Stalking My Prey In The Clearance Section!

If there is one thing I love in life (besides my wife, family, dog, and friends of course) it’s a bargain!

Throughout my time on this planet I’ve had varying degrees of disposable income, but no matter what my situation is at the time, I find it hard to pay full price for something that I don’t exactly need 100%! This is why I go on these weekly, get-everything-as-cheap-as-humanly-possible missions over at the different stores that I frequent (Target, Wal-Mart, occasionally the Bass Pro Shop [when the urge hits me to drive the 20 miles to Fort Lauderdale] and my all-time favorite place to shop, Cabela’s [which I only get to do once a year, when I go up to see my family in PA around the holidays])! Once I’m in the store, however, it’s always the same — game time! This is how I start the hunt …

Even before I enter, I have made mental notes from my past expeditions — I have learned the nature of the beast for each department store’s methods of displaying their clearance items! For example: Target tends to put clearance items on the ends of their aisles (except their clothing, which I rarely buy anyways. They usually don’t have anything I like) so I always take an internal perimeter walk where all these aisle-ends rest. Wal-Mart stores, on the other hand, tend to have a whole clearance section, so with them I can easily drop through this part of the store to find things that were already on my shopping list. I try to do this weekly so I can pick up the items that I’ve had my eye on as soon as their prices drop down to a reasonable level.

Once I’m in the store, “it’s” on … I’ll approach the rack with my game face completely on! I don’t know if you knew this or not, but there definitely a system you can use to get through the racks more efficiently. Before approaching them, you need to know what colors you like to wear and what season you are looking for. For example: I like the color green and when I go summer shopping I’ll scan the rack first for short sleeves and then for this awesome color. Once I find what I’m looking for, I’ll check the price tag. Yes, this method gets me quickly through a rack of clearance items (note: it also works with other things as well [like towels, sporting goods, etc.])!

Some say they buy clearance items because they’re cheap, while others say they don’t even bother because the stuff is going to be both old and outdated anyways. Well, you can listen to either side, or you can take my word for it: frequenting the clearance means that you will be buying something much closer to what it’s actually worth (once the high mark-ups are knocked off, leveling the playing field for those “in the know”). Are you looking for the latest (fill in the blank)? If you are, then I suppose you should steer clear of the clearance areas, as there is nothing there for you (and your too-good-for-anything attitude). However, if you’re like most people in this country, and you don’t mind having something that is only a couple months old, then the clearance section is right up your alley — I say, “Go for it!”

Ultimately, however, it is up to you and your perceptions of the world that you live in. I believe that one can find really good bargains with clearance items, but that is only my humble observation of this topic. Ok, I get it …you don’t always have to buy items at a huge discount, but I also know this: with a lot of things you don’t need to spend full price. Sometimes the clearance section is full of junk, but there are also those times when it’s filled with hidden treasures. What I’m trying to get at is this: buy what you need, when it is at the right price for you. Know what I mean?

While you’re at it, don’t forget the online store’s clearance sections! Often people think that clearance deals can only be found in brick and mortar stores, but if you buy off-season merchandise at places like Amazon.com you can find some really great deals. Why not look for winter jackets in June, flip-flops in November, etc. (you get the picture, right?) by doing an online search for “(your store’s name) coupons” and find some for a large amount off or free shipping (find both, and WOO HOO, you’ve got yourself a deal)?

That, my friend, is how you fit a great hunt in on the weekends!