Clearance Restock Calendar: When Each Major Retailer Drops New Markdowns

Most retailers don't randomly mark items down. They run quarterly inventory cycles tied to fiscal calendars and seasonal turnover. Knowing the cycle means you check the right retailer at the right time.

January

• All retailers — holiday-return clearance dump (toys, decorations, electronics gifts)
• Walmart, Target — winter clothing markdowns through end of February
• Nike, Adidas, Under Armour — biggest sale event of the year (late January end-of-season)
• REI — Garage Sale members-only event (rotates Saturdays)

February

• Best Buy — Big Game / Presidents' Day TV sales (legitimate, often the year's best TV prices)
• Target — Valentine's Day candy/decor 50-90% off Feb 15+
• Mattress retailers — Presidents' Day sales (Casper, Saatva, Purple all run 15-30% off)

March

• Apparel retailers — winter apparel 50-70% off through end of month
• Home Depot, Lowe's — appliance Spring Black Friday events
• Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic — sitewide clearance refreshes

April

• REI, Backcountry — winter sports gear (skis, snowboards, jackets) cleared at 50-70%
• Best Buy — refurbished TV inventory expands as Q1 returns get processed

May

• Mattress retailers — Memorial Day weekend sales (second-best of year after Black Friday)
• Outdoor furniture — start of season clearance on prior year's models
• Best Buy — laptop refresh cycle starts (older models get marked down)

June-July

• Nike, Adidas — mid-summer end-of-season sales (July, similar scale to January)
• Target, Walmart — back-to-school markdowns on prior-year supplies, summer apparel
• Amazon Prime Day — mid-July, real clearance on Amazon-stocked items (less on third-party sellers)

August

• Apparel retailers — summer clothing 50-70% off through end of month
• Target — back-to-school overstock liquidation starts (notebooks, dorm gear at 50%+)
• Garden centers — perennials, outdoor power equipment at deep markdowns (Toro, Husqvarna, John Deere)

September

• Patio furniture — 60-75% off as retailers clear yard inventory before winter
• Best Buy, Walmart — TV markdowns ahead of new model year (October-November)
• Apple, Samsung phones — older model markdowns when new flagship launches

October

• Target — Halloween candy/decor cleared Oct 31 (50-90%)
• Best Buy — early Black Friday TV pricing starts (some early deals are real)
• Outdoor power tools — DeWalt, Milwaukee, Ryobi clear summer inventory

November

• All major retailers — Black Friday (real deals on TVs, appliances, kitchen, toys — beware fake "doorbuster" tactics)
• Cyber Monday — best for electronics, apparel, smaller-ticket items

December

• Target, Walmart — post-holiday markdowns start Dec 26 (decor, toys, kitchen)
• Online retailers — slow inventory turnover, fewer real clearance refreshes (most happen pre-holiday)

The "always-on" clearance hubs

Some retailers don't follow a strong calendar — they refresh clearance continuously:

• Walmart — clearance refreshes multiple times per week, no strong cycle
• Amazon Warehouse — returns get listed daily
• Petsmart, Chewy — pet food clearance hits as products approach best-by dates
• Best Buy Open Box — refreshes daily as customer returns get processed

StealAlert refreshes clearance from all major retailers every 2 hours — you don't have to memorize the calendar. Browse current deals →