Just like most people I am always trying to hunt down the best bargain, deals and steals. One of my favorite stores is Marshalls. Lately I have been noticing that the “discounted” prices are not always so discounted. For example I received a Boon Bath Toy Holder from Babies R Us as a baby shower gift (I know it was valued at around $30), a few months later I see them start to appear at Marshalls and TJ Maxx. Curiousity brings me to the item, lo and behold, its only discounted $5 from its Suggested Retail Value down to $25. Yes, $5 off is still better than paying full price  but Babies R Us always has sales and 20% coupons available so what would I really be saving by waiting.

Okay, so now that I have run off on a tangent, lets get back to the topic at hand, Marshalls.  I generally visit the store twice a week during my strolls around the neighborhood with Baby Em’s. I am not there for the new stuff that just got wheeled in on Tuesdays. I am there for the steals. Merchandise that has been around for a little while (sometimes as short as a months time!) or has lost its other half are tagged with red stickers and sent to the clearance rack. These little red stickers scream check me out! They also have yellow stickers for clearance items, more about those later. Here are some examples of my bargains from yesterday:

Maggie & Zoe Black Pants $1 and Levi’s Striped Sweat Pants $1

The Levi’s pants had no tag. In this case I usually find like/similar items and bring them with me. In this case the Maggie & Zoe pants did the trick. Just in case, I also showed them a pair of clearance Juicy Couture pants (unfortunately they were too small in size) that were marked at $3, to ensure they wouldn’t try to overprice the Levi’s.

Carters Shorts $1

2 Receiving Blankets $1

Penelope Mack Two Piece Bathing Suit $3

Here is an example of the yellow tag…I believe this means they have lost all hope ever selling the item because it has been misplaced for so long and it’s a final clearance alert.

Seven for all Mankind w/ a Calvin Klein Diaper Cover $2

If my calculations are correct, purchasing these items when the store first received them would have cost me somewhere around $58, I paid $9,a real bargain. Actual retail…more than I would ever dream to pay, especially seeing as how children grow out of their clothes quicker than you can say payday. So next time you are shopping, don’t be shy and check out the clearance section! Shop smart and save.