For my area I have found late winter/early spring is the best time to get winter stuff for the next year. It is usually on clearance, is actually available and I still remember what I needed and why. By now there is nothing left for me too look at in the stores except for a few very specialized places and there it is not on sale. It is also hard to get stuff in the summer because you cant really try it out until winter and by then if it doesnt work out it is generally too late to return it. That being said, I would love to get a new pair of googles but I keep balking at the price.