The best time to buy Costco patio furniture on sale is between late July and September, when end-of-season clearance markdowns hit their lowest prices. If you can't wait that long, Memorial Day weekend (roughly May 15 through May 26) is the next best window, with Costco running dedicated outdoor furniture promotions both in-warehouse and online. And if you catch a price ending in .88 or .00 on a price tag in the warehouse, that's your signal a markdown has already happened and another drop may be coming.
When Does Costco Patio Furniture Go on Sale? Best Timing
Rowan Vale
22 May 2026
Costco's patio furniture sale cycle, month by month
Costco follows a pretty predictable seasonal rhythm with outdoor furniture, even if the exact dates shift a little year to year. Here's how the cycle generally plays out across the calendar.
| Time of Year | What's Happening | Best for Shoppers? |
|---|---|---|
| February to March | First patio sets arrive in warehouses and on Costco.com | Selection is best, prices are full — buy now only if you need a specific set |
| Mid-May (around May 15–26) | Memorial Day sale event runs in-store and online, promotional pricing kicks in | Good time to buy — decent discounts without inventory risk |
| Late June to early July | 4th of July Outdoor Furniture Sale Event on Costco.com, holiday promotional hub goes live | Strong deals, especially online — worth checking even if you missed Memorial Day |
| Late July to August | Slower sales trigger first round of warehouse markdowns, clearance begins | Very good — prices drop but popular styles sell out fast |
| September to October | Deep clearance, lowest prices of the year — but thin inventory | Best prices, worst selection — works if you're flexible on style |
The tradeoff is real: the later you wait, the cheaper the price but the smaller the selection. I've seen people score a complete dining set for 40–50% off in August only to find the chairs were gone. If you have a specific style or size in mind, shopping during Memorial Day or July 4th gives you a better balance of price and availability.
Holiday and clearance events where the real deals happen
Costco actually runs structured event promotions for outdoor furniture, not just random price drops. The two biggest are Memorial Day and the 4th of July. Costco.com has a dedicated event page specifically for the 4th of July Outdoor Furniture Sale Event, which means it's a planned promotional hub, not an afterthought. You'll find patio dining sets, covers, umbrellas, and cushion sets all bundled into one promotional window.
Memorial Day is slightly earlier and, based on typical retailer behavior, often runs from around May 15 through the end of the holiday weekend. Some retailers start deals as early as mid-May to catch early shoppers, and Costco tends to follow this pattern. If you're reading this in late May 2026, you're right in the middle of that window now.
After those two holidays, the next major pricing event is end-of-season clearance, which isn't really a scheduled sale so much as a rolling markdown process that starts when the warehouse needs to move inventory. This typically kicks off in late July and accelerates through August. Big Lots tends to follow similar seasonal clearance timing, so the best chances are usually around late summer and major holiday weekends when does big lots patio furniture go on sale. These markdowns don't get a flashy name or event page, but they can be the deepest discounts of the year, sometimes 40–60% off original price on remaining sets.
How Costco's stocking and restock cycle affects your timing
Costco operates as a closeout-style buyer for many of its seasonal items, which means once a patio set sells out in a warehouse, it usually does not come back. This is fundamentally different from how Target or Home Depot operate. Costco buys a defined quantity, puts it on the floor, and when it's gone, it's gone for the season.
Patio furniture typically first hits warehouse floors in February or March, with the full floor display set up by late March. What you see at that point is roughly what your warehouse will have for the year. There may be a small mid-season restock if a specific item sells exceptionally well, but don't count on it. The practical implication: if you see something you love in March, take note of the item number. Don't assume it'll still be there in June.
Online is different. Costco.com tends to carry a wider selection and can restock individual SKUs more flexibly than the warehouse floor allows. If a particular set sells out online, it may reappear, especially around promotional event windows. Checking Costco.com frequently in late April through July is worth doing even if your local warehouse has a depleted floor.
In-store vs. online: where and when prices actually drop
These two channels behave differently, and knowing which one to watch at which time saves you real money.
Shopping at the warehouse
The warehouse is where clearance markdowns happen physically. When the store needs to move a patio set, a manager applies a markdown directly to the price tag. You can identify these in two ways. First, look at the price itself: a price ending in .88 or .00 (instead of the standard .99 or .97) is a signal that a manager markdown has already been applied. Second, check the bottom-right corner of the price tag. According to multiple retail analysts familiar with Costco's tag system, this corner shows the date of the most recent markdown. If that date is weeks old and the item is still sitting there, another drop may be coming soon.
