How to Spot Hidden Clearance Deals in Stores

🛒 How to Spot Hidden Clearance Deals in Stores

Clearance hunting is more than just finding a yellow or red tag. The truth is, retailers often hide markdowns in plain sight, using pricing codes, shelf placement, or even app-based scanners. Shoppers who know how to spot hidden clearance deals can score massive savings while others walk right past the discounts. In this guide, we’ll show you the insider secrets for finding hidden clearance at Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens, and beyond.

💡 Why Stores Hide Clearance Deals

Retailers don’t always make clearance obvious. Sometimes they prefer to quietly mark items down to move old stock without drawing a crowd. Other times, the markdowns only appear in their digital system, not on shelf tags. That means you can find deals that most shoppers miss if you know what to look for.

📍 Where Hidden Clearance Usually Hides

• Endcaps: Check the ends of aisles, especially seasonal and household goods.
• Top & Bottom Shelves: Clearance is often stashed out of eye level.
• Random Aisles: Unmarked items sometimes get mixed into regular stock.
• Customer Service Returns: Items returned in new condition may be marked down quietly.

🔎 Tricks to Spot Hidden Clearance

1. Scan with the Store App

Apps like Walmart, Walgreens, and CVS allow barcode scanning. Often, the app will show a clearance price that hasn’t yet been updated on the shelf.

2. Look for Price Code Patterns

• Target: Prices ending in .04 or .08 are final clearance.
• Walmart: Tags with odd cents (like .07) often indicate markdowns.
• CVS: Unmarked clearance frequently appears after scanning with the CVS app.

3. Watch Seasonal Reset Timing

Retailers follow markdown cycles. For example:

• Holiday clearance typically starts at 50% off the day after and drops to 70% within a few days.
• Within 1–2 weeks, many stores slash prices to 90% before clearing shelves.

4. Ask Store Associates

Many employees know which sections are due for markdowns. Polite questions like “Are any price changes scheduled today?” can lead you directly to hidden clearance.

📲 Digital Tools to Help You Hunt

• BrickSeek: Tracks hidden clearance at Walmart, Target, Lowe’s, and Home Depot.
• Flipp: Shows weekly ads where clearance is sometimes listed as ‘last chance’ deals.
• Krazy Coupon Lady App: Shares live clearance finds across popular stores.

✅ Pro Tips for Spotting Clearance Faster

1. Always scan seasonal merchandise the morning after a holiday.
2. Check random spots in aisles — misplaced items are often hidden clearance treasures.
3. Join clearance communities like the Glitchndealz Facebook Group and Telegram Channel for real-time UPC codes and photos.
4. Don’t assume shelf tags are right — the register often rings up lower.

🔍 Why Hidden Clearance Exists

Many shoppers wonder why stores don’t just clearly mark all their clearance deals. The reality is that hidden clearance is a retail strategy. Stores want to quietly move merchandise without signaling to the masses that prices are dropping. If they plastered “clearance” signs on every markdown, shelves would empty before managers could reset aisles. By hiding some of these deals, stores strike a balance between liquidating inventory and protecting regular sales.

For savvy bargain hunters, this is actually good news. It means there are thousands of unmarked bargains waiting to be discovered — but only if you know the clues to look for.

📆 The Role of Markdown Schedules

One of the best-kept secrets about hidden clearance is that it follows predictable cycles. Many retailers mark down items on certain days of the week:

• Target: Departments like electronics and apparel have assigned markdown days. For example, women’s clothing often gets marked down on Tuesdays.
• Walmart: Price changes tend to roll out mid-week and overnight. This is why early morning clearance runs often yield the best finds.
• CVS & Walgreens: Clearance tends to hit hardest after holiday resets — Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween, and Christmas are prime examples.

If you align your clearance hunting trips with these schedules, you’ll dramatically increase your odds of spotting unmarked deals.

