We see Michaels Grab Bags (or boxes, rather) hitting stores when seasons end and they need to get rid of clearance surplus. Get excited because they are in stores now as of Oct. 1 and filled with summer clearance. They cost just $10 and are one of our favorite Michaels shopping hacks.
The catch? You won’t know exactly what you’re getting until you open the bag. And of course, you won't be able to use Michaels coupons on them, but you can use Michaels Rewards vouchers. Let’s get into what Michaels Grab Bags are exactly, how to get them, and where you can find them.
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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. And, no, you don't have to be a Michaels Rewards member to buy one.
When does Michaels have $5 boxes?
Unfortunately, the Michaels $5 boxes are a thing of the past. Within the past two years the retailer upped the price of these mystery grab bags or boxes (whatever you like to call them!) to $10. But to be fair, the boxes have gotten bigger, justifying the increase in price.
Michaels Grab Bags: October 2024 Edition
These grab bags cost $10, and you can score well over $100 worth of products. Though they 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 $580 worth of product in her $10 Michaels grab bag in October 2024.
Here’s everything she got in her box:
Large Grad Cap Stickers x 18, $7.99 each
Medium Rainbow Chalkboards x 6, $7.99 each
Small Rainbow Chalkboards x 12, $3.99 each
Sheets of Small Grad Stickers x 9, $4.99 each
Large Grad Stickers x 3, $3.99 each
Large 2024 Stickers x 8, $4.99 each
Red White & Blue BBQ Sign, $14.99
Twine Spools - 75 ft. x 3, $3.99 each
Sidewalk Chalk Sets x 2, $4.99 each
Creatology Pens x 4, $2.99 each
Novelty Rainbow Chalk, $2.99
Diamond Art Gem Pack, $4.99
Heart-Shaped Swivel Snap Hooks, $4.99
Flags Kit Craft, $4.99
Mushroom Ornament Craft, $2.99
Decorative Gnome Picks x 2, $5.99 each
Dog Bone Decorative Pick, $3.99
Flip Flop Decorative Picks x 4, $4.99 each
Bag of Decorative Grapefruit Slices, $7.99
Claw Clip, $4.99
Small Fish Fidget, $2.99
Gamer Notepad, $2.99
Classroom Name Plates Pack, $1.99
Ceramic Terrazzo Chips Package, $5.99
Succulent Wreath, $79.99
Pineapple Solar Lantern, $24.99
Live Simply Ceramic Plaque, $9.99
Estimated Total: $584.13
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.
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. Here's when we saw Michaels grab bags in 2023 and so far in 2024:
Feb. 26, 2023
June 1, 2023
Sept. 12, 2023
Feb. 26, 2024
April 22, 2024
Oct. 1, 2024
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, but you can use a Michaels Rewards voucher to pay for it.
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. However you can use Michaels Rewards vouchers to get your Grab Bag for free.
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.
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