Home Depot Clearance Thread 2015

[schmelpboy]

Ugh. Bad news for the tool universe. So, some of you saw the pics I posted of the endless amounts of "DNI" items at my local store. I was in there the other night, and to make a long story short, offered to buy it all.
A few minutes ago, the district manager called me. He said, for example, that he pulled down the Ridgid 5 piece set. It was missing one battery, the reciprocating saw and drill were used, and all of the blades were missing from the set. He offered it to me for 100 bucks off. I politely said I'll think about it, but "thinking about it" means not a chance! Seriously? Basically it's 25% off for used stuff, and missing the most expensive part in the bag...the battery!
So, I can figure the deal is 25% off of any of the stuff on that shelf, which would be fine if it were just a return. But everything up there is missing stuff, and 90% of the time the missing thing is a battery. Boo.
He told me when he is working, so I'l going to stop in and try to make a deal. But honestly, I was thinking a good deal would be 75% off, considering online prices are around 50% off of store to begin with....Thoughts before I try one more time to make a deal?

 

[HomeDepotRob]

In my estimation the following items should drop to a pennt sometime this month...faucet in cart is already a penny. Check your local store to confirm

 

[Spn1025]

Those are some cheap vanity tops

 

[schmelpboy]

My store has 20 or so of those faucets. Going to check it out tomorrow

 

[jlh92]

I've never had any luck with anything other than Dremel tools. That being said I'll have to look into those faucets. Thanks HomeDepotRob!

 

[mrvm]

Great prices but I tend to avoid Glacier Bay at any cost

 

[mobiledynamics]

OT, I've followed this thread on-off.

What do you do with all these HD purchases...
Most of this stuff I would not normally buy. And even when I make a purchase, whether it be lowes, HD , etc, it's pretty specific on what I want/need.

Granted, there are some hot Deals too good to pass up. Case in point. I had at least 6-8 Stabila levels on hand already. Lowes was blowing them out and I added 3 more to my stash. Did I need them. No. But this deal was too good to pass up and their levels are basically the king of the crop.

 

[bczygan]

OT, I've followed this thread on-off.

What do you do with all these HD purchases...
Most of this stuff I would not normally buy. And even when I make a purchase, whether it be lowes, HD , etc, it's pretty specific on what I want/need.

Granted, there are some hot Deals too good to pass up. Case in point. I had at least 6-8 Stabila levels on hand already. Lowes was blowing them out and I added 3 more to my stash. Did I need them. No. But this deal was too good to pass up and their levels are basically the king of the crop.

When a person like you goes to purchase something, he has a specific item in mind because he has an immediate need and purpose for it.

The hoarder/collector mindset is "It's a great deal. I must have it, whatever it is. Oh, and I might have a use for it."

This thread caters to both, but the population of devotees is definitely one sided. Guess which side...

Bill

 

[chrisexv6]

OT, I've followed this thread on-off.

What do you do with all these HD purchases...
Most of this stuff I would not normally buy. And even when I make a purchase, whether it be lowes, HD , etc, it's pretty specific on what I want/need.

Granted, there are some hot Deals too good to pass up. Case in point. I had at least 6-8 Stabila levels on hand already. Lowes was blowing them out and I added 3 more to my stash. Did I need them. No. But this deal was too good to pass up and their levels are basically the king of the crop.

I can walk into my workshop/basement and look at all the "deals" Ive bought just because they were deals.

And 99% of them have been used at least once. So yes, at the time it was "I have to have it because its on sale" but some time down the road Ive always managed to find a use for the stuff Ive bought.

Can I do away with some of it (like stuff Ive only used once)? Sure. But was it worth to have on hand for the one time that I needed just-the-right-tool? Definitely.

 

[rslaback]

When a person like you goes to purchase something, he has a specific item in mind because he has an immediate need and purpose for it.

The hoarder/collector mindset is "It's a great deal. I must have it, whatever it is. Oh, and I might have a use for it."

This thread caters to both, but the population of devotees is definitely one sided. Guess which side...

Bill

I would say that you missed a third group. That group is the "I didn't come in here looking for this, but I have an immediate use for it in mind before I purchase it."

 

[bczygan]

I would say that you missed a third group. That group is the "I didn't come in here looking for this, but I have an immediate use for it in mind before I purchase it."

You are right.

I can usually find one of the groups, to use as an excuse, to buy any tool!

