What is the difference between "clearance" and "sale"?

I want to understand the difference between clearance and sale. So are these words synonyms or not? E.g.

• Receive 60–90% off CookiesKids Clearance from Cookie's Kids.
• Receive 50–85% off After Holiday Sale Items from Woodwind & Brasswind.

Solution 1:

Clearance is most often used (but not exclusively) when a shop wants to clear a particular stock line. In your example this would be CookiesKids. The reasons vary, but most often because they're not stocking that line any more or they simply want to clear old remaining stock before the new season stock arrives.

Sale is most often used when referring to multiple branded stock items or more than one type of item from the same brand. In your example this applies to multiple brands or items from the shop or brand Woodwind & Brasswind.

Solution 2:

A clearance is a sale (event in which a large number of items are discounted) in which the vendor intends to get rid of all remaining stock (whether before new stock, or before closing down). A sale may not necessarily cover this case.

Solution 3:

Walmart informed me tonight that "Clearance" is not a sale ... just reducing the merchandise. They had a giant "Clearance" sign over a rack of clothes and NOTHING was marked down. All the stickers had the everyday price. I asked the sale lady, the manager of that department and the store's assistant manager why the merchandise had just the everyday price and not a clearance price and that's when she informed me that "Clearance" did not mean they were on sale.