Does Walmart Have Hidden Clearance?

Hidden clearance happens when an item’s price has been marked down without the display price being changed. So, basically, an item can look like it costs full price but actually show up at a discounted price when you checkout. Exciting, right?

It’s probably no mystery at this point that Walmart has hidden clearance deals. But… why exactly would the store discount item prices without advertising it to customers?

It turns out that hidden clearance is more of an incidental bonus than an intentional program. Basically, hidden clearance happens when the folks at the Walmart corporate offices have decided to discount an item’s price, but the employees at each individual Walmart store haven’t gotten around to changing the display price yet (which is understandable considering how large Walmart’s inventory is).

So, at the end of the day, what starts out as a backlog of work for Walmart workers turns into an exciting opportunity to save even more than you might expect during your next Walmart shopping trip.

In terms of how long hidden clearance deals last, this all depends on how long it takes for the employees to update the display prices. It also depends on how long the sale was intended to last from the time Walmart’s corporate offices confirmed the price change.

Typically, Walmart’s sales run anywhere from a few days to a few months depending on the item and type of sale.

Is Walmart’s Hidden Clearance Real?

Despite sounding like a magical and mysterious urban legend, Walmart hidden clearance is very much real. But again, it’s really just the result of prices not being updated in stores, rather than being a secret ploy to disguise discounts from customers.

So, it’s important to remember that there’s really no difference between a hidden clearance item and a regular clearance item. The only difference is the way the price is displayed at the Walmart store. This means that, like all Walmart clearance items, new “hidden clearance” items are marked down during the first 5 days of every month. Once inventory of clearance items runs out, the deal will no longer be available.

Another thing to remember about all this “hidden clearance” talk is that because Walmart.com’s prices come directly from the corporate offices, “hidden clearance” doesn’t apply to shopping at Walmart online. Due to the nature of hidden clearance, these secret deals can only be found in stores.

How Does Hidden Clearance Work At Walmart?

Now, let’s break it down a little further.

Here is a play-by-play look at how and why hidden clearance happens at Walmart (and how you can take advantage of it):

1. Products Walmart wants to phase out of their inventory are marked down and put on clearance during the first 5 days of every month (some months might be skipped if no items need to be marked down).
2. The prices of these marked down items are determined by the folks at the Walmart corporate offices, then relayed to the employees at each Walmart store who are responsible for switching out the physical price tags.
3. Because Walmart is such a massive store with such a large inventory, the price tags of every individual clearance item cannot be changed instantly. Walmart employees have to change out each price tag by hand, which takes time. Also, some products might unintentionally fall through the cracks, meaning that their price tags might never get changed despite being available for a discounted price.
4. Despite what the price tag says, the marked down price will show up when the item is scanned at a register, because the register catalogs all of the up-to-date prices provided by Walmart Corporate.
5. What all this ends up resulting in is a handful of “hidden clearance” items, or items with true prices that are not accurately reflected by their price tags.
6. When you’re shopping at Walmart, you will receive the discounted price regardless of whether or not you know the item is a hidden clearance item. However, if you want to seek out hidden clearance items specifically, you can do so by downloading the Walmart app and scanning items on your phone as you shop. The Walmart app, just like Walmart.com and the Walmart POS system, will always display the most current price for all items, including clearance items. Just make sure your location services are enabled so that the app can tell which store you’re in.

How To Find Hidden Clearance At Walmart

The easiest way (and honestly the most fun way) to find hidden clearance deals at Walmart is by using the Walmart mobile app.

All you have to do is download the Walmart app onto your phone, allow the app to use location services, then begin scanning the items you’re hoping might be marked down.

By detecting your location and scanning the item’s barcode, the Walmart app will be able to show you the current listed price for the item at the store you’re shopping in. If the item is a hidden clearance item, you will see the discounted price display on your phone screen.

If you’d rather not download the Walmart app, you can also try using services like Brickseek, which offer online price checking services for many major retailers, including Walmart.

You can learn more about Brickseek here.

FAQs

Is there a clearance section at Walmart?

Yes. All Walmart stores have a dedicated clearance aisle, usually located toward the middle of the store.

Does Walmart have a clearance website?

Yes. Walmart.com has a separate page dedicated to clearance deals. You can browse the Walmart.com clearance page here.

What day does Walmart do markdowns?

Walmart marks down clearance items during the first 5 days of every month.

How do you scan a Walmart secret clearance item?

Using the Walmart mobile app. To search for secret clearance items at Walmart, simply download the Walmart app onto your phone, then open the app and begin scanning items in the store. Just make sure you have your location services turned on, otherwise the app will not be able to provide you with the current price for the store you’re in.

Conclusion

Just when we thought there couldn’t possibly be more ways to save when shopping at Walmart, here comes hidden clearance!

Check for new hidden clearance items during the first 5 days of every month using the Walmart app on your phone or using an online price-checking service like Brickseek.

But remember that regardless of whether or not you identify an item as a hidden clearance item, you’ll still receive the discounted price at checkout.