It’s no surprise that bargain retailer Ross Dress For Less has great finds. But when top brands (yes, Ross carries big names) get marked down to just $0.49 — oh, it’s on. You’ll usually see these prices at Ross stores in January, and since clearance markdowns happen every Monday, dedicated Ross shoppers marked Jan. 22 as the “hot day” to find them. They weren’t wrong. Unofficially known as the “Ross 49 Cent Sale,” it’s the best time to hunt for those hot pink “reduced” stickers at the retailer, just one of our favorite Ross shopping hacks.
On Jan. 22 Ross locations the KCL team visited had long lines and lots of pink tags! Although Jan. 22 was when the most markdowns happened, I’ve been on my quest for weeks to follow this sale from start to finish. And while racks are extremely bare a week later on Jan. 29, I actually found one remaining $0.49 tag in my store. Remember that every store is a treasure trove of unique-to-that-location markdowns, so nothing is guaranteed.
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The Ross $0.49 Sale is a once-a-year January clearance event with prices as low as $0.49.
As a discount department store, Ross already has lower-than-retail prices on lots of things, but once the New Year hits, stores clear out old inventory with their biggest clearance event of the year. Although there are lot of different price points in this sale, the one that gets the most attention is $0.49, the lowest possible. The start, end, and duration of these sales varies by store, but most start in late December, running through the month of January.
KCL predicts the next Ross $0.49 Sale will be happening in most stores as of Monday, Jan. 6, 2025.
Ross doesn’t officially announce the dates of their $0.49 January Clearance Sale, but based on what they've done in recent years, we here at KCL predict that most stores will have this sale underway as of Monday, Jan. 6, 2025.
How do we make our prediction?
In 2024, the sale started on Monday, Jan. 8. In 2023, it started on Monday, Jan. 9. Now, in both cases, that was the second Monday of January, but the sale has always started in the single digits of the month — so Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, feels too late. That’s where we get our Monday, Jan. 6 prediction.
What’s it like to shop Ross $0.49 clearance?
Let’s be real: this is a true scavenger hunt, and one for which I was up for the challenge. While the interwebs were buzzing about this Jan. 22, 2024 date as the day to grab the most $0.49 items, I set out to find $0.49 merch before that rather arbitrary date. Follow on my Ross clearance journey from start to finish.
Date: Jan. 29. 2024
Location: Los Angeles, Calif.
Time: 2:15 p.m. PST
No. of $0.49 Tags: 1
Findings: Unless your Ross location is really trying to set itself apart from the pack in terms of their clearance schedule, you can put a fork in the Ross $0.49 sale — it’s done, y’all. I popped into my tried and true location on Jan. 29 just to see if anything new had been added to the clearance racks. It most certainly had not. There was little clearance signage left, and even where there was, most of the items on those racks were actually full price. I did find a pair of pilled lounge pants for $0,99 and a $0.49 sticker on a jar of Primal Kitchens No-Dairy Gravy. Aside from that, it’s pretty safe to say that’s a wrap on Ross Clearance 2024.
Date: Jan. 23, 2024
Location: Los Angeles, Calif.
Time: 2 p.m. PST
No. of $0.49 Tags: Back to 0
Findings: To quote one Miley Cyrus, the Ross $0.49 sale “came in like a wrecking ball.” I went to my nearest Ross on Tuesday, the day after the massive $0.49 clearance drop and all I can say is, “Whoa.” The clearance racks were the most sparse I had seen them in weeks. And finding anything under $4 was much harder than my previous visits prior to Jan. 22. I found a body lotion from a brand I’d never heard of for $0.99, a long-sleeved crop top for $1.49, a set of French Connection hankies for $2.99, and a pair of Aerie shorts for $4.99. Frankly, the whole vibe of the store felt empty, but the checkout lines were still long.
Date: Jan. 22, 2024
Location: Brandon, Fla and Massillon, Ohio
Time: 9:30 a.m. ET
No. of $0.49 Tags: TONS!
Findings: Stores KCL staffers visited in Brandon, Florida and Massillon, Ohio had Disney World-sized crowds and people scooping up all the cheap price tags, no matter what the item was. These Ross finds are from the scene at both stores, even Ohio which was formerly believed to not participate in the $0.49 sale. Boy, did that term out to be a myth. KCL photographer Chelsea in Florida observed people grabbing at whatever they could, no matter the size. Heck, it could look like it was run over by a truck but as long as the item said $0.49, people wanted it.
Date: Jan. 18, 2024
Location: Culver City, Calif.
Time: 1 p.m. PST
No. of $0.49 Tags: 0
Findings: My personal observation is this — the more organized and spacious the Ross store, the fewer ultra cheap price tags you’ll find. I needed a change of scenery so I trekked over to a Ross about 20 minutes from where I live. It felt less stuffed and there was more space to move through the aisles. However, I couldn’t find a single $0.49 item, not even a $0.99 item. My search produced a $2.99 holiday-scented hand soap (you can get hand soaps cheaper at Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual sale, by the way), a pair of novelty Hershey Bar socks for $1.49, a Mini Tic-Tac-Toe Drinking Game set for $2.99, and a pair of maternity leggings for $2.99. There’s always next week…
Date: Jan. 15, 2024
Location: Ross Dress for Less in Brandon, Florida
Time: 10:00 a.m. EST
No. of $0.49 Tags: 0
Findings: While I didn’t have any luck finding $0.49 tags at my Ross store in Brandon, Florida this morning, I still found a bunch of great steals, like kids’ shoes, men’s Under Armour T-shirts, and women’s sweaters and jeans. Some of the best deals I found were men’s shirts for $2.49 — I spotted a Cotton On button-down and a Carhartt long-sleeve tee at this super low price point. However, I also found a Wrangler Retro quarter-zip for $5.99, a Hurley t-shirt for $4.99, an Under Armour tee for $7.49, and Levi Strauss jeans for $6.99.
