How to Tell If a Home Depot Item Is a Penny (7 Signs)

Can you tell a penny item just by looking?

Not for certain. Home Depot doesn't put penny tags on anything. A penny item usually looks like any other clearance item, or like a regular item with no tag at all. The only real proof is the price when you scan it.

But there are signs that make an item worth scanning.

7 signs an item might be a penny

1. An old yellow clearance tag. If the date on the tag is months old, the item may have finished its markdowns. See how to read a clearance tag.
2. A price ending in .03 or .02. Many hunters read these as late markdowns. It's a hint, not a rule. More in Home Depot price endings.
3. The price is missing online. If the Home Depot app or website shows no price for an in-stock item, it may have been pennied. Read why some Home Depot prices don't show online.
4. It's out of season. Halloween decor in December or patio items in winter are classic candidates.
5. It's discontinued or replaced. Old packaging next to a new model is a good sign.
6. It's misplaced. A lone box on a top shelf, in the wrong aisle or in a clearance end cap may have been missed during a pull.
7. It's dusty or damaged packaging on an item that otherwise looks fine. Long shelf time often means a long clearance cycle.

How to confirm the price

Once you've found a candidate:

1. Open the Home Depot app and make sure the right store is selected.
2. Scan the item's own barcode, not the shelf label. Or search the Store SKU. Our SKU, UPC and Internet number guide explains the difference.
3. Check what the app shows. $0.01, no price, or an old clearance price can all point to a penny.
4. Confirm at checkout. The register is the final answer. Self-checkout is the easiest place to check without holding up a line.

The Home Depot app price check guide walks through each step.

Signs in the Home Depot app

The app gives you more clues than the shelf:

• $0.01 shown with your store selected. Rare, but it happens.
• No price at all for an item that shows stock at your store. This is often called a "hidden price" and is a common sign of a likely penny.
• "See price in store" messages.
• An old clearance price that hasn't changed in a long time, with very low stock.

Always make sure the right store is selected. A price from the wrong store tells you nothing about the shelf in front of you.

Shelf vs. scan: which to trust

The scan always beats the tag.

Real-world example

Say you find a ceiling fan in an old box on a top shelf. The tag is yellow with a date from four months ago and a price ending in .03. In the app, with your store selected, there's no price shown, but stock says 1. That's three signs together: an old tag, a late-markdown ending and a hidden price. It's worth taking to self-checkout to scan. If it rings up at $0.01 and the store sells it, great. If not, put it back politely.

What not to do

• Don't peel or swap tags. Scan what's on the product.
• Don't argue if the store won't sell it. Penny items are meant to be pulled, and stores can decline.
• Don't hide items to come back later. It's against the rules and spoils it for everyone. See penny shopping etiquette.

Know before you go

Scanning every old box in the store takes hours. PennyLoot checks the stores near your ZIP and flags penny, likely-penny (price removed online) and near-penny items, so you know what to look for before you leave. See this week's Home Depot penny deals.