Shopping on Costco.com
Costco.com has a dedicated Patio section (under "Patio offers") where you can browse outdoor furniture without visiting a warehouse. Holiday promotional event pages, like the 4th of July Outdoor Furniture Sale Event, consolidate discounted items in one place. You'll need your membership details linked to your account to see member-only pricing, which is where some of the better deals live. Costco’s customer service explains that you must have your membership details linked to your account to see member-only item pricing on Costco.com blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">member-only pricing. The homepage limited-time offers section and blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">searching directly by product name or item number are two reliable ways to find member-only savings on specific sets.
One significant advantage of buying online: Costco's price adjustment policy covers Costco.com orders. If you buy a patio set online and it drops in price within 30 days, you can request a price adjustment through customer service. This is not available for warehouse purchases the same way, those require you to go back to the specific warehouse location where you bought. The 30-day online window is genuinely useful during clearance season, when prices can cascade downward over a few weeks.
How to actually find the best deal at Costco
There's no official price-tracking tool from Costco itself, so you have to piece together a strategy from a few different sources.
- Read the price tag carefully in-store: a .88 or .00 ending means a markdown already happened. The date in the bottom-right corner tells you how fresh that markdown is.
- Check Costco.com's Patio category and the homepage's limited-time offers section at least once a week during the May through August window.
- Watch for Costco's holiday event pages (Memorial Day, 4th of July) to go live on Costco.com — these are planned promotions, not accidental discounts.
- Use third-party price-tracking tools or browser extensions that log historical Costco.com prices. Costco doesn't offer this natively, but some external tools track Costco product pages.
- If you buy online and spot a price drop within 30 days, contact Costco customer service immediately for an adjustment — don't wait until day 29.
- Compare what's available in your warehouse vs. online. Sometimes the same set is priced differently, or a set sold out in-store is still available online at the sale price.
- Costco doesn't accept manufacturer coupons or stack third-party coupons on most items, so don't waste time chasing that angle. The markdown on the tag is your real lever.
One underrated tip: if you're in the warehouse and you see an item deeply marked down but it's a floor display (missing cushions, scuffed, etc.), you can often negotiate an additional discount at the customer service desk. This isn't a published policy, but it's a common practice that works more often than people expect.
What to do today: your step-by-step plan
Today is May 22, 2026, which puts you right in the Memorial Day promotional window. Here's exactly what I'd do right now.
- Go to Costco.com and navigate to the Patio section or search 'patio furniture' directly. Look for any active holiday event pages or limited-time offers labeled for Memorial Day. Note specific item numbers for sets you're interested in.
- Check your local warehouse this week if possible. Memorial Day is May 25, so the warehouse floor should have promotional pricing active right now. Look at the price tags carefully for .88 or .00 endings and check the markdown date in the bottom-right corner.
- If you find something you like online at a price you're comfortable with, buy it now. You're protected by the 30-day price adjustment window, so if the price drops again before mid-June, you can get money back.
- If you don't find what you want or prices feel high, set a reminder to check again around July 1 when the 4th of July Outdoor Furniture Sale Event typically launches on Costco.com.
- If you still want to wait for absolute lowest prices, mark your calendar for late July. Start checking the warehouse weekly. Use the price tag signals (date in bottom-right corner, .88 or .00 pricing) to gauge how deep into clearance a set is.
- For anything you buy in-warehouse that later drops in price, visit the specific Costco location where you bought it to request an adjustment — online adjustment requests only apply to Costco.com orders.
- Compare Costco's current pricing against Sam's Club, Home Depot, and Lowe's for the same style category. Warehouse clubs price competitively but it's worth a quick check across channels before committing.
Common myths about Costco patio furniture sales
A few things people get wrong about this topic are worth clearing up directly.
Myth: Costco doesn't really put patio furniture on sale
This is false. Costco runs structured holiday promotional events (Memorial Day, 4th of July) with dedicated online pages, and the warehouse applies manager markdowns through the season. The clearance process is real and can reach 40–60% off by late summer. What's true is that Costco doesn't run weekly sales circulars the way a traditional retailer does, so the deals are less advertised and more timing-dependent.
Myth: If you wait long enough, Costco will restock the set you want
Generally not true for warehouse inventory. Costco buys in defined lots, and most patio sets don't come back once sold out in a given location. Waiting too long for a restock on a specific item is usually a losing strategy. Online may be more flexible, but in the warehouse, what you see early in the season is largely what you'll have access to.
Myth: The same deals are always available in-store and online
Not always. In-store and online pricing can diverge at Costco. The warehouse reflects physical inventory and local markdown decisions; Costco.com reflects a broader national inventory pool with its own pricing. Always check both before buying.
