Deals worth the wait: Too cool for school Hot Topic's Clearance Sales

Some deals only come around once or twice a year, but offer savings that justify the wait. This post is part of our series on such 'don't miss' sales.

Okay, I'm going to start with the obvious, just to get it out of the way: I am WAY too old for Hot Topic. Their target demographic is in the late-teen to early twenties, is really into whiny rock music, and leans toward Goth chic. I, on the other hand, am in my mid-thirties, love Tom Petty, and have never mutilated myself (tattoos don't count). While I am a big fan of Hellraiser and shave my head regularly, I simply am not nearly cool enough to shop at Hot Topic.

That having been said, I totally love the place. I first discovered it a few months after my daughter was born. Between quitting smoking and sitting on the couch with the new love of my life, I put on about 25 pounds. Deathly afraid that my daughter might one day see Jabba the Hutt and yell "Daddy!," I resorted to extreme measures to drop my excess weight: I became a mallwalker.