Just what the title says: they had a large pile of hand and foot warmers that normally run from $1.50-$3.00 depending on the pack all on sale for $0.10 each!

I only got about 3 bucks worth, another guy had grabbed the entire case before I could reach them. :-)

These last a long time, and it's perfect to stock up for next season and to have some handy in the vehicles / BOBs / PSKs / Backpacks.

Oh, and my store still had half a dozen of the $9 LM Kicks available. Both were in the designated "clearance aisle." If your store doesn't have such an aisle, they would likely be in the seasonal closeouts or in sporting goods.

Have you looked around at other Wal-Marts? Have friends in nearby cities that could pick one up for you?

I am not sure exactly how this works, but I assume that the individual store managers decide when to clearance an item. There are two Walmart stores near me and in my travel I stop at a few other stores and make a quick run through the clearance area. I have seen things on clearance sale at one store and full price at another.

Also, they tend to put stuff on clearance sale at the end of the season. For example: hand warmers at the end of winter. I assume this is both to clear shelf space for spring/summer items and/or because this is the remainder of a product that they no longer carry.

The Walmart near me had Kicks on clearance sale in Feburary (had to pay $11 for mine). It was a month later that the other store in town marked them down. I live in the south and I think the stores down here clear out the winter stuff and bring in the spring stuff earlier than those farther north.

A few things I have noticed:

The clearance area at Wally world is a good place to find cheap gear, you just have to keep checking.

If one store has an item on clearance, other stores may not have it on sale now but they probably will at a later date.

Not every store carries the all of the same things.

What is the "lifespan" of those handwarmers? Not all that long, as I've had some that were a few years old and wouldn't heat up. Do they last longer than a year?

Sue

Yep, it's definitely a YMMV situation.

I believe that the shelf life is upward of 5 years, but that might only be for the higher end packaging with sealed foil. Any air exposure at all will allow the reaction to proceed, so you want to make sure they aren't treated too roughly for long term storage.

There are several manufacturers, so that might not be the case for all of them. I've seen some in cheap plastic, and some in heavy foil, so I know which one I would buy for long term. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />