Last Updated on November 1, 2021 by Stiletto Socialite
Have you ever seen those Marshalls yellow tag clearance finds on social media that make you swoon with two seconds of envy?
Well today, I will walk you through the best tips I know to secure the best deals on Marshall’s yellow tag clearance in hopes you can score pants for $.30 like I have!
Twice a year Marshall’s and TJ Maxx mark down their clearance merchandise for deep discounts in January/February and July/August. This is the same time period that mirrors other popular semi-annular sales like Bath and Body Works and Victoria’s Secret. However, unlike those sales which stop, Marshall’s and TJ Maxx sales continue for some time. First, the tags start as “red sale tags” then eventually you start to see “yellow” tags. Marshalls ‘s and TJ Maxx’s “yellow tags” denote final clearance and they are the best deals you will get.
Although Marshall’s yellow tag sale begins in January and July, I really don’t care about the beginning dates I want to know the ending dates. The ending dates are when prices get extremely low. As you know Marshall’s and TJ Maxx are owned by the same company so I will talk about them interchangeably throughout this article.
The first of the year yellow tag items will be continuously sold in January until they get to rock bottom pricing in February. The second yellow tag sale at Marshalls/TJ Maxx will begin around July and get to rock bottom pricing around the end of August. You will continually see the clearance tags updated until they get to their final clearance price before they are shipped out. This is the time to strike, when you see those “yellow tag” clearance hauls online that is how they get clothes and shoes for $.30-$3.00.
Like most retailers eventually Marshalls needs to purge their inventory and cut their losses, when they do that’s your chance at a comeupance!
Marshalls Yellow Tag Clearance Sales Dates
For the past two years I’ve monitored my local stores and found the best times to strike for the best yellow tag deals!!
Marshalls yellow tag sale dates are as follows:
- For Fall/Winter Marshalls/TJ Maxx the Yellow Tag sale begins in January however it ends in February.
- For Spring/Summer Marshalls/TJ Maxx the Yellow Tag sale starts in July, but August is the finish.
According to the two most previous Marshalls Yellow Tag Clearance Sales my receipts are as follows:
- February 22, 2018
- February 23, 2019
I couldn’t find my receipts for August 2018. However last year it was the weekend of August 24th, 2019. I had an event that weekend and when I went to the store that Sunday nothing good was left.
These dates are very important because this is the final clearance before the stuff exits the stores. You can literally get clothing for less than a $1. That is why I don’t really care when Marshalls Yellow Tag Sale starts I care about the finish date.
THIS IS HOW I STRIKE GOLD WITH GETTING YELLOW TAG CLEARANCE ITEMS FOR AS LOW AS .$30
For Fall yellow tag clearance, I have the best luck when I start STALKING the store right after Valentines Day. I start scooping out the pricing my cue is typically when I start seeing $5 and below yellow tags and also you will see either a sign with “FINAL CLEARANCE” there’s your sign!
When items start to get to yellow tag clearance at Marshalls/TJ Maxx I’ve notice the following:
Depending on what’s left employees might start migrating all of the items in one central area, instead of just having clearance signs all across the store. Often times the clearance signs will be black or blue once centralized in an area. “They maybe marked things like “FINAL, FINAL, FINAL.” The normal clearance signs are red. However, as you can see in the cover photo on this post that if you zoom in you can see how on one side the clearance sign says “clearance” and on the other it flips and says “final clearance.”
For example, all the clearance shoes, mens clothing, and womens clothing is all together.
Depending on the stage of the sale, the items might be near the front of the store, or sometimes they still maybe in disparate locations throughout the store.
However, location doesn’t matter even if everything is centrally located I still go looking around the store digging for gold…yellow tag clearance sale gold that is. Once again, it’s only at that last days/hours of the sale when the stores I go to start putting things all together in one area. From what I can tell it really depends on what is left. I actually love that they do this, it makes it easier for me when I am trying to do a haul.
HOW TO WIN WITH MARSHALLS YELLOW TAG SALE!
You will see online many people say that “yellow tags” will not get mark down any more.
However, this is not true, if you want to see just look at my example. You see how there are multiple “yellow tags” because at the end of the cycle when they are trying to get rid of items they will aggressively mark down. I remember in February 2018 that they marked down items in the AM and then I went back around lunch time and some of those same things were marked down again. Again, this was at the end of the cycle, the last ditch effort before the items were going to exit the store. This is key, because this is the time I get things for super cheap.
I’ve gotten so many cool things and I’ve sold thousands with the items I bought on Marshalls Yellow tag clearance!
The cool thing rather you are a reseller or bargain hunter you can’t go wrong some of these items can be saved for Christmas gifts as well!
When you see an item and everyday else is bargain basement and it doesn’t seem to matchup it’s time to check in with a sales associate.
