Most fashion retailers in the Netherlands run two major sale periods per year: late June through July (summer clearance), and late December through January (winter clearance). Within each period, the depth of discounts follows a fairly consistent pattern — but most buyers miss the window where prices are actually low because they shop too early in the sale.
Week 1 and 2 of a sale period are typically when the most desirable items are still in stock but discounts are at their lowest — often 20–30%. Retailers put items on sale at a modest discount while stock is healthy, then deepen discounts as they need to move remaining inventory. By week 5 or 6, the discount depth has typically reached 50–70% on remaining items.
The selection vs. price tradeoff
The obvious issue is that waiting until week 6 means you're shopping from whatever's left after five weeks of buying. Sizes and popular styles go early. If you're looking for something specific — a particular size, a specific colour — early in the sale is almost always the better choice even at a shallower discount.
But if you're flexible — open to what's available in your size, and not committed to a particular colour — the late-sale window is where prices are genuinely low. The practical shift is from "shopping for specific things" to "seeing what's there."
How this varies by retailer type
Fast fashion retailers tend to compress the timeline — their sale periods move faster and the late-sale window might be week 3 or 4 rather than week 5 or 6, because their inventory cycles are shorter. Mid-range retailers run longer sale windows, and the price descent is more gradual. Premium brands tend to hold prices higher longer and discount more reluctantly even in the final weeks — the floor for those is shallower.
What this means for the timing score
When DealRadar includes a fashion deal, the timing score factors in where we are in the sale cycle. A 30% discount in week 1 of a summer sale might score lower on timing than a 55% discount in week 5, even if the absolute price is similar, because the latter reflects where prices are actually going in that cycle. A good deal in week 6 is real; a deal in week 1 is a preview of what prices will become if you wait.