Where legal, go with a scope. I think that would be true for most of us. Fit of the scope to the rifle will matter... but a good scope fairly reasonably priced would be the Nikon ProStaff 2x7.

Wal-Mart varies a lot about clearancing. Location to location and store to store. You'll just have to check forums and stores to see if any are doing close outs after the season ends in your area.