How to Score at Holiday Clearance Sales

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As I was wandering Target’s Valentine’s Day clearance aisles today, maneuvering a stroller around the carts and other strollers in the aisles, I was glad the local Target has a price check kiosk very close to the holiday area. The 30% off sign doesn’t mean much if I can’t find the original price. Here are a few keys to clearance shopping:

• The more leftover stuff an individual store has, the bigger the reductions. Most clearances vary from store to store. If you’re in a store 2 days before a holiday and notice there’s a ton of unsold specialty stuff, it’s likely to have better markdowns in a few days.
• Focus on items that can be repurposed for non-holiday uses. I snagged some wrapping paper for cheap after Christmas that doesn’t have Santas or reindeer. The green frosting (free after coupon) without the attached red and green sprinkles is quite multipurpose. Pink sprinkles and good chocolates are handy in any package. Don’t be fooled into thinking that plastic heart with nasty-looking gummy fish is a good deal because its 50% off (It’s a heart!) or the large marshmallow on a stick must be a steal at $2 (It has a heart-shaped tag attached!).
• Ignore the pretty packaging when figuring a good price. It cost too much in the first place, and nobody will even care the Reese’s pieces packets are in a heart-shaped box.
• Be reasonable about what you’ll store for next year. Will you actually use the heart-shaped plates? Fine, get enough for your family. Do you have Christmas tree-plates in storage you forgot to get out this year? Don’t buy the heart-shaped plates.

Remember: Just because something is on sale (even 75% off) doesn’t make it a good buy. Will you use it? Will you enjoy it? Will you gain weight because of it? Don’t get caught by price-anchoring–there’s a reason you didn’t pay the original price last week. Don’t get caught in the rush of a sale–it’s almost always cheaper to buy nothing than to buy something.