 

[pablo94sc]

I'm in the third group. I don't always need a tool immediately, but sometimes a deal is to good to pass up because I know I'm going to use the heck out of it in one of my to do list projects.

 

[HomeDepotRob]

30% of the stuff I buy I have some intended use for it. The rest of the stuff either gets donated or ebayed.

The main reason I hunt for stuff is the thrill of the chase.

 

[Nautical]

Not as great of a deal as some but I managed to get Home Depot to accept Lowes $20 off $100+ and got this 14 gal. Ridgid vac with detailing kit for $80 plus tax. Obviously YMMV but I felt like it was a good deal for what you get.

homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-14-gal-6-Peak-High-Performance-Wet-Dry-Vacuum-with-Free-Auto-Detail-Kit-WD1451/203820088

I'm on mobile so I'm not sure if the link I posted will work.

 

[Spn1025]

Just got the Hitachi roofing nailer for $100. They have 2 more up in the top rafter over the nail guns in Biddeford, ME. They also have 3 Bostitch metal connector nailers for $55.

Inventory said they had 1 Bostitch finish nailer for $45 and a Bostitch finish crown stapler for $28 but I couldn't find them. Price check said Rigid roofing nailer down to $58 but none in stock. Bostitch coil framing nailer $63 none in stock.

Computer also said they had 2 Milwaukee M12 Large Heated Hoodie kits in stock for 1 penny. Unable to find them. When these were in stock, did most stores stock them with the rest of the Milwaukee cordless stuff, or were they in a different section?

I think they also had Bostitch flooring nailer, forgot to double check, but it's cheap if it was the right one.

 

[Spn1025]

Btw I was also told by an employee that they drill a hole in their display model nailers, so they are junk.

 

[Spn1025]

1001088105 HDX 3pc nailer kit down to $25.03 in every store I've checked, but out of stock.

 

[zeekh]

Just got the Hitachi roofing nailer for $100. They have 2 more up in the top rafter over the nail guns in Biddeford, ME. They also have 3 Bostitch metal connector nailers for $55.

Inventory said they had 1 Bostitch finish nailer for $45 and a Bostitch finish crown stapler for $28 but I couldn't find them. Price check said Rigid roofing nailer down to $58 but none in stock. Bostitch coil framing nailer $63 none in stock.

Computer also said they had 2 Milwaukee M12 Large Heated Hoodie kits in stock for 1 penny. Unable to find them. When these were in stock, did most stores stock them with the rest of the Milwaukee cordless stuff, or were they in a different section?

I think they also had Bostitch flooring nailer, forgot to double check, but it's cheap if it was the right one.

What model roofing nailer. Locally I haven't seen an Hitachi nailer in stock.

 

[Spn1025]

SKU 101402 hitachi model NV45AB2

I think all of the stores I have been to are dropping Hitachi nailers altogether.

now they only stock Porter Cable, Dewalt, Ridgid, and Paslode.

 

[schmelpboy]

Btw I was also told by an employee that they drill a hole in their display model nailers, so they are junk.

They don't.

So, to make my earlier story more interesting, I met with the district manager yesterday about buying out their returns. He was interested in selling me anything I wanted. However, I picked one item out, the Ridgid 5 piece set, to see what the deal would be. He came back with 300 bucks. I told him it was missing the battery, the saw blades, and 2 tools had been used. I told him that wasn't a deal at all, but his explanation sort of made sense. He said he looked to see what the store paid, and offered it to me for that (300) which I'm not sure I believe. But he said the store actually purchased it when that set was originally 500, so even though it's on sale now for 400, he couldn't go any lower than that. So, I was a little bummed. However, the story gets MUCH more interesting.

At this point, he said, what would you think about older tools? I said, a tool is a tool. He pointed to the top of the racks, which you can see in my pics. There are roughly 40 or so giant rubber tubs up there....Which he told me were completely full to the brim of every display tool from the last 5 years at least.

What he told me is he just took over for the previous manager, and that's why my HD is loaded with DNI items. The guy was supposed to be taking care of that as the items were broken, discontinued, etc, but never did. He said the tool area is literally filled with old stuff, and no one is willing to deal with it.

I told him to pull down the tubs and give me a price and I'd just buy each one, but he wasn't willing to do that. He said he'd have to price each tool and call me, so this could go either way. Here's the thing; I understand he can price the Ridgid set, as it's current. But wouldn't anything that's an old display that wasn't dealt with come up in the system as a penny?

