Is the “Labor Day weekend” clearance timing the same every year at Menards?

It’s usually the biggest window, but it can shift by a week or two depending on how fast the summer inventory sells. If you don’t see deep discounts by early September, keep checking through mid-September because clearance moves on a rolling basis rather than all at once.

Why do some patio sets show up as clearance online but not in the store bargain area (or vice versa)?

Menards uses separate pathways online and in-store, including different labeling for open-box, unreturned special orders, and slightly damaged items. That’s why you should check both the main clearance hub and Ray’s List online, plus physically look at the bargain area, even if one channel looks empty.

Can I still get a price match or an additional markdown on clearance patio furniture?

Typically no. Clearance and bargain-area items are final sale, and price adjustments generally don’t apply to those marked-down categories, so you can’t rely on bringing it back later hoping for a lower tag.

What should I inspect first on display models or open-box patio furniture before buying?

Focus on frames for bends and wobbles, seat and chair alignment, and whether hardware is complete (bolts, brackets, and caps). Also check for missing sling fabric pieces, rust spots on metal at joints, and faded but intact cushions, since minor damage is common.

If an item is slightly damaged but otherwise functional, is it ever worth buying for the lowest total cost?

Yes, if the damage is cosmetic and the missing parts are inexpensive to replace. Avoid pieces with structural issues like cracked tabletops, warped chair frames, or bent rails, because replacement parts may not be sold separately for older seasonal lines.

How can I tell whether a clearance purchase is an incomplete set (table plus only some chairs) before I get to the bargain area or place an order?

Look at the item description carefully for “sold as” quantities, counts of chairs, and whether it’s a patio set component listing. In-store, count the pieces before checkout, and don’t assume it will include cushions or accessories unless they are explicitly listed.

Do clearance patio items still qualify for Menards rebates or promotions?

Often they do not, or eligibility can be limited, especially for already-clearanced or final-sale merchandise. Before buying, check the exact promotion terms for the item number, because the rebate math only helps if the clearance category is included.

What’s the safest clearance-buying strategy if I care about warranty coverage?

Buy earlier in the season from regular stock if you want smoother manufacturer warranty handling. If you must buy late-season, confirm whether the product is from last year’s production and whether the manufacturer requires proof of purchase that you can still provide when the store sale is final.

If I’m shopping in May and clearance hasn’t started, should I wait or buy elsewhere?

If you need a specific set, buying during early summer promotions is usually less risky than waiting for clearance because selection narrows as you approach Labor Day. If you’re flexible, keep monitoring Ray’s List and the store bargain area daily once markdowns begin, since new clearance items can appear as the season unwinds.

How often should I check during August through October to catch the best deals?

Check at least every few days during the peak-to-markdown transition, then more frequently during the Labor Day lead-up. Since moves to clearance can happen on a rolling schedule, waiting a full week can mean missing the best remaining sizes, chair counts, or left-right orientation pieces.

When Does Menards Patio Furniture Go on Clearance?

Menards patio furniture typically starts moving to true clearance in late July through August, with the deepest markdowns hitting in September around Labor Day. That's when stores are aggressively pushing outdoor inventory to make room for fall and winter merchandise. If you're shopping right now in mid-May, you're actually in a decent sweet spot: seasonal patio sets are fully stocked, and you'll catch early Memorial Day sale pricing. But if you want the steepest discounts, hanging on until late summer will usually reward your patience with 30–50% off original prices.

How Menards runs its seasonal sale cycle

Minimal calendar-style view of spring, summer, and fall themes for outdoor furniture sale timing

Menards follows a pretty predictable retail rhythm for outdoor furniture, and understanding it will help you time your purchase well. The season roughly breaks down into four phases: stock-up, peak, markdown, and clearance.

