You walk into your grocery store, shopping list ready, confident you’ve clipped every coupon and memorized every weekly ad. Yet there’s a spot right under your nose where prices drop by half, sometimes more, without any fanfare. It’s tucked away, usually near the stockroom or back by the restrooms. Most shoppers rush past it. In the dark recesses of the store is a space for items that the store is marking down. Here’s the thing: stores want you to find these sections, kind of. They need to move this merchandise quickly. Still, they’re not exactly advertising its location.
The Clearance Corner That Hides in Plain Sight
Often what gets marked down are items that are going out of season, like hearty fall fare, or ingredients that now come in new packaging, or a flavor that’s being discontinued. The store simply wants to move these items quickly to make space for more popular items. Walk toward the back of your store, past the dairy section. Manager’s Special items may be located in an out-of-the way place like a shelf near the stock room or a bottom row of a freezer case. Dairy and produce Manager’s Specials may be located in the same place as the non-discounted items or they may be in a corner of the dairy case or produce section. Some chains put clearance merchandise on a rolling cart.
Others dedicate a shelf near customer service or by the bathrooms. Many grocery stores have a hidden clearance shelf, usually at the end of an aisle, near the stockroom door, or next to customer service. You’ll find discontinued products, damaged boxes, and seasonal overstock here. This is one of the best places to score discounts on cereal, snacks, pasta, baking ingredients, and condiments.
That Yellow Sticker Means Money in Your Pocket
The clearance aisle in a grocery store promises significant discounts on items nearing expiration, those with damaged packaging, or discontinued products. Look for bright stickers, usually yellow or orange, slapped on packages throughout various departments. There are sometimes red sticker markdowns throughout the store. These aren’t announced, but are typically on perishable food items like meat and dairy.
You can find items that are marked down by roughly half, three quarters, or even nine tenths of the original price. I’ve seen organic chicken breasts marked down from twelve dollars to less than four. While I might not pay full price for a roast or salmon, I’ll snatch it up if it’s marked down by 50%.
Shop When Stores Mark Down Fresh Foods
In the two stores here in town that I most frequently shop for manager’s specials, they start the business day by marking down all of the meat whose expiry date is the following day by around one third. Folks know about these markdowns so, in order to get them, you have to be at the store first thing in the morning. Grocery stores mark down baked goods by up to 50 percent a couple of hours before closing.
Timing matters more than you’d think. Some stores routinely mark items down on specific days or at specific times. Our local health food store usually marks the produce and dairy items down every day between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. It’s helpful to find out what day of the week your local grocery store will mark down their clearance items. This gives you first dibs on the selection, allowing you to nab some fantastic deals. For instance, if they mark things down on Thursdays to move things over the weekend, plan your shopping late on Thursday or early on Friday for best choices.
That Dented Can Section Saves Serious Cash
Stores might strategically place items with very deep discounts alongside those with only minor price reductions within the same clearance area. This creates an overall impression of big savings. Shoppers, excited by one great find, might be less critical of the prices on adjacent items. Smart. Grocery stores frequently mark down products that are nearing expiration, discontinued, slightly damaged, or seasonally overstocked, and if you know where to look, you can save between one third to over two thirds on items you already buy.
The produce section often has bagged markdown items. “Ugly produce” or slightly bruised fruits and vegetables are regularly discounted and are just as nutritious as their prettier counterparts. These are often placed in separate bins near the produce section or at the end of the aisle. Stores like Kroger and Giant Eagle occasionally bag markdown produce in bulk for as little as one to three dollars per bag. Perfect for making smoothies, soups, or big batch sauces.
The “Manager’s Special” Isn’t What You Think
Check the meat and produce sections for items with “manager’s special” stickers. Often, stores will deeply discount perishable food that’s close to its expiration date. Let’s be real, the name sounds vaguely suspicious. Like the manager is trying to unload something questionable. Manager’s Specials include products that are marked down. Every day departments mark down items that are nearing expiration.
