Pre-penny

How we estimate the next drop

Home Depot doesn't run markdowns on a fixed schedule, and there's no cents-ending code that tells you when penny hits — timing is per-store and effectively random. Instead of guessing a date, we estimate a window from what the data actually shows:

• How long it's held — days at the current price, from our scan history
• Typical cadence — how long comparable items at the same markdown depth usually hold before dropping
• Depth — the deeper the current cut, the closer to the end of the cycle

The window is an estimate, not a guarantee — an item can drop early, stall, or sell out first. When we don't have enough history to estimate, we say so rather than invent a number. A true penny ($0.01) only ever shows at the in-store register.