Myth: All Costco locations have the same patio furniture selection
Selection and even specific models can vary by region and individual warehouse. A set that's on clearance at one location may still be full price at another, or may not even be stocked at a third. This is why checking Costco. If you are wondering does big lots sell patio furniture, it can be worth checking their current outdoor furniture selection and seasonal deals as well. com is useful as a fallback when your local warehouse doesn't have what you're looking for.
Myth: Costco's patio deals are always better than competitors
Costco is usually competitive, but it's not automatically the cheapest option at every moment in the season. Home Depot, Lowe's, and Sam's Club all run their own Memorial Day and summer patio promotions. If you are comparing beyond Costco, you may also want to check when does walmart patio furniture go on sale for overlapping Memorial Day and summer deal windows. Lowe's tends to mark down patio furniture around the same spring and summer deal windows, so it helps to time your search around those sale periods when does lowes put patio furniture on sale. Home Depot also runs seasonal patio promotions, so it's smart to compare their sale timing around Memorial Day and late-summer clearance to find the best deal. If you want to compare, you can look up when Sam's Club patio furniture goes on sale and then line it up with the same Memorial Day and summer clearance windows Sam's Club patio furniture sale dates. A quick comparison across those channels around the same holiday windows often reveals where the genuine best value sits for a specific style or size of set. Costco tends to win on bundled value (cushions included, larger sets) rather than raw sticker price.
FAQ
If I spot a clearance price already on the tag, does that mean prices will drop again soon?
When you see a manager-markdown style tag (often prices ending in .88 or .00) and the tag is still attached for days, it usually means that unit is still sitting and another markdown is possible. However, once the floor stock is pulled or disappears from the shelf, the “next drop” is unlikely because Costco tends not to reorder the same lot for that warehouse season.
Can I get a better price if Costco lowers the price after I buy online patio furniture?
Yes, especially during the later summer clearance window. If you buy online and the same item drops within 30 days, you can request a price adjustment through customer service. To avoid missing it, save your order confirmation, note the item number/SKU, and avoid placing a separate order for the same set if the first one is still eligible for adjustment.
Is there one exact week when Costco patio furniture hits its lowest price?
Treat it as a “window” rather than a single date. The deepest deals often appear in late July through September, but the exact week depends on when your local warehouse needs to move inventory. The quickest practical method is to check in the Memorial Day week first, then again in early August, then daily or every few days late August once you see more tags with dated markdown corners.
What should I watch for if I’m trying to buy a specific patio set configuration (size, cushion type)?
In the warehouse, stock is typically limited to that defined quantity. Floor models, missing parts, or cushion shortages can also be a sign a set is being phased out. If you’re aiming for a specific configuration, like a particular cushion color or exact seat count, prioritize early window shopping and confirm the full set is present before checkout.
If a patio set is on sale at one Costco, will it be on sale at my Costco too?
Not always, because Costco often discounts by region and by warehouse inventory pressure. A set that is marked down at one location can remain full price elsewhere, or not be stocked at all. The safest approach is to check online for the exact item number, then cross-check your local warehouse if you plan to buy there.
If an outdoor set sells out online, is it likely to come back later?
It can happen, since Costco.com can pull from a wider pool than a single warehouse. If an online set sells out, it may return during promotional event windows, especially around Memorial Day, the 4th of July, or late-summer clearance. Still, don’t rely on restocks for custom-looking bundles, because bundle contents can change.
Why are patio furniture prices different in the warehouse and on Costco.com?
Because the markdown can be applied at the tag level, the “best deal” might differ from the online price for the same-looking item. Always verify the item number and product name on the tag versus the product page, then compare total cost including any required items (covers, cushions, and umbrellas often sell separately unless bundled in that promo).
Is it worth negotiating if the patio set looks like a floor display or has minor damage?
If you see a damaged or floor-display condition, ask for an on-the-spot discount or adjustment at the customer service desk before finalizing the purchase. Bring specifics like missing cushions, scuffs, or incorrect accessories. Even if there is no advertised policy, many shoppers report that additional concessions are more realistic when the condition is clearly visible and you purchase immediately.
What’s the best way to combine Costco.com checking with a warehouse visit?
Yes, and it often matters: online and in-warehouse have different timing for markdowns and different stock availability. If you are shopping during the late July to September clearance stretch, check Costco.com daily for item-number matches, then plan a warehouse visit for the exact units you can verify in person. This reduces the chance you discover a cheaper price only after you buy locally.
How do I tell whether the sale is a real deal versus a partial set or missing accessories?
Costco often bundles value, so the “cheapest sticker price” is not always the best deal. Compare the full bundle contents, cushion coverage, and whether chairs, tables, and hardware are included. For example, an end-of-season discount on a set that includes cushions can beat a lower-priced non-bundled option even if the markdown percentage looks smaller.