I think you are right on.
Slow, under performing stores are easier to manage. It has gotten that when I first walk into a store I can “feel” how well I will do in finding deals. It is the busier, messier stores that yield the best results. That Ashtabula store in Ohio has always been tough. It is so slow and I am sure every item is accounted for. Last month however I finally found results. One item, a sink drain kit, came as a complete surprise. Wasn’t even looking for it.
Just today I went to a HD to get a sack of concrete. While I was there I checked out the cleaning supply section because I knew they were clearing out all of their Rubber Maid mops and poles.
24 oz pure cotton mop for $1.32, this is cheap, cheap cheap.
Here is the same mop sold with a mop pole for $3.20.j That same mop pole is STILL sold separately for $9.47
Anyway, while in the cleaning section I just happened to see something that sometimes leads to a penny deal. 2 different iterations of the same item. Here are 2 - 10” shower squeegee’s, one with an all white handle and one with an orange handle. There were lots of the white handled ones hanging on a hook with a price, but only 1 of the orange handled one which was on the lower shelf.
I scanned it with my HD app and it came back “not found”. That is a good indication of it being a penny. So I took it up to the self checkout and scanned the price. Yep, a penny.
Being as greedy as I am, I hunted in the back of the shelves for more and found another 7.
Just another way to find a penny deal. I found those knives and the USB chargers the same way. HD often times will upgrade their stock with a new, slightly different item. When they do, they sometimes clear out the old.
August 2, 2016, 11:26AM
Around here, and I really do believe that it is true for everywhere else, that EVERY DAY at least 1 item and probably many more go to a penny and get pulled.
I also believe that in that SAME store there are probably 50 other items sitting on shelves that would ring up for a penny. I just don’t know which ones they are.
When you go on an Easter Egg hunt, you just gotta believe those eggs are out there. Don’t believe that, and there just is no sense in looking for them, is there?
Also - I have found that outsourcing my research to dchomak has resulted in very good results. e.g. it was the maglites and armormax that i first started focusing on when i saw them pop-up in this thread through dchomak. then recently the ecosmart bulbs. i just go to the ‘Clearance’ section and to the other target section to see if anything dchomak has posted are available. then you start seeing the anomalies (items with no homes) and oddities. this has worked out better than trying to cast a wide net.
I finally scored two of these for a penny each! I took this picture a while back at the clearance rack at another store where it had come down to 6 price. The born date was different from what dchomak had reported. This store had about 5 in stock, but all were gone by the time the 3 price came rolling. Then I spotted 3 of these at another store with the same wind down schedule. This time, it still lived in the home automation section (not clearance), had no regular spot pricing, nor was it stickered with the discounted price. I knew this was ripe for picking! And it finally turned to a penny this week.
Now the remaining pokemon to capture is the 65 / 64 piece de-walt bit sets. also there is a 3 gallon compressor i have my eyes on with 5/2/2016 date that should be turning any day now…
Oatey Plumber Putty is on clearance for $2.20 to make room for the new stain-free plumber putty.
Damn radioshaq, you are one fire! Disciplined observation and memory seem to requisite to scoring deals at your and dchomak’s level. Best of luck your current targets.
radioshaq, congrats on your score!!!
You make a good point here. Just because an item doesn’t work out at one store, or at a particular point in time, doesn’t mean that you won’t find success in the future. For instance, I didn’t find out about the clearance sale on the compressors until AFTER my hometown HD had already cleared them out.
Other stores in the area marked theirs down later in the week and because I KNEW what had already happened in my hometown HD, I was ready.
Coincidentally, I scored an 8 Gallon 1 1/2 horse compressor today. For a penny! :innocent:
Here is a shot of the compressor just after I slid my penny in the slot and got my receipt. When I shot this pic I didn’t yet know if they were going to let me leave the store with it, but they did!
They were actually good natured about it.
When I was in the store I saw it hiding behind a floor model of a DeWalt upright.
The dead giveaway to me was “oil filled”
All the compressors that had been on clearance previously had been oil filled. They were all replaced with equivalents that were “oil free”
Here is a better shot of the receipt.
I KNEW when I saw this on the floor at this late date that it would ring up for a penny. Previously it had gone from $129 to $91.06 to $33.03. In fact I had purchased probably 6 of them over a period of a couple of weeks for myself and friends.
Here is a picture of the first time I saw this compressor at $33.03. This picture was taken at my hometown HD AFTER they had already sold thru.
