The Home Depot Price Tag Color That Gets You The Lowest Price

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It's that most wonderful time of year — the time when many stores are putting their winter goods and holiday-specific items on the clearance rack to make room for incoming spring (and Valentine's Day or Easter) products. These end-of-season sales can feel premature, as many Americans are still facing several months of potential winter weather, but it can also be a great time to find bargain basement deals.

Many stores mark discounted and clearance items to make them obvious to shoppers and clear the shelves. They may get moved to a special rack or tagged differently than other items in the store. If you're a home improvement aficionado or a frequent DIYer, you probably shop at Home Depot, where you can often find plenty of products at already-low prices. Whether you're on the hunt for a snow shovel or a new lamp, keep an eye out for bright yellow tags – that's how the home improvement store marks clearance items.

According to Groupon, the first place you should check for clearance items is on the end caps, or the displays that are tacked onto the end of every aisle. You should also look near customer service, and in the back corners of any department that specifically has your interest. There's more to getting the best deal than simply seeking out those bright tags, however. The prices on those tags are written in code, and if you understand that code, you may save a bundle.

As you're browsing for that perfect deal, you may notice that some tags have prices that end in different numbers than simply .00, which marks the first time the product has been marked down. If there's plenty of the product still available, you may want to wait to see if it's marked down again. A tag that ends in .06 indicates that the item has been marked down for a second time, and the price will likely drop again in about six weeks. If the product doesn't sell out, the discounts don't stop. A price ending in .03, however, tells shoppers that the item is at its lowest price and further markdowns are unlikely.

If you're lucky enough to spot a .01 item, grab it! That is a penny item that's being discontinued. If you're on the hunt specifically for clearance items, try shopping early in the day after overnight restocking has replenished shelves. Weekdays may also elicit better finds than busier weekends. If you find the item cheaper somewhere else, snag it there, as Home Depot will not price match clearance items.

Finally, it's best to shop at your local Home Depot store if possible. It's difficult to find clearance items on Home Depot's website, though if you visit the Home Depot's Savings Center, found by clicking on "Shop All" and then "Savings" and then "Shop All Savings," you can find price-reduced items.