, even more so, if you grill meat, fish, and vegetables at the same time, you’ll want a large grill and will probably opt for a propane grill with four or more burners. Unless you’re buying a grill to fit in existing outdoor kitchen cabinetry, you don’t need to worry about specific dimensions, but small, medium, and large definitely apply. One of the greatest benefits of small grills is that they’re often easy to take to different locations, plus they cost so little that you can afford to buy more than one for those times when you cook for a crowd.
The last consideration is extra features on a grill. I have a 17-year-old 3-burner Weber propane grill with a single side burner. The grill works fine after 17 years, but I’ve never used the side burner. You’ll find grills with rotisserie attachments, food warmers, different types of thermometers, and a whole raft of extra features. If you like using all the features for fun or because they make the grilling experience and your cooking that much better, go for it. If you just want a grill that cooks your food, however, skipping the extras can help keep your budget intact.
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