Walmart Clearance Schedule: When and Where to Find the Best Markdowns
Walmart's clearance isn't random. It runs on a predictable schedule that the official app only partially exposes — most of the deep markdowns happen in-store before they hit the website. Here's the pattern.
The weekly markdown rhythm
Wednesday mornings are when most Walmart stores run their weekly markdown cycle. Department managers walk the aisles overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, scan items that have been sitting past their hold date, and apply the next markdown tier. If you shop Wednesday before 10am, you're seeing the new prices before most shoppers have arrived.
End of month (last 3 days) gets a deeper sweep — inventory managers want clean numbers before reporting cycles. Items that have been marked down twice often get a third, deeper cut.
Which sections to check
Walmart's clearance racks are usually at the back of each department, not in one central section. The highest-turnover clearance:
- Toys — markdown waves the first week of each month and the first 2 weeks of January (after holiday returns)
- Apparel — end-of-season cycles (early March for winter, late August for summer)
- Outdoor/Garden — late August through early October, then again January
- Holiday-specific aisles — 50-75% off starting the morning after the holiday
The "penny item" rumor (it's mostly fake)
Internet forums talk about Walmart clearance items being marked down to $0.01 once they hit the final markdown tier. This used to happen occasionally but Walmart has largely eliminated penny pricing across most regions. Don't waste time hunting for it — focus on the more reliable 50-70% off cuts.
How to find clearance online
Walmart.com has a clearance section but it's surprisingly poorly indexed. The two URLs that consistently surface fresh clearance:
walmart.com/shop/deals/clearancewalmart.com/shop/deals/flash-deals
Both update multiple times per day. We track both at stealalert.co — refreshed every 2 hours.
Marketplace vs. first-party
Walmart's marketplace (third-party sellers) often shows what looks like deep "clearance" pricing, but these aren't real Walmart clearance — they're independent seller pricing. The actual first-party clearance items will have "Walmart" as the seller (not a third-party name like "TINANA" or "Joyfy"). For real Walmart-brand clearance, focus on house brands: Mainstays, Hart, Hyper Tough, Ozark Trail, Better Homes & Gardens.
StealAlert filters marketplace junk out automatically. Every Walmart deal we show is either a recognized major brand or a first-party Walmart house brand — items that actually go on real clearance and pay commission when you click through. Browse current Walmart deals →