He said he'd be calling me this week to let me know what he needs for each bin. Cross your fingers, GJ!

 

[Spn1025]

The ridgid x4 5 piece set was the daily Special Buy yesterday for $329, so no that wasn't even close to a deal he was giving you

 

[schmelpboy]

The ridgid x4 5 piece set was the daily Special Buy yesterday for $329, so no that wasn't even close to a deal he was giving you

They make 2 sets; the one with the flashlight is the cheaper one. I'm not sure which one was on sale. But yeah, it wasn't a deal. If I'm buying anything I don't need, it's got to be profitable for resale. I'm not just buying this stuff for my own use, I'm buying it to make a buck.

 

[Spn1025]

Explain to him that every store loses money when stuff goes to the .03 level, and even more so when it goes to penny and tossed in the dumpster.

 

[Spn1025]

Just put it to him like this:

"Listen bud, all these penny items add up to a measly 50 cents. I'll give you 10 times that for all of it."

You could probably prepare a PowerPoint presentation for him explaining how good of a deal a 10x return is.

 

[schmelpboy]

Just put it to him like this:

"Listen bud, all these penny items add up to a measly 50 cents. I'll give you 10 times that for all of it."

Haha. That's the exact statement a coworker of mine made yesterday!

 

[schmelpboy]

Explain to him that every store loses money when stuff goes to the .03 level, and even more so when it goes to penny and tossed in the dumpster.

Apparently not at my store. When it becomes a loss, it gets tossed in a gigantic plastic bin and put on the top shelf!

I didn't want to insult the guy right off of the bat. I'll play a little harder after he's wasted hours of his time pricing the stuff out.

 

[zeekh]

They don't.

So, to make my earlier story more interesting, I met with the district manager yesterday about buying out their returns. He was interested in selling me anything I wanted. However, I picked one item out, the Ridgid 5 piece set, to see what the deal would be. He came back with 300 bucks. I told him it was missing the battery, the saw blades, and 2 tools had been used. I told him that wasn't a deal at all, but his explanation sort of made sense. He said he looked to see what the store paid, and offered it to me for that (300) which I'm not sure I believe. But he said the store actually purchased it when that set was originally 500, so even though it's on sale now for 400, he couldn't go any lower than that. So, I was a little bummed. However, the story gets MUCH more interesting.

At this point, he said, what would you think about older tools? I said, a tool is a tool. He pointed to the top of the racks, which you can see in my pics. There are roughly 40 or so giant rubber tubs up there....Which he told me were completely full to the brim of every display tool from the last 5 years at least.

What he told me is he just took over for the previous manager, and that's why my HD is loaded with DNI items. The guy was supposed to be taking care of that as the items were broken, discontinued, etc, but never did. He said the tool area is literally filled with old stuff, and no one is willing to deal with it.

I told him to pull down the tubs and give me a price and I'd just buy each one, but he wasn't willing to do that. He said he'd have to price each tool and call me, so this could go either way. Here's the thing; I understand he can price the Ridgid set, as it's current. But wouldn't anything that's an old display that wasn't dealt with come up in the system as a penny?

He said he'd be calling me this week to let me know what he needs for each bin. Cross your fingers, GJ!

can't wait for the update hope you make out like a bandit

 

[joeyd6]

They don't.
He said he looked to see what the store paid, and offered it to me for that (300) which I'm not sure I believe. But he said the store actually purchased it when that set was originally 500, so even though it's on sale now for 400, he couldn't go any lower than that.

I told him to pull down the tubs and give me a price and I'd just buy each one, but he wasn't willing to do that. He said he'd have to price each tool and call me, so this could go either way. Here's the thing; I understand he can price the Ridgid set, as it's current. But wouldn't anything that's an old display that wasn't dealt with come up in the system as a penny?

He said he'd be calling me this week to let me know what he needs for each bin. Cross your fingers, GJ!

Long time lurker, first time poster. I did 12 years with a major retailer, staring in the Loss Prevention, making to a VP for the northeast region before leaving for a different career path. The manager is full of it and here is why. Call him out and see what he says:

Display Items
Stores always remove the display item from inventory the second it goes on the shelf. The fact they claim they don’t is a lie or they are not following corporate policy. It gets marked “DNI,” aka do not inventory, because it was removed from inventory.

