According to the website "Surplus Penny" (see References). "Due to limited prime "real estate" in the retail industry, many products are removed from the shelves to be replaced by new or more sought after items. These products are called Shelf Pulls." Some of the reasons for shelf pulls are that the items were bought in too great a quantity by the store, the items are no longer in fashion, or the items are seasonal. Getting shelf pulls from a local store can be approached in a few different ways.
Step 1
Speak to a store manager. If you speak to an ordinary member of the shop staff, they will not have the authority to authorize any shelf pull sales. The senior manager will be too busy to care about one sale. Instead, talk to the floor manager, who will be willing to make the sale, and will have the seniority to do so. If it is your local store, build up a good rapport with them, which will serve you well in the long term. A regular customer is more likely to get a discount than a once-off, because they know you will return.
Step 2
Go to your local store after a big shopping season. If the store is too upmarket to have a discount bin or a sale on, ask about particular items. The chances are that they have the item in a back room. Make them an offer for it, and they will most likely accept rather than ship the item.
Step 3
Go to the shop regularly and see which items they have in large amounts. If they have a large display of snow shoes, for example, which are not being sold, make an offer for them the first day they are not on display. They will be glad to make any additional money on something they have already written off as a loss.
Step 4
Buy in bulk. In the snow shoe example above, you could ask for 5 pairs of snow shoes for $20. Although this seems very low, they will be thinking more about getting the $20 than losing the 5 pairs of shoes. Buying something in bulk is the best way to buy shelf pulls, since you actually reduce the cost of them having to ship the item back.
Step 5
Consider buying shelf pulls which have been rendered obsolete by newer technology. If a brand new cell phone is released, make an offer on the previous model. This model will lose its value very quickly, so they will want a sale sooner rather than later. Ask if they can include additional items, such as a charger or a set of headphones. Stores will commonly throw items in for free to guarantee a sale.