Date: Jan. 8, 2024
Location: Ross Dress for Less in Los Angeles, Calif. (the same store from Jan. 2, for those keeping track)
Time: 2:45 p.m. PST
No. of $0.49 Tags: 0
Findings: I decided to return to my “home Ross’ because I know it well and no intimidating Taylor Swift Eras Tour level stanchions out front. It was a Monday and the clearance racks were robust, at least as far as the men’s and women’s clothing. The kids’ clothing clearance was a bit sparse, but still plenty to pick through. The only bad thing about so much clearance is that it’s a real time investment to pick through it all. I didn’t come up with any $0.49 items. Even a novelty Christmas ornament shot glass set was only marked down to $2.49. I had a hot tip that holiday candy might be reduced to $0.49. Not at this store. It was still sitting pretty at $1.49. The journey continues…
Date: Jan. 3, 2024
Location: Another Ross Dress For Less in Los Angeles, Calif. (albeit a different store from the previous day)
Time: 2 p.m. PST
No. of $0.49 Tags: 2 (technically)
Findings: This was a new-to-me Ross (one I had never visited before) and I was a little taken aback by the stanchions out front as if I was about to get in line for a concert. I thought this might mean it’s the holy grail of Ross stores with mobs of people coming every day because the getting is so good. That did not turn out to be the case. While I didn’t find anything I was ay-yi-yi about, I did technically spot two $0.49 tags. However they were attached to single pairs of kids socks originally priced at $0.99. Womp, womp. The search continues.
Date: Jan. 2, 2024
Location: A Ross Dress For Less in Los Angeles, Calif.
Time: 1:30 p.m. PST
No. of $0.49 Tags: 0
Findings: Not gonna sugarcoat it, folks, this was a lackluster trip to Ross. The clearance was pretty bare (particularly in the shoe section). And while I did find some low prices, I didn’t spot anything below $2.49. However, a kind employee told me my timing was pretty spot on in the afternoon as it takes her and her colleagues hours to scan store items for markdowns.
1. The $0.49 Ross clearance doesn’t happen at every store, and if it does, it’s different at every location. But, across the board, all stores participated in a Year-End Clearance in some respect.
Yes, if you haven’t heard, the Ross clearance sale had it’s biggest day on Jan. 22, 2024, with long lines if your store participated. While there was Ross clearance at every location, not all stores had prices as low as $0.49. Still, even slashed prices as low as $1.49 make for a productive shopping trip.
2. Ross employees shared with us that $0.49 Ross clearance typically starts in late December and runs through January.
Each Ross store has a different schedule, and the sale dates tend to change each year. You may see $0.49 markdowns start at the end of December, but the lion’s share happen in January.
3. Look for clearance items like sweaters, makeup items, gift sets, and children’s dresses for as low as $0.49.
Yes, it’s true. You’ll find clothing, holiday items, and kids’ stuff for as low as $0.49 during the Ross clearance event. Just look for those little hot pink tags to get the best clearance deals.
4. In previous years we found $1.99 items from Gap, Free People, and Steve Madden at Ross in January.
Lots of items go on sale for $1.99 (or less) during the Ross clearance sale. In recent years Items we found in this price range include women’s sweaters, baby sweaters, tops, and sunglasses.
5. Look for Nike clothes for $2.99 in the Ross clearance section; we found plenty in 2023.
If you’re still pinching yourself, you can stop now. Some of the most popular brands, like Nike and Under Armour, get deep discounts during the Ross clearance event. We also saw $1.99 Tommy Hilfiger baby sets and women’s Calvin Klein jeans for just $2.99 (at 96% off).
6. Throughout January, keep an eye on shoes, purses, wallets, and sunglasses under $5.
A former Ross employee of seven years turned to TikTok to share some little-known Ross clearance secrets. She said that around January each year, her entire Ross store was priced at $5 or less.
According to this former employee, shoes, purses, wallets, and sunglasses are under $5 at Ross — even items from brands like Michael Kors can be priced that low.
Now, we can’t promise this is true for every Ross store out there, but it’s worth following up on for the chance to snag clearance deals this good.
7. Ross also typically has Kate Spade and other brand-name accessories for under $15.
On any given day you’ll find brand-names at Ross, but during a clearance event is when you can find them even cheaper. In 2023 there was an $11.99 Kate Spade hat and glove set that looked way more expensive than its price tag.
8. Don’t be the first in line at Ross — store employees need time to mark down clearance items Monday – Wednesday!
This might sound counterintuitive, but you actually don’t want to be the very first inside a Ross store when it opens. That’s because employees have to scan each item by hand to see if its price is getting further reduced or not. Head into the store a couple hours after opening to get a better shot at newly marked down items.
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