When an item is DNI, it its full retail value is used as a business expense, as that is the loss, not their cost. That is written off under IRS rules and regs. That is why the theft, or shrink, is MSRP loss. At the end of the fiscal year, the company gets credit for the MSRP off their back end.

Any sale of "DNI" items is 100%+ profit to any company. They got full MSRP when they DNI’d, which was more than their cost, meaning they profited. Anything they sell it for, is 100% profit, even $1!


Returns
Customer returns item. Item is marked “RTV” or return to vendor for credit. Vendors credit store or corporate buyers account for the actual cost of the item, sight unseen on a monthly or quarterly basis.

Guess how much stuff actually leaves the back of the store and goes back to the actual vendor? About 10%. That 10% is a wash for the store- no profit and no loss. But what about the other 90%? A few things happen. Most vendors don’t want their stuff back, it too costly to transport it and they don’t have a way to repair or fix it; and they don’t care it broke, they get them form China! So they either tell the merchant to dispose of it and pay them to do such or they have a contract with a third party who buys it in bulk from the merchant to be recycled or repaired and sold as reconditioned at a different or same merchant who buys them back at a discount! You can have pallets from multiple competitors of 300 brands getting sent to the same place.

But it doesn’t matter to the merchant, who got its money back in full and has pocketed the disposal fee (profit). They now have an “open box” item that is 100%+ profit from cost, no matter what they sell it at.

Ask him where the inventory list is for that pile. If he is correct, and the price still matters, it will be on the books. And everything on the books is inventoried yearly and readily available to all managers. he can print it in seconds, not days. But its DNI or RTV, so they won't have it inventoried, because it was written off, which is why he has to go through it. The has zero loss for the store on all that stuff- its been paid for and written off.

Remind him shelf space and manpower is money and its being wasted on large tubs, and you wonder if Corporate or the Divisional manager should know.

Tell him he is confused about how the company works, and maybe he should consult corporate legal, corporate accounting, regional loss prevention, or the divisional manager. The IRS rules and regs, along with standards of accounting and vendor contracts are all the same for your big box stores. Ask him since he is confused about how the system works, and overwhelmed in a job the past manager failed at, and seems to lack authority, if he could have his Regional Manager or Divisional head contact you to negotiate a deal.

Anything you pay is pure profit for them!

 

[Spn1025]

276532 Milwaukee m18 cordless circular saw 2630-20.

Just grabbed 6 of these babies for $30.03 in Hooksett, NH

 

[unslow1]

I have to disagree with Joeyd6 on at least one thing. I know a couple of chains I worked for mark the display stuff's empty boxes "Do Not Inventory". That is because they already count the display model as inventory. They don't want it counted twice. They intend to sell it for full price and usually will sell it if they are out and you want one. My sister and I have done inventory counts for dozens of different retailers. They do not all do this the same way. As I mentioned earlier a friend of mine used to run one of these and sometimes sold stuff for below cost. He said he was very leery of doing so because it immediately generated an email from higher ups asking why.

I would agree with him that some of the products returned generate different return codes. Some will be "Destroy In Store" some "Return To Vendor" then there are other codes. Again not all places are the same. They don't all have the same return agreements with the vendors. Some may not do enough volume of a specific item to be able to negotiate credit for returns. You see a lot of that in the clearance items. If they could get any kind of decent money back it would go back to a vendor. If they can't they clearance or donate it and try for the tax credit. That's how I was getting stuff for fundraisers. One guy did ask me to make him an offer on his entire wall of clearance once. Too much stuff for me to deal with even if it was a great deal.

I've never worked at one that wasn't instant termination for taking something marked "Destroy In Store or "Return To Vendor". I do know that I made and received calls from someone saying there was something that might interest me in a certain dumpster. I won't chance taking that from a place I work myself.

 

[Spn1025]

303457 ridgid coil roofing nailer. Just grabbed one for $58

 

[joeyd6]

I have to disagree with Joeyd6 on at least one thing. I know a couple of chains I worked for mark the display stuff's empty boxes "Do Not Inventory". That is because they already count the display model as inventory. They don't want it counted twice. They intend to sell it for full price and usually will sell it if they are out and you want one. My sister and I have done inventory counts for dozens of different retailers. They do not all do this the same way. As I mentioned earlier a friend of mine used to run one of these and sometimes sold stuff for below cost. He said he was very leery of doing so because it immediately generated an email from higher ups asking why.

