Inside Scoop (2026 Context)

This chapter covers deeper operational context for experienced hunters. The basics — Store Pulse, ZMA, and the $.02 signal — are introduced in earlier chapters. Here you will find the operational logic behind what you see in-store.

Note: This section draws on community reports and public sources. Specifics vary by store and region.

Internal terms you will see

Employees and longtime shoppers frequently reference the same internal terms on public forums. We cannot verify these definitions from Home Depot directly, but the consistency across reports makes them useful as context.

• Store Pulse is the internal system associates reference most when discussing clearance tasks. The basics are covered in Chapter 1.
• ICE (Inactive / Clearance / E-velocity) is the tracking framework inside Store Pulse. The breakdown is covered in Chapter 2.
• No Home is a status used for items without a current bay location during resets. Defined in Chapter 2.
• BOLT is the tool associates use for bay sequencing and planogram changes.

Handhelds and clearance tools

The following notes come from employee and shopper reports. They are not confirmed by Home Depot and should be treated as context only.

• Associates use handheld scanners (commonly called Zebra or FIRST) for most clearance tasks.
• Some handhelds display a clearance or Store Pulse screen that lists markdown tasks by bay.
• Terms like ZMA, ICE, and No Home appear on these screens but are not publicly documented by Home Depot.

Why management cares

Strong reactions often happen when a penny item is found. Community reports suggest a few reasons why stores take penny scans seriously:

• Penny items create extra cleanup because they are meant to be removed, not sold.
• Managers may be measured on shrink, inventory accuracy, or clearance completion rates.
• Some stores treat penny scans as exceptions that trigger follow-up work and reporting.

Zero-Comm and register exceptions

Community reports describe penny scans as exception events that can create extra checkout work and follow-up review.

• A penny scan can trigger associate intervention at checkout — this is the Zero-Comm flag in action (introduced in Chapter 1).
• Some stores cancel or refuse penny transactions and route the item to standard policy handling.
• Recall or Buy-Back/RTV locks can block sale even when an item is physically present on the shelf. These locks are automated and cannot be overridden by the associate.

ZMA disposition paths

After an item reaches penny status, community reports describe two common disposition paths rather than one universal outcome.

• Field destruction (compactor) is common for low-value salvage items — roughly 40-60% of ZMA items go this route.
• Return-to-vendor (RTV/Buy-Back) is common for branded or higher-value categories — often near 40% of disposition volume.
• A small percentage goes to local recovery programs. The split varies significantly by store and category.

Policy vs. practice

Store behavior is inconsistent. That is why we recommend using multiple signals and staying polite at checkout.

• Some managers honor the scan. Others refuse based on local policy.
• Enforcement can change by shift, department, or leadership style.
• The same store can behave differently from week to week depending on staffing and priorities.

MET reset timing

Community reports often align major pulls with MET bay reset work rather than a fixed customer-facing calendar.

• Items marked "No Home" are pre-pull candidates during reset windows. If you see a bay being restructured, check it before the MET team finishes.
• The $.02 buffer window (about 48 hours) before a pull exists in some stores. Others skip straight from $.03 to removal. Both patterns are covered in Chapter 2.
• Use reset timing as a probability signal only, not a guaranteed schedule.

How to use this section safely

The inside-scoop terms are useful as context, not as instructions. If a post uses internal acronyms, treat that as a signal that the person may have store access, not as a promise that the item will penny in your store.

• Look for multiple, recent reports before you act.
• Use internal terms as a tie-breaker, not your only reason to drive.
• Expect store-to-store variation, even when the terms are the same.
• When in doubt, fall back to tag dates, price endings, and a scan.

Confidence levels we use

• Verified publicly: Information that appears in official statements or press releases (not penny mechanics).
• Community-reported: Repeated by employees and shoppers, but not confirmed by Home Depot.
• Speculative: Plausible theories with no public confirmation. We label these clearly.

Stacking signals the safe way

Treat internal terms as a supporting signal. If a report mentions "No Home" and you also see an old tag date plus a late-stage ending (.03/.02), the signal stack is stronger. If the only evidence is an acronym with no SKU, no date, and no store, skip it. Assume noise until you can corroborate it.

What not to assume

Some claims sound confident but are not verifiable. The safest approach is to treat anything time-specific as unconfirmed until you see it in your own store.

• Exact timing windows (for example, a fixed number of days between markdowns).
• A guaranteed sale at the penny price.
• That any single internal status always equals a penny item.

Speculation: Pro liquidation bundle

This is speculation, not a claim. Home Depot is building AI tools for Pros. It is possible those tools could eventually influence how clearance inventory is bundled or surfaced to professional buyers. There is no public confirmation of that today, so we treat it as a future watch item only.

2026 operational signals

These terms and workflow notes are reported by employees and experienced hunters. They are not official policy and should not be treated as guarantees.

• Department Supervisor roles are being restructured in some regions, with less direct clearance authority than before.
• Ghost Inventory: some stores carry $80,000 or more in unresolved clearance that does not move — items that are technically in the system but effectively invisible on the floor.
• MET teams are handling more of the reset and clearance execution work, especially during bay restructuring.
• Some vendors use buy-back or RTV locks that prevent a sale at the register regardless of associate willingness.