Phase	Typical Timing	What to Expect
Stock-Up	February – March	New patio inventory arrives; full price, full selection
Peak Season	April – June	Holiday sales (Memorial Day), promotional pricing, 11% rebate events
Early Markdown	July – August	Prices start dropping 20–30%; selection starts to thin
True Clearance	Late August – October	Final-sale clearance pricing, bargain area items, Ray's List listings

The transition from markdown to true clearance isn't a single store-wide event. Menards moves items to clearance on a rolling basis as the season winds down, which means clearance items can show up in early August or trickle in through October depending on what's left. Shoppers on Reddit who work at Menards have noted that items get moved to clearance daily as markdowns occur, so checking back repeatedly during the August-to-October window genuinely pays off.

The best months to catch patio furniture markdowns

If you want the best combination of selection and savings, late July to early August is the sweet spot. You'll find more variety than you will in September, but prices are already noticeably lower than peak season. If you want the absolute lowest prices and don't care about limited selection, Labor Day weekend (early September) is historically the single biggest clearance event for outdoor furniture across most retailers, including Menards. If you're wondering when patio furniture goes on clearance, plan to check late July through August for the first major markdowns and then watch Labor Day for the biggest clearance push. Homes & Gardens and other deal-tracking sources consistently cite Labor Day as the year's best day for patio markdowns.

Memorial Day (late May): Good sales, not deep clearance. Expect 10–20% off, promotional bundles, and 11% rebate events.
Fourth of July (early July): A secondary sale moment. Prices dip a bit more, but true clearance hasn't started yet.
Late July – August: Early clearance phase. Items start hitting the bargain area. Best mix of selection and savings.
Labor Day (early September): Peak clearance. Deepest discounts of the year, but inventory is limited.
October and beyond: Anything left is heavily discounted or on Ray's List, but it's mostly odds and ends.

What clearance actually looks like at Menards

In-store patio furniture clearance rack with hanging price tags and stacked chairs in a retail aisle

Clearance at Menards isn't just a price sticker change. There are a few distinct things that happen when outdoor furniture transitions out of regular inventory, and knowing the difference matters before you buy.

The bargain area

In-store, clearance patio pieces often end up in Menards' physical bargain area, sometimes called the "bargain cave" or liquidation corner depending on your location. Items here are final sale, no exceptions. Menards' official policy is explicit: bargain area and clearance merchandise is non-refundable and all sales are final. That applies whether the item was marked down due to end-of-season inventory, it's slightly damaged, or it's an unreturned special order. Inspect everything carefully before you buy, because you can't return it.

Display models and open-box sets

Retail patio furniture display with open-box cushions and frame, small attached condition tags, minimal store setting.

As the season progresses, you'll start seeing display models available for purchase. These are the floor samples that were assembled and on display all summer. They're often priced significantly lower, but expect minor wear, sun fade, or missing hardware. Some stores will throw in a discount on top of clearance pricing for display sets, making them among the best deals in the store. Again, these are final sale.

Ray's List online clearance

Online, Menards has a dedicated clearance hub that includes a section called Ray's List. Menards also has an online clearance hub, so you can quickly check whether patio furniture deals are available there right now online, Menards has a dedicated clearance hub. This is separate from the standard "Clearance" category page and functions as a distinct liquidation channel for items like unreturned special orders, open-box pieces, slightly damaged goods, and end-of-season merchandise. To find outdoor patio furniture on Ray's List, go to the Menards clearance hub, click into Ray's List, and then use the blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">category filters to select "Outdoors" or "Furniture & Home. To find who has patio furniture on clearance right now, start with Menards' Ray's List clearance hub and then filter into Outdoors or Furniture & Home. " You can also filter by sale price to narrow down to your budget. Because Ray's List and the main clearance page are separate pathways, check both to avoid missing markdowns that are tagged differently. A Menards employee or customer discussion on Reddit also points out that Ray’s List access and how you navigate it can differ after the site refreshes, so checking both paths remains important Because Ray's List and the main clearance page are separate pathways, check both to avoid missing markdowns that are tagged differently..

How to check Menards patio deals right now

You don't have to guess what's on clearance today. Here's a practical step-by-step for checking both online and in-store.

