Clearing the Way

Every day is a white sale at Stroud’s Clearance Centers, and management is converting more stores to clearance centers to keep up with demand.

Stroud’s opened its first clearance store in Pasadena in 1979; today there are 20 locations.

John Russell, vice president of the chain’s clearance centers, credits “opportunistic buys” with their success and says they try to balance first-quality merchandise with slightly flawed goods that are greatly reduced.

A small segment of the clearance inventory is from Stroud’s 50 retail stores, special purchases make up a much larger segment, and seconds and irregulars from manufacturers are the rest.

In Northridge, the Stroud’s retail store was converted into a clearance center more than a year ago.

The seconds and irregulars offer the best buys: Some stitching that went slightly askew on Laura Ashley comforters normally retailing for $80 to $130 bring those prices down to the $40 to $90 range.

Charisma bath sheets that, if perfect, sell for $36, are tagged at $18.99 because of some nearly imperceptible flaw.

In first-quality merchandise, the reductions are not as drastic but the value is still there.

Some 200-thread count queen-size sheets by Martex sell at many stores for $34 but Stroud’s price is $26.99, and the packaged sateen sheet sets for $49.99 beat the usual $70 tag.

Flannel sheets are also available at deep discounts: A full-size set that consists of a fitted bottom sheet, a top sheet and two cases retails at many stores for $50, but it sells here for $24.99 and comes in four colors.

Stroud’s has 18 clearance centers, and you can expect more.

Stroud’s Clearance Center, 8762 Corbin Ave., Northridge (818) 701-5026, and at 3883 La Cumbre Plaza in Santa Barbara, (805) 682-2711.