I think there’s this stigma that these items are somehow bad or unsafe. That’s not usually true. Manager’s Specials were only those things that were nearing their “sell by” date, but it’s surprising what you can learn if you’re a friendly individual who isn’t shy about engaging perfect strangers in conversation. Sometimes items end up on manager’s special because packaging changed, seasonal items need clearing, or the store overstocked. They had a sell-by date that was still several days away.
Yes You Can Stack Coupons on Clearance
Here’s where things get wild. Most stores let you use manufacturer coupons on already marked-down items. My Kroger allows coupons with markdowns. I was surprised the other day when the customer service specialist told the cashier to take the entire five dollar coupon off the two marked down mascaras. That gave me a one dollar overage. Some stores won’t allow their own store coupons on manager specials, but manufacturer coupons typically work.
You can also use Ibotta or Rakuten to submit receipts for brand-based cashback even when the product was purchased on markdown. Triple dipping on savings? Honestly, that’s the dream. Check your store’s specific coupon policy, though. Each chain handles this differently.
Look Up and Down, Not Just Eye Level
The most expensive grocery items are often placed at eye level. You’ve probably noticed that eye-level grocery items tend to be made by very popular food brands. How did they get such a prime location? They got it by paying the grocery store a lot of money. They know that shoppers are more likely to purchase food they can easily see. Therefore, remember to look closely at the higher and lower shelves for better deals the next time you visit your local grocery store. Brands literally pay thousands for eye-level placement.
Clearance items rarely get premium shelf space. Stores often place the most profitable or well-known brands right at eye level because they’re more likely to catch your attention. You’ll often find less expensive brands on the higher and lower shelves. Squat down. Look up. That’s where stores hide the deals they still need to move but don’t want to make too obvious.
Don’t Sleep on the Frozen Clearance Section
Freezers sometimes hold items that are discontinued or rotated out. Look for older packaging designs, seasonal ice cream flavors, or off-brand surplus. These can be around one third off or more. Frozen markdowns often happen midweek when new inventory arrives. Stores rotate frozen inventory more than people realize. New packaging? The old version goes on clearance even though the product inside is identical.
I’ve found gourmet ice cream flavors for nearly nothing because they were seasonal or got replaced by a new brand partnership. Same with frozen meals and specialty items. The freezer aisle clearance doesn’t spoil quickly, so you have time to use what you buy.
The Bulk Bins Hide Secret Savings Too
Does your local grocer have a bulk aisle? For those who use a particular food item a lot, shopping in the bulk aisle can add up to a lot of savings. The trick here is to make sure none of it goes to waste, so be sure to buy only how much you need. Bulk bins let you control portions, which means less waste. Shopping in the bulk aisle can add up to a lot of savings. The trick here is to make sure none of it goes to waste, so be sure to buy only how much you need.
Compare per-ounce pricing between bulk and packaged versions of rice, nuts, flour, or dried fruit. The bulk version often wins. You’re not paying for branding or fancy packaging. Just product.
How Much Can You Actually Save
Food prices rose around a quarter between 2020 and 2024, and they only appear to be going up more in 2025. That makes finding these hidden clearance zones even more critical. You may spend up to a whopping 20% more buying unplanned items if you don’t avoid aisles that aren’t on your shopping list. Yet shopping clearance sections strategically can offset that inflation hit.
Store brands are so much cheaper, typically around a fifth to one third cheaper. Combine store brands with clearance pricing and you’re looking at substantial savings. Think about it: if your weekly grocery bill is around one hundred fifty dollars, shaving off even fifteen or twenty percent by shopping smarter adds up to hundreds annually.
Let’s be honest, grocery shopping isn’t exactly thrilling for most people. Yet discovering that clearance cart stuffed with half-price organic pasta or marked-down artisan bread? That hits different. The invisible aisle isn’t really invisible at all once you know where to look. It’s just that most shoppers are too busy following their lists and grabbing what’s convenient at eye level. Next time you’re at the store, take the scenic route past the stockroom. Check those bottom shelves. Ask an employee where they stash the manager’s specials. Your wallet will thank you. What hidden deals have you discovered at your local grocery store?
