[quote name='Vinny']I agree with everything you said there but there are plenty of "hidden" clearances. Very rarely do stores advertise clearances... it's just that once something is revealed (usually on CAG), they show up on sites like FatWallet and SD, and quickly spread from there.
I've pretty much lost all my reliable clearance places though. CC and CompUSA are gone, TRU stopped clearing good games and jacked up prices, and Kmart marks everything and puts it on the clearance shelves now.
Yeah, Kmart had some good clearances back in the day but their inventory was always low so it was hard to find stuff. I remember getting Castlevania Circle of the Moon for $2.97. There were lots of other good games too... most of them turned out to be very rare but back then, I had no idea.[/QUOTE]
I've lost all my clearance places too. By hidden clearance I mean when the prices aren't marked and you find games that are either unmarked or marked at $50 and then you go to a price scanner and they ring up like $5. I got so many $2-5 Gamecube games at Kmart that I can't even count how many I got. It was also really fun to shock the employees when the price would come out over 90% off in the register. Kmart now advertises clearances in their ads such as 50% off clearance toys and $1.99 clothes so now before you even get there all the good stuff is gone. Not like it used to be where you would randomly stumble on these deals and there would be a whole bunch of good stuff left. I will say that there was never a shortage of clearance video games at the couple Kmarts that are left here.
Sam's club kind of has hidden clearance though, but they don't have price scanners to verify the clearance prices so you have to ask. Toys R Us probably has the highest video game prices unless they are on clearance or in the sale ad however they do have some pretty good prices on game accessories if you need something.
Target here now starts at 15% off clearance and all the good stuff is taken then, back in the day they used to have huge huge clearances on just about everything. I remember getting makeup for pennies an item, and there would be a lot of $5 games to choose from, so many that they actually took a while to sell. I realize some of this is off topic. The clothes are so ugly, thin and see through at Target now that even if they go 75% off its not worth it especially when the price starts at like $15-20 for one shirt. I am better off with brand name thrifted clothing. I used to buy at least 2 $5 pairs of sneakers every year at Target but its been literately YEARS since I have seen even one pair at those prices. Now most of the items are sent to salvage after they hit 50% off if they aren't bought by then and I don't have a goodwill nearby so I can't go there to snag the Target castoffs like a lot of people can. 50% off the regular price of a game is no deal compared to what we were getting in the past.
Sorry for ranting, but retail sucks now, at least I have Amazon though!