Ross shoppers are already watching the calendar, because the chain’s legendary 49-cent clearance event is expected to hit again soon and the best deals vanish in hours, not days. Veteran bargain hunters treat it like a sport, planning routes, alarms, and even backup stores so they can scoop up deeply marked-down clothing, shoes, and home goods before the racks are picked clean. With patterns from past years and fresh chatter from deal experts, there is now a clear picture of how the sale typically rolls out, what to expect in stores, and how to get in and out with the strongest cart for the smallest total.
Is the Ross 49-cent sale really happening again?
Regulars treat the Ross 49-cent event as a yearly ritual, and recent seasons suggest that reputation is well earned, even if the company does not promote it as an official nationwide sale. Deal trackers who follow markdown cycles closely note that earlier this year many locations saw major price drops in mid Jan, with clearance tags plunging to as low as 49 cents on select items, and they are already predicting a similar pattern for the upcoming round based on those midwinter markdowns. The key detail for shoppers is that this is not a one-day coupon event but a clearance phase, when stores aggressively clear out old inventory to make room for new seasons, which means timing and store choice can make or break the haul.
Social media has turned the sale into a kind of urban legend, but recent posts show it is very real at many locations, even if the exact start day shifts by region. One viral clip describes the “infamous” 49 cent sale at Ross and stresses that while it is not an official corporate promotion, every year a large number of stores quietly roll out those tiny price tags around Jan, which lines up with what in-store employees and seasoned shoppers report when they talk about racks suddenly filling with sub-dollar finds While this. Unverified based on available sources is any claim that every single Ross will participate on the same day, so the smartest approach is to treat the sale as highly likely but locally variable, and plan to check more than one store if possible.
What past years reveal about timing and markdown patterns
Looking back at 2025 gives shoppers a useful blueprint for what might happen this winter. One widely shared post hyped that the Ross 49¢ Clearance was expected to begin on a Monday late in Jan, specifically flagging that markdowns would start on Monday and encouraging followers to prepare for that week of Clearance. Another creator, focusing on the same season, told viewers that the Ross 49-cent sale would start Jan. 27th, 2025, and urged them to Look for pink tags and brace for heavy crowds, a detail that has since become a shorthand cue for when the deepest discounts have finally landed on the 49-cent racks. Together, those reports suggest that the most aggressive markdowns tend to cluster in the final week of Jan, even if some stores move a little earlier or later.
On the ground, employees have described how intense that markdown process can be once it begins. One worker explained that at their store, staff started scanning and reducing prices at 2 a.m. so everything would be ready when doors opened, and that they checked “everything for markdowns in the entire store,” even though not every item ultimately dropped to 49 cents and some pieces were carryover from the previous year’s clearance Ross and. That behind-the-scenes detail matters for shoppers because it explains why the first morning of the sale is so powerful: once the overnight markdown marathon is done, the best sizes and brands are on the floor, and every hour after opening gives other bargain hunters more time to grab them.
How the $0.49 pricing works and what usually gets marked down
For anyone new to the event, the headline number is simple: certain clearance items drop to exactly $0.49, a price that has become a kind of badge of honor among deal hunters who post their receipts online. One popular reel spells it out plainly, calling it the $0.49 sale at Ross and promising that the event is right around the corner, with shoppers encouraged to Comment for more details on how to spot those ultra-low tags once they appear on the $0.49 racks. Another breakdown describes the event as the Ross Stores $0.49 clearance sale and emphasizes that it is an annual event that focuses on clearing out older inventory, which often includes seasonal clothing, shoes, home decor, and random one-off items that did not sell at higher prices earlier in the year.
Because the sale is about clearing space, not promoting specific brands, the mix on those racks can be wildly unpredictable from store to store. One guide framed it as Exploring the Ross $0.49 Clearance Sale and offered Tips for Shoppers, noting that The Ross Stores locations tend to concentrate the cheapest items in clearly marked clearance sections, but that the real treasures are often tucked behind less exciting pieces or hidden on lower shelves where hurried shoppers do not always look Exploring the Ross. That unpredictability is part of the appeal: a shopper might find a single high-end throw pillow for 49 cents in one store and a stack of kids’ sneakers at the same price in another, which is why many veterans plan to hit multiple locations in a single day.
Smart strategies to shop the sale like a pro
Experienced Ross fans treat the 49-cent event less like a casual browse and more like a mission, and their playbooks share a few consistent themes. First, timing matters: those who follow clearance cycles closely have seen that major price drops often start in mid Jan, then intensify in the final week, so they begin checking stores early to spot when regular markdowns give way to the coveted 49 tags and then pivot quickly once they see those 49 prices. Second, they prioritize organization: making a list of categories like kids’ clothes, workout gear, or kitchen basics helps them move quickly through the store instead of wandering while other shoppers scoop up the best deals.
Digital tools have also become part of the strategy. One popular savings personality urges viewers that the first most important step is to get the free Crazy Coupon Lady app and sign up for a sale reminder for the Ross49 cent event, so they do not miss the narrow window when their local store flips to the lowest prices Crazy Coupon Lady. Others rely on Instagram alerts, where posts that start with phrases like Are you ready for Ross 49¢ Clearance in 2025 and highlight that markdowns will begin on Monday have become early warning signals that the sale is live in at least some markets, prompting followers to check their own stores that same Are. The most prepared shoppers combine both approaches, using apps for reminders and social feeds for real-time confirmation that the pink tags have finally landed.
What to expect in-store on the big day
Once the sale hits a given location, the atmosphere inside Ross can feel closer to a Black Friday morning than a typical clearance run. Shoppers who documented the 2025 event warned followers to expect crowds and to move quickly once they spotted the pink tags that signaled the 49-cent price point, advice that proved accurate as carts filled up within minutes of doors opening and lines formed at the registers behind people stacking dozens of tiny-ticket items on the Look for counter. Employees, who had already spent the early morning hours scanning and stickering merchandise, often scrambled to keep racks tidy as shoppers flipped through hangers and dug through bins in search of hidden 49-cent finds.
Despite the frenzy, there is a rhythm to how the day unfolds. Early birds usually get first pick of the most desirable categories, like name-brand sneakers or kids’ outerwear, while late-morning visitors may find more scattered treasures in home decor or accessories as other shoppers overlook less obvious sections. One creator who framed their guide as Tips for Shoppers emphasized that patience and a willingness to dig are essential, because The Ross Stores clearance sections can look chaotic at first glance but still hide plenty of $0.49 deals for those who stick with the hunt Tips for Shoppers. For anyone heading into the next round, the most realistic expectation is a busy, slightly messy store filled with fellow bargain hunters, and the best preparation is a clear plan, comfortable shoes, and a cart ready to roll the moment those 49-cent tags come into view.
More from Decluttering Mom:
