REI does its super clearance twice a year, every February and August. They will take an additional 50% off on items that have prices ending in .83, so the savings can be crazy sometimes. Expect minimum discounts off retail to be 60% on super clearance items, usually more.
The store sale starts on Friday, and runs for 10 days. The vast majority of the items will be clearanced the first day, but they will add items throughout the week, so additional visits can be worth the drive sometimes. If you want the really good stuff, be there when the store opens on the first day and go straight to what you really want. Expect to see assholes with 15 sleeping bags being dragged behind them. Feel free to kick these guys in the nuts, unless it is me, in which case you should help me carry the bags.
Online is a completely different matter. Sometimes it starts on Friday, sometimes it starts a day or two earlier. Expect things to sell out fast. REI does not update its inventory real time, so sometimes you still might have items that are out of stock. Even if you have stuff on your order you end up not wanting, you can always call and cancel after you place the order or just return it in store.
If you want me to be your best friend ever, and more importantly keep my poor ass doing giveaways and passarounds, use these links to shop and add things to your cart:
If you want to see the clearance items, use the menu up top, hover over a category, then click on the “sale and clearance” link. Look for items ending in .83. Your cart is the same for REI and REI Outlet, so feel free to jump back and forth between the sites. Place small orders for in store pick up instead of spending a lot of time shopping, because everything good will be gone by the time you are done.