📲 Using Technology to Your Advantage

The smartphone is the most powerful tool for clearance shopping in 2025. Every major retailer has a barcode scanner within its app, and that’s where hidden clearance reveals itself. Here’s how to use them:

• Walmart App: Scan any barcode. Often, the app price is lower than the shelf tag because the system has updated but employees haven’t changed signage.
• Target App: Link your Circle account and scan clearance items to see extra coupons or discounts applied digitally.
• Walgreens & CVS Apps: These not only confirm hidden clearance prices but also show if rewards points or ExtraBucks apply.

Shoppers consistently report finding items that ring up for 50–80% less than the displayed price simply by scanning them in the app.

🛒 Examples of Hidden Clearance Success

Glitchndealz community members share hidden clearance wins almost daily. Here are a few recent highlights:

• A toy at Walmart tagged $19.88 scanned for just $3.00 in the app.
• Target cookware marked $39.99 scanned at $11.98 — a final markdown price ending in .08.
• CVS skincare originally $24.99 rang up at $6.25 when scanned in the CVS app.
• Walgreens holiday décor went from 50% off on the shelf to 90% off at checkout.

These examples show how powerful it is to scan rather than trust shelf tags.

🧾 Price Code Patterns to Memorize

Learning a few price code secrets can help you spot hidden clearance before even scanning:

• Target: Prices ending in .08 or .04 signal final markdowns. A $7.98 price tag means the item is at its last drop.
• Walmart: Odd cents like .07 or .03 often mean clearance. Items ending in .00 may be discontinued.
• Home Depot & Lowe’s: Look for yellow tags with cents like .06 or .03. These often mean the product is discontinued and will not return.

By memorizing these codes, you’ll start recognizing clearance tags instantly, even when stores don’t mark them as such.

📍 Where to Look for Hidden Clearance in Stores

Knowing where to look can save you time. Hidden clearance isn’t always in a designated “clearance aisle.” Instead, it hides in:

• Endcaps: Particularly the ones facing the back of the store. Retailers use them to quietly move stock.
• Top shelves: Items stashed high often include discontinued products waiting for markdown.
• Bottom shelves: Less-visible spaces are prime spots for unmarked clearance.
• Mixed in with regular stock: Don’t assume clearance items are separate. At Walmart and CVS, they’re often right next to full-price items.

📦 Seasonal Hidden Clearance Patterns

Seasonal merchandise is one of the biggest sources of hidden clearance. The markdowns usually follow these stages:

1. Day after holiday: 50% off.
2. 3–4 days later: 70% off.
3. 1 week later: 90% off, often unmarked.

If you check back frequently, you can score holiday items for pennies on the dollar — especially when shelves no longer display the markdowns clearly.

👀 Insider Tips from Clearance Hunters

Experienced shoppers often share these strategies in the Glitchndealz Facebook Group and Telegram channel:

• Always scan multiple items from the same shelf — not every unit updates at the same time.
• Check clearance at odd hours. Early mornings and late nights after stock resets are best.
• Ask employees when markdowns are scheduled. They often know the exact day prices drop.
• Keep a “clearance watchlist” in apps like BrickSeek or Flipp to monitor hidden deals before they hit shelves.

📈 Why Hidden Clearance Will Grow in 2025

Retailers are moving toward digital-first pricing. Many stores now update clearance in their systems before signage changes. That means hidden clearance is more common than ever. For shoppers, this is a huge opportunity — but only if you leverage technology and strategies to uncover it.

🚀 Your Hidden Clearance Game Plan

Here’s a step-by-step plan to dominate hidden clearance shopping this year:

1. Download all major store apps (Walmart, Target, Walgreens, CVS).
2. Memorize clearance price codes for each retailer.
3. Scan items frequently, especially seasonal and holiday stock.
4. Check top and bottom shelves for overlooked markdowns.
5. Join deal communities for real-time UPC codes and hidden clearance alerts.

If you combine these strategies, you’ll consistently find hidden clearance deals that most shoppers miss.