I stopped into the local headquarters for Christmas Tree Shops last week. The store in Colonie Center has always been my headquarters for wooden photo frames.

I grabbed a bunch of 8-by-10s for $3.99 each, and also grabbed a pair of cheap sunglasses for $4.99 to replace the pair of cheap sunglasses - now busted - I bought at the store two years ago. Cheap looks good on me.

I was just about to sail into the checkout line, when one of the store managers put out a shopper’s alert on the store public address system. The clearance rack, which included stuff deemed hard to sell, was now marked down to 90 percent off. The manager was basically giving stuff away.

I decided to seize the night and quickly reached the clearance section. I wasn’t the first one there; like zombies out of “Night of the Living Dead,” people were already shuffling quietly around the 10-foot-tall shelf next to the greeting cards.

I guess it’s easy to explain. People love to cart stuff away for very little money. I remember when the Grand Union grocery store chain closed about 10 years ago, and “Everything Must Go” was plastered in all store windows. Think I bought 10 plastic bottles of charcoal lighter fluid for 10 cents each. Still have a few in the garage.

Anyway, at Christmas Tree, the tiki torches were missing fuel and wicks, and got few takers. I made a few quick inspections, and moving as fast as any of George A. Romero’s cinematic undead, quickly grabbed a couple lead crystal drinking glasses. They’re both 16-ounces, both weigh about a pound. Not a scratch on them. They had only been ticketed to the Island of Unwanted Merchandise because they were supposed to be part of a four-glass set. Two were missing, so the $30 set had been marked down to $14.99, then $7.47. Take 90 percent off the latter price, and I was grabbing two crystal glasses for 74 cents.

It was my deal of the day, as Monty Hall might have said. But I went looking for more.

A giant glass drink vat, hand-painted with lemons and limes and complete with a small tap at the bottom, was 77 cents. The catch — no top. But it will hold a gallon or two of something, and I’ll manage to find something to cover the thing with. It will surely be a big hit at my next Christmas party.

A set of drink coasters — cork on the bottom and painted birds on top - cost me 9 cents. Their sin — no holder. A $14.99 American flag bunting had fallen to $7.77, and I paid 77 cents. Might come in handy if I ever run another Fourth of July party.

A metal “Welcome” sign for the front yard cost 4 cents; two yellow candles, both the size of baseballs, set me back 2 cents each.

A short woman had her eye on a red stock pot on top of the shelf, and needed help with her intended bargain. She asked me if I could stretch and snag, and I believe I impressed all my fellow shoppers by turning the “Welcome” sign upside down (it had a two-spike prong for the ground), poking the thing through one of the handles and lifting the red metal to the pleased purchaser.

By now, there was a real crowd of coin-conscious shoppers milling around. I claimed a three-piece set of drinking glasses (supposed to be four) for 39 cents and a trio of Valentine’s Day pins for 3 cents each. Don’t know when I’m going to get the chance to use them.

So all this stuff that I don’t really need cost me less than 5 bucks. I hope the next time I’m in the store, I’m lucky enough to catch another 90 percent off sale.

At that sale, maybe I’ll glom some wooden picture frames for 39 cents each.

Maybe some lighter fluid, too. You can never have enough lighter fluid.