Shopper brilliantly figures out how to spot 'penny deals' at Home Depot, but not everyone is convinced

Getting the right deal at Home Depot can seem like a big challenge. While the never-ending sections, clearance sales, and confusing product codes seem daunting to beginners, savvy shoppers know how to score special discounts. This veteran shopper, @toolswithsoalz316 on TikTok, has broken down the process to find the best deals for everyone. In his viral video, the creator explains how to spot bad 'penny deals'. 

Understanding product codes

In the video, which now has over 1.7 million views, Soalz explains that cracking product codes is the key to understanding the value of items. The creator says that shoppers are not going to simply find good deals at the clearance sale unless they know what the codes mean. 

He first explains that the product codes that end with 00 indicate that the product has got the final markdown before they are sent back to the manufacturer. While they are at the last step, Soalz says they are usually not pennied out. 

The next codes he explains are the ones that end with 06. He says the number indicates that six weeks after the first markdown, the product will further go down to 03, after which they will be disposed of or sent to another store. Thus, these may not offer penny deals as well. Lastly, he says that the product codes that end with 97 or 07 are the ones that are at regular prices. 

Coming to the products that are pennied out, Soalz says the codes to look for are the ones that end with 018. He says if shoppers put the code in their app and the price doesn't show up, there is a good chance that it could be a penny deal. The next code to look out for is 252, which if also doesn't show up on the app, can be a penny deal, he says. 

Stores and Sections most likely to offer 'Penny Deals'

Next Soalz explains that poorly run stores are most likely to offer penny deals. He says if a store has items out of place, mislabeled, or in sections where they don't belong, it indicates that the store may be understaffed or poorly run. These stores are likely to keep old and damaged products around, which are typically pennied out.  

He then explains that there are four departments/sections that are most likely to have penny deals. These are plumbing, electrical, paint, and lawn & gardening. These sections are mostly understaffed or run by old-timers who keep old products around. 

Negotiating a deal

Soalz says that in the four mentioned sections, there could be products with faded packaging or boxes with water damage and weathering. These are most likely to go for huge markdowns but he says that the only way to find out is to ask somebody. The creator claims that associates can offer discounts of up to $50 on old/damaged products and supervisors may bump it up to $100. 

The proof is in the pudding

Several users bombarded the comments with their queries. WHhle some said they found good deals, others claimed that the information shared was inaccurate. "I will have to say… you got about 15% of this right," wrote user, @blakef25. 

Furthermore, a Home Depot worker also claimed that there are no penny deals at the store. "As someone who works at HD most of the time penny items just go straight to the compactor, sad how wasteful retailers are," suggested user @kylejacobgandee. "It's not true, I found a ladder for a penny and they didn't want to sell it to me," added another user @oscarbalandran. 

However, the creator remained persistent about the shared information and replied to those who asked for more details about the app and deals. 

For more such informative and entertaining videos, follow @toolswithsoalz316 on TikTok.