The clearance section of a grocery store, with its bright red and yellow stickers, can feel like a paradise for bargain hunters. It is filled with products at a deep discount. However, there is always a reason why an item has been marked down for clearance. While you can find some great deals, there are also a number of serious risks and hidden downsides to shopping in this section. Here are eight good reasons to be very cautious before you put a clearance item in your cart.
1. The “Sell By” Date Is a Ticking Clock
The most common reason for an item to be on clearance is that it is about to reach its “sell by” or “best by” date. This is especially true for perishable items like meat, dairy, and prepared foods. While the product is still safe to eat, you must use it immediately. If you do not have a plan to cook that clearance meat tonight, you are just buying food that you will have to throw away tomorrow.
2. The Risk of Damaged Packaging
Many clearance items have been marked down because their packaging is damaged. This can range from a small dent in a can to a tear in a cardboard box. While a small dent is usually fine, a can with a deep dent near the seam can be a serious botulism risk. A torn box can mean the product inside has been exposed to contaminants. The savings are not worth the potential health risk.
3. The Product Is Being Discontinued
Sometimes, an item is on clearance because the manufacturer is discontinuing it. This means that if you buy it and you love it, you will never be able to buy it again. This can be a frustrating experience, especially if you have found a new favorite snack or sauce. The clearance aisle is often a graveyard for failed or retired products.
4. It Is a Failed Seasonal or “Fad” Item
The clearance section is where unpopular seasonal products go to die. That strange, pumpkin-spice-flavored soda from the fall will be on the clearance rack in January for a reason: nobody wanted it. Buying these failed “fad” items, even at a 75% discount, is often a waste of money because the product simply does not taste good.
5. It Encourages Impulse Buying
The lure of a deep discount can be very powerful. It can make you buy things that you do not actually need or want. The clearance section is a hotspot for impulse buys. You might grab a strange flavor of chips or a bizarre-looking canned good just because it is cheap. This is a quick way to fill your pantry with food that you will never actually eat.
6. You Cannot Return It
Most grocery stores have a strict “no returns” policy for clearance items. All sales are final. This means that if you get the product home and you discover that it is stale, has a strange taste, or you simply do not like it, you have no recourse. You are stuck with the item, and you have wasted your money.
7. It Is Not a Real “Deal.”
You should always be skeptical of the “original” price on a clearance sticker. Some stores have been known to use an inflated original price to make the discount seem much larger than it actually is. You might think you are getting a 50% discount, but the “sale” price may be very close to what the item’s regular price should have been.
8. It Is a Sign of a Poorly Managed Store
A clearance section that is constantly overflowing with a huge amount of expired or damaged products can be a red flag. It can be a sign that the store is poorly managed. It may indicate that they have a problem with their ordering system, their stock rotation, or their general cleanliness standards. This can be a sign that you should be more cautious about the quality of all the products in that store.
The Clearance Calculation
The clearance section can be a great place to find a bargain, but it is not without its risks. It requires a shopper to be extra vigilant. You must carefully inspect the packaging, be realistic about when you will use the product, and be prepared for the possibility that the item is a dud. A smart shopper knows that a cheap price does not always equal a good value. Sometimes, the best deal is to just leave the clearance item on the shelf.
What is the best or the worst deal you have ever found in the clearance section? What are your rules for shopping on clearance? Let us know!
What to Read Next
- What Happens to Clearance Bin Food After Nobody Buys It
- Why Grocery Clearance Bins Might Say More About a Store Than Its Ads
- Why Are Chain Stores Selling Expired Items on Clearance?
- 7 Retail Chains That Disguise Clearance as “Limited Time” Offers
- 8 Overpriced Items That Always End Up in the Clearance Bin
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