I am talking the "big seven:" HD, Lowes, Wal-Mart, Sears, Kroger, Target, and Costco. Any other store I won't speak of. I have been to all the national conferences where this and other **** is talked about, the IRS comes and talks on best practices, meetings with other LP and legal teams, and the joint visits to these third parties who handle disposal. It is the standard corporate policy (albeit store mangers may not follow such).

Unfortunately your buddy is giving the training line. Yes- he spent 16 hours in class at HQ in Georgia to learn how to diffuse and make it personal so you think he/she is doing you a favor as corporate has their hands tied. There is no e-mail generated from higher ups, just loss prevention, and only if pattern was observed to verify the details. It is their budget and their numbers. HD does not micromanage their store managers, district managers or regional managers. I know a SM who zeroed out 10 generators during Sandy and nobody questioned it. He felt a need to explain and said there were some low income folks who couldn't afford the model he had and he gave a few to them, one to church, one to a funeral home, and one to a store employee out on disability who was unable to work and stuck at home. No e-mails.

If they could get any kind of decent money back it would go back to a vendor. If they can't they clearance or donate it and try for the tax credit. That's how I was getting stuff for fundraisers. One guy did ask me to make him an offer on his entire wall of clearance once. Too much stuff for me to deal with even if it was a great deal.

That is the double "break" as we called it. We got credit back and then could donate it and get a second write-off. Wal-Mart won't do it, they only donate new. Ever manager had a charity budget they could spend at their discretion. I know a manager at Lowes who kept every penny, and used it for the Christmas party and high end door prizes, and then charged employees and guests $50 a head. He then donated that money to Toys for Tots, which was more than the budget amount. Everyone wanted to be a guest at those parties in hopes of winning.

I've never worked at one that wasn't instant termination for taking something marked "Destroy In Store or "Return To Vendor".

Those stickers are only valid till it hits the store RTV associate. They then follow the vendors rules: return it for credit; try to fix it and they get partial credit and it goes back to the sales floor for additional profit; third party recycling for credit or the dumpster for credit. If the dumpster was free standing from the store, and had no locks, our corporate policy was never press charges on dumpster divers caught by the police. If the dumpster was connected to the store and they got in it, or freestanding with padlocks then we charged them.

With the big players, most store employees barely know what is going on in other departments, let alone how these items are handled by corporate or the bookkeeping. I won't say teh store level executes properly, but Some folks had no idea we even had agreements with the vendors, some who pay for shelf spce and placement, despite working 15+ years. I had one department manger move a display to their likingere would **** a brick if they saw the vendor agreements and terms in such for some of the name players.

 

[jbuco]

276532 Milwaukee m18 cordless circular saw 2630-20.

Just grabbed 6 of these babies for $30.03 in Hooksett, NH

Damn you, I've been waiting for those to drop again. Hopefully to a penny. Did you clear them out?

 

[HotRodHudson]

Jbuco, can you post a photo of receipt? They are full price locally so I'd be trying for a price match again. Thanks!

 

[jbuco]

Jbuco, can you post a photo of receipt? They are full price locally so I'd be trying for a price match again. Thanks!

I'm not the one who bought them. I do have this tho... Hope it helps.

 

[HotRodHudson]

Perfect! Thanks!!

 

[Spn1025]

276532 Milwaukee m18 cordless circular saw 2630-20.

Just grabbed 6 of these babies for $30.03 in Hooksett, NH

Ya cleared them out from Hooksett. Manchester had a bunch but still full price and they wouldn't price match.

 

[Spn1025]

I'm not the one who bought them. I do have this tho... Hope it helps.

Lol funny I saw that it said 4 only in the computer but there were 6 in the rafters. They had 2 other Milwaukee m18 tools for $30.03 but said none in stock. I didn't bother looking for them, but there is a TON of Milwaukee stuff on one rafter.

Btw Manchester's Price Check app does not work. You can't search for anything. I asked one of the associates to look up the Skilsaw, showed 1 in stock for $50.03 but I couldn't find it.

 

[colt zantop]

So I found some stuff for 30.03. When does it go to a penny? Weeks? Days?

 

[Spn1025]

So I found some stuff for 30.03. When does it go to a penny? Weeks? Days?

There used to be a way to time it, but I don't think they follow that model anymore. The only way to know is to price check it at self checkout. 99% of the time, the in-store computer's price check app won't tell you if it is a penny. Go to self checkout and press the button for "price check" and scan the original UPC on the box. Don't scan any yellow clearance tags.