For example, you have a cartful of items that are $1-$7 and there is this yellow tag item for $20, I would have the person at the register rescan to make sure nothing was missed.
Now if it’s a reason because it’s designer that’s different, $20 for a skirt that goes for a lot maybe a steal. However, when items are about to be zero-ed out of the system most of the prices are in the single digits.
What does yellow tag at TJ Maxx and Marshalls mean?
Yellow tag at TJ Maxx and Marshalls means that the it is final clearance. Once the prices are on yellow tag, that is the best price you are going to get. Red is the first level of clearance at Marshalls and TJ Maxx. When it gets to “yellow tag” prices will continue to drop as people buy up the inventory. This will continue until the prices hit “rock bottom.” During January-July most seasonal inventory is on yellow tags.
What should you not buy at Marshalls?
Things you generally should not buy at Marshalls are any things suspect!
What you have to remember about Marshalls is that they are a discount retailer. Therefore, Marshalls will get the overflow of merchandise that did not sell at other companies. This undesirable inventory from other retailers will turn into new stock at Marshalls. As such, below is a list of some items you might want to skip buying at Marshalls.
Some specific things you should not buy at Marshall’s include:
- Open Cosmetics–people trying out testers could be a breeding ground for germs
- Electronics–they may be low quality, novice companies
- Furniture–a lot of items here have failed product inspections
- Toys–you have to be careful because I see a lot of recalls in this category
- Bedsheets–tend to be of generic like quality, unless name brand, you should probably skip
In general, when accessing should you buy it or not at Marshalls use your instincts. If purchasing food pay close attention to expiration dates. When it comes to kitchenware, I will stick with name brands you love and trust. Generally you will want to stay away from off-brand companies that might break after light use.
Does TJ Maxx have coupons?
Generally speaking, TJ Maxx does not have any coupons. The only thing TJ Maxx has that’s close to “couponing” deals is their yellow tag clearance event. Their yellow tag clearance event occurs in July/August and January/February of each year.
What is the difference between Marshalls and TJ Maxx?
The main difference between Marshalls and TJ Maxx is that TJ Maxx tends to carry slightly higher-end merchandise than Marshalls. There are certain brands that they both carry, but TJ Maxx takes their merchandise up a notch.
For example, some of the lower end brands of Bloomingdales or Saks you can find at TJ Maxx.
However, note there is a demographic component to this. For example, when I visited the Marshalls in Washington DC they had Dolce and Gabbana and at a Marshalls in Miami, I saw Gucci sandals.
In my geographic area, I will not find items like this at my local Marshalls or TJ Maxx.
Marshalls Price Tag Codes
Decoding Marshalls Price Tags
| TAG COLOR | TYPE |
| WHITE | REGULAR PRICE |
| RED | CLEARANCE |
| YELLOW | FINAL CLEARANCE |
| PURPLE | RUNAWAY (DESIGNER) |
| BLUE | ITEM HAS A COORDINATING PIECE |
The last two digits under the barcode represent the week the item was marked down. This is important to note, because it you find a shirt you want to buy and you see that one was marked down on week #38 then you see another shirt with a week #44 markdown, then it’s time to ask a Marshalls associate if a markdown was missed. If the styles numbers are different this may or may not be an impediment to you getting the discount. Different style numbers on the same item indicate they were purchased at different times. As you know there maybe multiple items priced differently at Marshalls and TJ Maxx because they buy from various vendors, etc, but it doesn’t hurt to ask! The worst someone can say is “no” and that’s no big deal, you have to have “drive and persistence” if you want to be the ultimate deal queen or king!
What day does Marshalls restock?
Marshalls restocks every day, restocking is an ongoing process at Marshalls. However, here are some helpful hints regarding Marshalls restocking.
Busy shopping time periods like tax season, Christmas, back to school, it is best to shop during the weekday.
Better yet, anytime it is generally best to shop in the morning while the store is at its tidiness.
As a frequent shopper at Marshalls without a doubt, the best time to shop is early in the morning. Everything is neat and clean and so it is easier to find the best deals. This way I can shop before the store gets too messy. As much as a deal hunter that I am, I have no patience for digging in a messy area. Except when it’s Marshall’s yellow tag clearance sale, then I am a relentless digger!
I’ve sold a lot of stuff on Poshmark that I purchased on Marshall’s yellow tag clearance sale. Poshmark is a good platform to sell NWT items, for more information make sure to check out this article wherein I do a full review on Poshmark. Also I’ve sold items on eBay as well.
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In conclusion, the Marshalls yellow tag sale can help you achieve great results via retail arbitrage because you are buying for so low! So what are you waiting for go get some of that clearance and let me know how it goes!
Or if you are skipping reselling and just want to go some swag…well go on with your bad self!
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