SUPER-COUPONING: Hunting for winter seasonal clearances

It’s good to keep in mind that a new year often brings a “reset” of stores’ inventory in many different categories. Year-end clearances typically don’t take place in December at the end of the calendar year. As stores go through their inventory and mark down items that they don’t want to keep in stock for the next season or next year, these products begin showing up on clearance racks as the stores make room for new, seasonal and springtime items.

Here are some categories of items that you may see markdowns on in stores this month:

Bedding: If you live in a cold climate, flannel and fleece sheets are likely already on clearance, even though we have a few more weeks of cold weather ahead of us. Retailers often reset colors and brands of bedsheets at this time of year, too, allowing you to purchase the discontinued styles that won’t continue to be carried in the store.

Decorative/seasonal towels: Along with bedsheets, good deals can often be found on bath towels, hand towels and washcloths, as their styles are often reset this time of year too. At one store, I spotted ribbon-wrapped towers of washcloth 6-packs marked down to just $1.25! The washcloths were plain white, but the ribbons were red – likely, a post-Christmas item.

Winter clothing: Spring isn’t here yet, but stores are ready for it! Long-sleeve styles move to the clearance racks as short sleeve styles go on display. The same is true for pants, especially casual pants like lounge, yoga, fleece, or pajamas. Look for good deals on winter coats, hats, gloves and boots too in cold climates.

Shoes: In the early months of the year, we typically see good clearances on shoes for similar reasons noted above – everything from clearing out old stock to removing discontinued styles from inventory. At one store I shop, all of the clearance shoes are currently 50% off the lowest marked price. I’ve picked up name-brand athletic shoes for my sons in the $15 range.

Interior home décor: We’re past the post-Christmas markdowns for everything from ornaments to wreaths, but there are other winter décor items that you may find on the clearance shelves this time of year. Look for jar candles, centerpieces, signage, knickknacks, and throw pillows.

Kitchen: This month, I’ve spotted closeout pricing on everything from red-and-green hand whisks to jewel-toned dishtowels and placemats. I was surprised, though, at how many air fryers are also sitting on endcaps at various stores – I’ve seen them discounted 30 to 50%. These were anticipated to be a hot seller for the 2020 Christmas season, and I believe that many stores stocked up on these in anticipation of brisk sales. If you’re in the market for one, keep watching the clearance aisles.

Toys: It’s no secret that department stores expand their toy selection ahead of the Christmas season, but post-Christmas is when the real toy deals can be found. Stores typically have a few aisles reserved for seasonal promotions. Those same aisles previously devoted to additional toy selection are now being taken over by lawn and garden items for springtime sales.

Any overstocked toys that the store doesn’t plan to carry year-round may be marked down to clear up additional shelf space. One store that I shop at currently has four endcaps of clearance toys – everything from dolls to puzzles to action figures to craft sets. This is a great time to pick things up for children’s birthdays throughout the year – or stash them in the closet until next season.