Michaels Grab Bags Are Back — Is the $10 Price Worth It? (We Think So!)

We’re seeing Michaels Grab Bags (or boxes, rather) hitting stores again. These grab bags cost just $10 and get you deals on Michaels craft supplies and clearance sale decor at a pretty hefty discount. The catch? You won’t know what you’re getting until you open the bag. Let’s dive into what Michaels Grab Bags are exactly, how to get them, and where you can find them.

If these grab bags aren’t new to you, you may have noticed that they’ve gone up in price as of late 2022. Before the price increase last year, grab bags were $5 (and before that, they were $2 and $4), but now each bag is $10. Why the jump? Well, for one: inflation. But second, customers also claim that the boxes have gotten bigger. The $2 grab bags were actual plastic Michaels bags, while these $10 grab boxes contain a lot more space for discounted goodies. Check your local store and use your best judgment. If the box looks large and feels full, it’s likely well worth the $10 (see below for our haul).

For more Michaels shopping tips and savings hacks, text HACKS to 57299, and be sure to download the Krazy Coupon Lady app.

Michaels Grab Bags are mystery bags (usually with unclaimed clearance items).

These bags contain an assortment of items from various categories, such as art supplies, home décor, and seasonal products, all bundled together at a discounted price. We typically see holiday clearance or seasonal clearance items. No two bags are alike and the contents depend solely on what your local Michaels has leftover.

You typically find these bags at the very front of the store. They are either bags or boxes (more often boxes now) and have a visible “Clearance” tag.

These grab bags cost $10 and you can score well over $100 worth of products.

Though these bags doubled in price — from $5 to $10 — in late 2022, you still get your money’s worth. One of our own Krazy Coupon Lady team members scored over $245 worth of product in her $10 Michaels grab bag this past week.

Here’s everything she got in her box:

• Artificial Summer Carnation, $1.99
• Summer Truck Pick, $3.99
• Spring Birdhouse Pick, $5.99
• 3x Ashland Mini Pride Flags, $5.99 each
• Celebrate It Pride Headband, $6.99
• Reindeer Moss, $6.99
• Decorative Filler, $6.99
• Baby’s Breath Artificial Flowers, $7.99
• Artificial Air Plant, $7.99
• Ashland Mug, $9.99
• Recollections Dried Flowers, $9.99
• Red, White, and Blue Garland, $14.99
• 2x Ashland Summer Lanterns, $26.99 each
• Class of 2023 Yard Sign, $34.99
• Ashland Welcome Sign, $39.99
• Celebrate It 2023 Ribbon, $2.49 (estimated)
• Creatology Selfie Coloring Kit, $7.99 (estimated)
• Decorative Vase, $5 (estimated)
• Estimated Total: $230 – $246

Hopefully this list gives you a glimpse into what kind of items can come in the grab bags. They usually contain quite a bit of faux floral, coffee mugs are common, and we often see wooden decor signs included.

Related: 26 Easy Ways to Save at Michaels Craft Store With Sales and Hacks

Check clearance shelves often to get an idea of what your store might put in the boxes.

Since you already know that stores include seasonal and holiday clearance items in the grab bags, go scope out your store’s sale shelves to get an idea of what could pop up in the $10 box. Look for items from the past holiday or season and for items marked close to 80% off. It’s likely that those things will end up in a grab bag to make room for the incoming crafts and decor for the next season. See a few vases on the clearance rack you’d love to have? Try to find a grab bag that feels like the vase could be included.

But, don’t open the bags in the store. Yes, the suspense kills us too. But the point of these grab bags is that you’re getting a bunch of stuff for cheap in exchange for being surprised. To try for a really good grab bag, pick it up and feel the weight. Give it a (gentle!) shake to see if you can get an idea of what’s inside. No matter what, you’re going to get a decent return on your $10 spent, so be flexible and open-minded.

They’re available in select stores a few random times throughout the year. We predict the next one will be in November.

So when does Michaels do grab bags? Well, that’s a tough one to answer. It depends on a few things. First and foremost, your location. Not all stores do grab bags, so it’s best to call your local Michaels to ask before you start planning your strategy for the next grab bag event. Second, it depends on the time of year. End-of-season months, as well as after-holiday times, are the most common for grab bag events. In 2023, we saw grab bags happen on Feb. 28, 2023; June 1, 2023, and Sept. 12, 2023. In 2022, we saw grab bags in November, so we anticipate the next one coming November 2023.

Taking that into consideration, we often see grab bags on Mondays or Tuesdays when the seasonal or holiday clearance sections hit around 80% off. Keep an eye on the clearance shelves, when all those goodies are cleared out to make room for more stuff. There’s a good chance the grab bags will be available in the next day or so.

You can’t use coupons on the grab bags and everything is non-refundable.

If there were a way to make this deal even sweeter, we’d tell you. But the Michaels Grab Bags are pretty straightforward. You cannot combine coupons or promotions to get a lower price. And everything inside your box is final sale. No returns or refunds.

Even if you don’t think you’ll use some of the products in your grab bag, you could sell them on Facebook Marketplace, donate items, or even disassemble them and turn them into DIY supplies for your next project.