Go to Menards.com and navigate to the Clearance section from the main menu. This is your starting point for all online clearance inventory.
Inside the clearance hub, click on Ray's List specifically. Use the category filters to select 'Outdoors' and then 'Furniture & Home' to isolate patio-related items.
Use the price filtering slider on the Ray's List page to set a max budget and see what's available in your range.
Also check the main Sale Items section in the clearance hub separately, since some patio markdowns appear there rather than on Ray's List.
For in-store, call your local Menards before driving over and ask whether any patio furniture has moved to the bargain area yet. Staff can usually tell you quickly. This saves a wasted trip if clearance hasn't started at your location.
If you're in-store, walk the bargain area first, then check the main patio floor for any items with yellow or orange clearance tags.
Check back every 1–2 weeks during the August-to-September window. Items get added to clearance on a rolling daily basis, so timing your visits matters.

Buy now or wait: how to time your purchase

This is the real question most shoppers wrestle with, and the honest answer depends on what you need. If you're replacing a broken set and need something this weekend, buy during a Memorial Day or Fourth of July promotional window and stack the 11% rebate if Menards is running one. That's real money back and you'll have something to sit on all summer. If you can wait and have a specific set in mind, here's the trade-off to consider carefully: the closer you wait to Labor Day, the deeper the discount but the narrower the selection. By mid-September, you're picking through what's left, not choosing what you actually want.

My recommendation: if you see a set you like in late July at 20–25% off, strongly consider buying it then. The math on waiting for another 10–15% off often isn't worth losing the exact item you wanted. On the other hand, if you're flexible on style and just want the lowest possible price on a functional set, wait until Labor Day weekend and shop whatever's left in the bargain area. Also remember that price adjustments are not valid on clearance items or end-of-season markdowns at Menards, so there's no safety net of going back to ask for a lower price after the fact.

Selection and warranties shrink as clearance deepens

Something shoppers often overlook is that clearance fundamentally changes what you're buying beyond just the price. By the time sets hit the bargain area in September, you're likely looking at incomplete sets (a table with only some chairs), display models with cosmetic wear, or open-box items with questionable assembly history. Matching pieces to build out a full set becomes nearly impossible that late in the season.

Warranties are another concern. Menards' standard return window and any manufacturer warranty coordination become complicated when items are final sale. Some clearance patio furniture comes from the previous year's production, which can affect how a manufacturer handles a warranty claim if you have a problem months later. If a full manufacturer's warranty is important to you, buying earlier in the season from regular stock is the safer play. Clearance pricing is real savings, but it comes with real trade-offs on recourse if something goes wrong.

What to do if Menards isn't running clearance yet

If you're checking Menards right now in May and clearance hasn't started yet, you have good options at other retailers while you wait. If you're specifically wondering whether Menards has patio furniture deals yet, check their current clearance timing and online listings does target have patio furniture. Other large home improvement stores and big-box retailers run similar seasonal clearance cycles, and some of them start their end-of-season markdowns at slightly different times, which creates additional windows to find deals.

Home Depot and Lowe's: Follow a very similar markdown rhythm to Menards and often have overlapping Memorial Day and Labor Day sale events. Worth checking their clearance aisles in parallel.
Walmart: Tends to clear outdoor furniture aggressively in July and August. Their online clearance section updates frequently and often has better digital inventory visibility than in-store.
Big Lots: Clearance cycles are less predictable but can yield strong deals mid-season. Worth a walkthrough if you have one nearby.
Costco: Runs patio furniture in limited seasonal runs. Once their floor sets sell through, they're gone, but remaining inventory sometimes gets marked down in-store before disappearing entirely.
Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist: People clearing out last year's sets in spring and early summer often price aggressively. You can find near-new patio sets locally for 40–60% below retail if you're patient and willing to pick up.
Target: Also runs seasonal clearance on outdoor furniture, typically starting their end-of-season markdowns in a similar July-to-August window.

The broader patio furniture clearance calendar across all retailers follows a similar pattern, so the same timing logic that applies to Menards applies almost everywhere. If you want specific retailers and locations, check our guide on where to buy clearance patio furniture so you can compare options and find the best timing. If you're actively deal-hunting, keeping tabs on two or three stores simultaneously during the late July through September window gives you the best shot at catching the right deal at the right moment, whether or not Menards ends up being the one with the best price on what you want.