(they would NOT sell me the display)
It turned out my hometown HD was the leading indicator of what was happening and I could have given up right then and there.
I didn’t, and found stock in other stores at $33.03, and now I have found one at a penny.
Surely a lesson to learn 
Here in Houston, all the HD I visit penny deals are NON EXISTENT!!! :rage:
I could post some pictures of barcodes of items that are a penny.
You could print them and price check the codes at your self checkout.
Then we would know.
dcho, you are my hero!
I envy those living in areas with the penny deals, or even in areas where HD has a clearance area. The locations close to me have a few crappy end caps with clearance items and items rarely reach the .03 prices. I have a lot of painting to do and a decent compressor like others found would be a lot better than spending over $100 at harbor freight for a lower quality compressor or as I will wind up doing painting a house and barn with a brush (again). :weary:
+1
Thanks, I appreciate your adulation. 
And I can assure you both, all done without any PED’s 
Honestly, I just strive to be a good student and follow dchomak’s advise 
Yoda he is, homedepot deal seeker of
I am beginning to think that the 3 gal compressor at 33.00 might not turn to a penny… tried it last weekend and this, and it still is at 33.00. I realized that dchomak’s 8 gal penny deal came down from 33.03, not 33.00; so if it ain’t ending in a 6 or a 3, it often does not follow the regular wind down schedule.
That’s right, only the 8 gallon at 33.03 and the pancake at 15.03 would go to a penny.
There are also “4” prices that go to “2” prices that go to a penny.
HOWEVER………………………….
Now I have seen a “7” price that has gone to a penny
All 4 of these faucets went to a penny. A friend of mine found them. I told him about the “6” and “3” prices and not knowing any better, he found these “7” prices that went for a penny. The dates were old enough! Sheesh, what a dummy he was, right?
Here are receipts for 2 of the 4 faucets he found.
Here are 2 more faucets
And today I noticed some items going to an “08” price!
I wonder what THAT means??
$24.97 to an even $19.00 and now to $13.08 :confounded:
that is unbelievable, you could make a fortune reselling your penny deals
I missed this 100 piece mechanics tool set at $25.04. 2 stores cleaned out.
BUT, I found them in the overhead of 2 other stores. IF they stay up there, in about 4 weeks they will go to $12.52. That would be sweet!
These went to a penny, I could only find 1 so far. The Nickel finished ones remain at $29.97
I missed this 28 Piece combination wrench set at $10.04 here.
BUT I found 1 here.
There are 2 stores that have 10 each in the overhead. IF they survive, the next price would be $5.52
This is now the 3rd time these mini work lights have come and gone.
Just starting the clearance cycle at $4.50
Here is a really WEIRD one.
Definitely 2 different lights, yet the both HAVE THE SAME UPC code!
A couple of months ago, the Stanley crow bars went on clearance.
Here is one behind a clearance endcap on the floor. It rang up for a penny.
I found these 2 BOSCH hammer tools. They were so old they wouldn’t even scan.
I brought them up to the service desk and offered them $1 each.
Apparently, they would rather throw them out than take my money.
I am waiting to see if these survive to $30.03. Most probably NOT.
I missed this HUSKY brand briefcase at one store, but got the last one at another.
My SK68 in the pic for scale.
A 1/2 horse garage door opener! At the “2” price, 75% off
All the stores around here in CT are clearing these out. Why not ship them to Florida?
Those Energizer emergency blackout lights are basically the same thing. The bulky one is the discontinued model. The new version is about 9 bucks on Amazon and people like it more than the bulky one
As a test, to see if your Home Depot participates in the “penny deals”, here are some UPC codes of items that have been pulled from Home Depots in the North East. If you cut out these codes and take them to the self check out of your Home Depot, you can see if they have gone to a penny or not.
It would be really interesting to get reports from various parts of the country!
This last one is for a 28 piece stubby combination tool set that I have been keeping my eye on. It first came out at $19.88.
Then it was reduced to $17.00, then $15.00
A few days ago they were reduced again to a “4” price of $10.04. If they survive, in a couple of weeks they will go to around $5.02. Some stores that I have been in have them in the overhead. You can use this UPC to check price, and if you bring it up to the customer service desk, they can check for stock in their store or any where else.
EDIT
I made a mistake. These 2 UPC’s went to a penny in some of my local HD’s They are still full price at others.