‘It’s like the boy who cried wolf’: Shopper exposes how Walmart may be lying about its ‘clearance’ section

Given the high price of many goods today, it’s no surprise that shoppers are constantly on the hunt for the best deals.

Numerous internet users have shared their tips for getting low prices on everyday items. For example, many have sung the praises of Walmart’s “hidden clearance,” where items marked for a certain price can be bought for significantly less after the price is checked with the Walmart app. Others have simply advised going to different stores for certain items to secure the best deals.

If one is at their local supermarket, their budget-conscious mind might be enticed by the proclamation that an item is going on clearance. However, these clearance deals might not always be as good as they initially appear, as one internet user recently discovered.

When 'clearance' doesn’t mean a great deal

In a video with over 75,000 views, TikTok user Tay (@queentayshops) inspects some ‘clearance’ items in an aisle at Walmart. She’s not thrilled by what she sees.

“Is anybody else noticing that the word clearance is starting to lose its name?” she asks at the beginning of her video. 

She then shows several items that have been marked as clearance, only to discover that the price reduction is minimal. For example, one item has been reduced from $9.98 to $8.50, while another has been reduced from $8.97 to $7.50.

“Usually clearance is, like, 40% minimum off. But that's like the minimum, right? Like, normally you see a lot better,” she explains.

Marking these items as clearance, she says, hurts the customer experience.

“If you're gonna lie and say…'clearance,' you're diminishing the value of the word ‘clearance,’” she details. “Then, when they actually do have a good sale, nobody's gonna come because it's like the boy who cried wolf.” 

“If it was advertised as just a sale, you would make more sales,” she states.

What does 'clearance' mean?

While usage of the word “clearance” may vary from store to store, Faster Capital notes that this label is typically applied “to help retailers get rid of excess inventory to make room for new merchandise.”

However, Faster Capital does state that clearance reductions are usually more significant than what is shown by Tay in her video.

“Items on clearance may be marked down for a limited time, typically ranging from a few days to a few weeks. During this time, shoppers can expect to see discounts ranging from 20-50% off the original price,” the website reads.

Walmart’s lackluster clearance offerings have been a topic of internet discussion for some time. For example, two separate Reddit posts from two years ago had users complaining that their local Walmarts were marking items as “clearance,” and then only minimally reducing the price.

This led to items sitting on shelves for months, the Redditors claimed.

@queentayshops Is this the “slashing prices” they were talking ab on the news this spring? Hmm #walmart #clearance #clearancehunter ♬ original sound - Queen Tay | thrifty creative

Commenters share their thoughts on clearance

In the comments section, users offered their opinions on the price reductions offered by Walmart for its clearance items.

“Their clearance is just what used to be rollbacks. But they no longer advertise Rollbacks anymore so I guess they’re just sticking with a word that many know, clearance. If that makes sense,” wrote a user. It should be noted that Walmart still employs the use of the word Rollback.

“I don’t consider it clearance unless it starts off at 50%,” offered another. “Stores are doing it less now bc they lost money on the item if it’s sold below what they paid for, but the thing is it wasn’t going to sell.”

“Clearance is supposed to mean they wanna get rid of the item, and it’s not selling well. That’s at least my understanding of the word clearance,” stated a third.

The Daily Dot reached out to Walmart via its media relations contact form and Tay via email.

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