Find Unadvertised Specials at These Stores

You may recall a previous article where I talked about finding bargains on the clearance rack at the Giant Food grocery store.

Well, there are a few other stores where I also shop for unadvertised bargains on their clearance racks before checking for those items in the regular section.

Supermarkets

Mars

The Mars supermarket nearest me is only about 3 miles away but its in the opposite direction from where I usually travel. Even so on occasion I do make a trip there for special bakery products I've only found at their store. There bakery items have more of a homemade flavor to me and there is a butter crème snack cake they make that I haven't found anywhere else.

I find that the produce prices at Mars are usually pretty reasonable if not sometimes better than other local supermarkets. Still, when I shop Mars supermarket for produce, I always check their markdown rack that they keep right there in the produce section. They may have packages of 3 or 3 pieces of fruit or vegetables in a shrink-wrap package for literally cents compared to the same amount of produce for $2 or $3! Lots of the time the packaged produce is at the peak of ripeness and they may even include a piece or two that is on the verge of becoming overripe but I'm normally only look for one or two pieces that I'm going to eat or cook with right away so that is perfectly fine for me.

Safeway

Safeway is another supermarket that is near my home, yet I don't go there very often either. Mostly I guess because of logistics and timing. However, I have come to realize that I can consistently find things like dog or cat food greatly reduced on their markdown rack. Also, this is about the only time I will purchase Method products, which I love the container styles of but still find them expensive to purchase at the normal price.

Department Stores

Target

Target is one of my favorite places to shop. Almost every area of the store has a section with reduced pricing! In fact when you enter the store you usually have to walk right past the dollar section! The items they have in this area vary very frequently. Some products are also seasonal or holiday oriented. I've found great pet accessories, kitchenware, jewelry and other '˜girly' accessories, bath products, toys, office supplies, even calendars! All these things are normally from $1.00 to $2.50 a piece!

The clothing sections at Target always have clearance racks with reduced clothing prices. I've found shirts and pants for as little as $3.00!

The gardening and furniture sections, the toy sections, kitchenware, and beauty sections all have areas on the end caps with marked down items. The electronics section is a great place to look for deals. I've gotten a Karaoke machine, paper shredder, cordless telephone, and even a CD player at a reduced price. I'm not sure why some of these things get marked down but I've never had a problem with anything not working. Also, there are just as many good fines that I DIDN'T get from that section because I had no need for at the time.

Now, I'm hoping I'll be able to find a good price on an HD TV for the upcoming year when Analog switches to digital.

Probably my favorite section to shop for markdowns at Target is the food and snack aisles. This gives me lots of opportunity to try products I might not other wise buy at regular price. This is the only time I consider buying Choxie, Target's brand of chocolate candy.

Also, this doesn't really count as a markdown, but we have a rule in my house that Target and Wal-mart are almost always the only places we buy Nabisco Oreo Cookies and certain types of name brand cereals. They both are usually cheaper there, running about $2.50 a package compared to well over $3.00 at other stores.

Wal-Mart

Aside from cookies and cereal, it seems most other things are less expensive at Wal-Mart. Even so, Wal-Mart has reduced items available also. The garden section usually houses outdoor toys and equipment and seasonally reduced items there. But, there is normally another section somewhere in the store where other reduced items can be found. There are about 3 Wal-Mart stores that I go to and these aisles have different locations in each store. Of the 3, my favorite Wal-Mart store has a section over by the automotive and hardware sections. It's a couple of aisles with signs saying they are reduced. A mixture of things can be found there; house paint, toys, bathroom and house wares. I even found an elliptical exercise machine there for $40, marked down from $150!

I suppose most other stores may also have clearance sections. If you don't know where they are located in the store it would be well worth it to ask if there is one. Saving every little bit can really help these days!