Originally Posted by
bhlombardy
I think it's a location based decision. I shop across a few different Costco locations... one has a clearance area off to one side past the checkouts closer to the pharmacy...
another store has one right beside the checkouts... and another store has no designated clearance section at all.
Most commonly these stores that DO have a dedicated section are where they stack seasonal items at the end of said season (ie: easter candy after Easter is past) or "last-chance" items (ie: a small count of items that dont take up much space)
However, in ALL locations, whether there's a dedicated section or not, you will still find other clearance items located within the normal/expected locations in the store. For example Just this past week I found Woolite Dark on clearance for $8.97, where it normally sits with the rest of the laundry detergent. It was probably more trouble than it was worth for them to move it to the 'clearance area'... and there were already items in that area. (why it's on clearance, I can't say. Maybe the bottle size is changing, or some such)
But, as Shwa Girl mentioned... keep an eye out for the xx.97 prices, and you'll know it's on clearance regardless where it's located. Some stores will mark the original price in Sharpie on the sign... some won't... so it's best you keep sharp on what the regular prices are.
Also, if there's an * in the top corner of the price sign, regardless if it ends in .97 or not, you know that the item is not going to be re-ordered and that they won't be getting any more. (at least not anytime soon) -- That being said, a good strategy is to keep an eye on that item's inventory. When it gets down to the last skid, you can almost bet that it's going to drop to a .97 clearance price. Not always, but it's not uncommon for that to happen. If it's an item I want anyway, what I'll do is I'll buy the item (since i know it's NOT going to be replenished, and I dont want to miss out). Then keep my eye on it. If it DOES drop in price, provided they still have inventory, they'll give you a price correction on it.