This mom quickly caught on to Walmart’s deceptive pricing tactics. Now, she’s warning others.
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The clearance section at many retailers used to be poppin’, with the majority of items being significantly marked down. Sure, there were plenty of items that you would see and think, “I know why this is on clearance,” but mixed in it all were some true, low-cost treasures.
Unfortunately, it seems those deep discounts are becoming much rarer. They might even be nonexistent.
Mom calls out Walmart pricing
In a trending video with more than 200,000 views, creator Colleen (@colleen4376) shares an upsetting observation.
“I just discovered something in the Walmart clearance section that seems a little tricky, tricky. Maybe it’s just a mistake, but I’m going to show it to you to save you from falling into the tricky trap,” Colleen says.
She explains that her son uses a very specific, and pretty pricey, Crest toothpaste that’s designed for gum health. When she saw it in the clearance section, she was stoked, thinking she could stock up on it at a lower price.
But when she grabbed it she was confused by the price. It said $8.97, but Colleen figured that couldn’t be right since that’s what she pays full price. An employee assured her it wasn’t a mistake, and when she went to compare prices in the dental aisle, she saw that the toothpaste shelf also read $8.97, not even a penny difference.
Thinking it might be a fluke, she compared a fancy soap, but it was the same deal—the clearance price matched the standard price.
“It could be a mistake. It could just be someone being lazy and not realizing it, or it could be a tricky tactic to have somebody walk by, see that clearance sticker, and not even think about it and pay the real full price. You’re not really getting a deal,” Colleen says.
“Is Walmart trying to trick us???” she wrote in the text overlay.
Why is the clearance price the same as the regular price?
In a follow-up video, Colleen says a Walmart employee reached out to her and explained that in the case of the toothpaste, the company has new packaging. Items with old packaging need to be cleared out, they said.
She also read (though we couldn’t find the source, article, or forum she was referring to) that instead of discounting the item, Walmart puts a clearance sticker on it to incentivize customers to buy an item they may not have considered otherwise.
Colleen expresses concern for shoppers who may not have the time or bandwidth to compare prices. They spend their money on an item thinking they’re getting a good deal, when they aren’t.
“We as consumers should be able to go into a store and trust that they’re not tricking us, and that’s exactly what Walmart is doing,” Colleen said. “And I’m not saying they’re alone; I’m sure there’s other stores that use this practice.”
Clearance controversy continues
This isn’t the first time Walmart has faced backlash over its not-so-marked-down clearance prices.
Just last year, another woman took to TikTok to complain about deceptive pricing. Tay (@queentayshops) noticed that many of the clearance prices were 10% or 20% off rather than the 40%+ discount people expect from a clearance aisle.
“If you’re gonna lie and say clearance, you’re diminishing the value of the word clearance,” Tay said. “Then when they actually do have a good sale, nobody’s gonna come because it’s like the boy who cried wolf.”
What counts as clearance?
While the terms sale and clearance are often used interchangeably, they have distinct definitions, according to the American Retail Supply.
A sale is often a marketing tactic used to get people to shop more (or at all). Sales tend to happen for specific occasions throughout the year, like back-to-school season and holidays, to create a sense of urgency around buying before the sale goes away. Sales tend to go up in 5% increments, often ranging from 5%-50%.
Clearance, on the other hand, is often motivated by a need to clean out inventory to create more capacity on shelves, like how holiday items go on clearance right after the holiday passes. Unlike sale items, a clearance item’s price will not go back up. Instead, the longer a clearance item is out, the deeper the discount. Clearances tend to start around 30% off.
Something to know about Walmart clearance
Walmart clearance tags are dated with the last time they were marked down, AllRecipes reported.
Usually an item will stay at the marked-down price for a month before getting a heavier discount each month after that until supplies last.
“So, it’s worth checking those dates to see if you can pay a cheaper price on your next Walmart trip. That is, if someone doesn’t snatch up the item first,” AllRecipes suggested.
The changing clearance aisle
“The clearance section hasn’t been ‘clearancy’ for about 5 years now,” a top comment read.
“It would have a ‘was’ price on it if it is actually marked down,” a person pointed out.
“Walmart does that ALL the time so it’s definitely not a mistake. Our Walmart clearance section is almost always full price items saying they’re on sale. If they are actually on sale, it’s $1 savings,” another shared.
@colleen4376 Is this a tricky tactic, a mistake or someone being lazy? @Walmart is this a mistake? We the public would like to know because we can’t mess around these days with prices higher than ever! #clearance #tricky #walmartfinds #shopping #momlife #sahm #savemoney #over40mom ♬ original sound – Colleen
The Daily Dot reached out to Colleen for comment via TikTok direct message and comment and to Walmart via email.
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