Brad

http://www.gottadeal.com/images/target.gif Welcome to the Wonderful World of Target Perimeter Perusing! PerimeterPerusing.com - quick text-only list of current monthly finds - great for printing to take with you! As many of you know, Target B&M stores are known for their terrific clearance deals. This thread is for GottaDeal.com forum members to share their latest clearance finds. Also, please keep non-clearance discussion to a minimum - there are other threads for discussing weekly sale ads and store policy. This first post will contain some background information on the wonderful world of Target clearance, otherwise known around here as Perimeter Perusing! You may have noticed that although the sticker price (the red-orange clearance sticker) show one price, many times the items will actually scan for a lesser amount. You can use this to your advantage because many shoppers without the benefit of being GottaDeal members do not realize this and pass the item by, thinking the sticker price is the actual price. Also, many times an item is not marked clearance in any way but still may be on clearance, so if you have an item that you would consider buying if it was on clearance, we suggest you take it to the nearest scanner and check the price that comes up. This is especially true of items which other members have reported being on clearance at their local store. The standard clearance pattern at Target usually begins by items being marked down 15% or 30% at the beginning. This price can last somewhere between two weeks to a month, depending on how well the item sells at this price and what department the item is from. Then the item typically drops to 50%, again for anywhere from two weeks to a month in most cases. Generally, the lowest an item will be marked down is 75% off, with a few exceptions. Items considered 'holiday' or 'seasonal' items have been known to go as low as 90%, and you will find a few occasional display items or things found in the stockroom after inventory discounted in the 80%-90% range. In many cases, the lowest price an item will go will usually end in $x.x4 or $x.x8, but this is not always the case for 100% of items, so take that into consideration. A typical markdown schedule for the seasonal or holiday clearance is as follows: Traditional Post-Holiday Target Clearance Schedule 50% off - marked down on the day after the holiday, usually lasts for three days 75% off - marked down on the fourth day after the holiday, usually lasts for three days 90% off - marked down on the seventh day after the holiday, usually lasts for 1-3 days Other than Christmas, this is usually the schedule used for post-holiday clearance, including Valentine's Day, Easter, Summerville, and Halloween, for at least the last few years. The holiday mark-down does seem to fluctuate from store to store on occasion, but to help demonstrate how the holiday clearance has gone in 2008 and 2009, here is the Decatur, AL clearance dates for Valentine's Day and Halloween, courtesy of Timswife81404: Valentine's 08 Feb. 15th, 2008 = 50% Feb. 18th, 2008 = 75% Feb. 20th, 2008 = 90% Valentine’s 09 Feb. 15th, 2009 = 50% Feb. 17th, 2009 = 75% (red dot dollar spot too) Feb. 21st, 2009 = 90% Halloween 08 Nov. 1st, 2008 = 50% Nov. 4th, 2008 = 75% Nov. 8th, 2008 = 90% Halloween 09 Nov. 1st, 2009 = 50% Nov. 3rd, 2009 = 75% Nov. 7th, 2009 = 90% Target initiated a controversial new return policy in November 2002 that says any seasonal clearance items returned will be refunded at the current clearance price, even with a receipt showing a higher purchase price. They updated the policy in April 2003 to specify these items as Christmas trees and decorations and Halloween costumes and decorations. Other seasonal merchandise should still be refunded at the price stated on the reciept. Christmas clearance is an animal all to itself. The dates appear to be as follows: 50% off - always December 26,lasts four to five days 75% off - within a day or two on either side of New Year's Eve/Day (12/31-01/01) 90% off - within a day or two of Epiphany (01/06) The Decatur, AL markdown schedule for Christmas in 2007, 2008 and 2009 was as follows: Christmas 07 Dec. 26th, 2007 = 50% Dec. 31st, 2007 = 75% Jan. 4th, 2007 = 90% Christmas 08 Dec. 26th, 2008 = 50% Dec. 30th, 2008 = 75% Jan. 6th, 2009 = 90% Jan. 2nd, 2009 = 75% Dollar Spot Christmas (black dot) Christmas 09 Dec. 26th, 2009 = 50% Dec. 31st, 2009 = 75% (black dollar spot too) Jan. 5th, 2010 = 90% Twice a year, Target has a major clearance on toys. Once in January and again in the summer. Here are the dates for the January toy clearance in Decatur, AL: Toys 08 Jan. 10th, 2008 = 75% Toys 09 Jan. 15th, 2009 = 75% on MOST toys some still 30-50% Jan. 29th, 2009 = 75% on remaining toys Toys 10 Jan. 15th, 2010 = 75% (Friday) Other departments have an annual major clearance. Dates will be posted here as they become known. Baby 09 Jan. 19th, 2009 = 75% on MOST already clearanced Jan. 26th, 2009 = 75% on remaining clearance Target is one of the few stores where many (although not all) of the cashiers have the ability to bargain when an item doesn't scan with a price. There are times when an item will scan as 'clearance + tax' - be happy in these situations instead of groaning. Sometimes the cashier can do a price override to find the most recent lowest price, but sometimes if you say "I'll take it for (whatever 75% off the marked retail price would be)" they'll just key that in. It's always worth a shot. The same thing applies for an item that scans 'NOF' (Not On File). This means the item is so old that it is completely out of the computer inventory system. Again, a good suggestion is to try offering the 75% off the retail price, but if necessary a price can usually be looked up at the Guest Services Desk. However, if an item has gone 'salvage,' this may backfire on you. In this instance Target marks the item back up to full retail value before pulling it from the shelves and donating it to a charity such as Goodwill or the Salvation Army for a tax write off. This is one of the reasons how Target can claim to donate so much to charity. The markdown teams in each many stores have been known to keep to a standardized schedule, but there are stores that have different ones, so your experience many vary. For those who do follow the standard schedule, the departmental markdown days are: Traditional Department Mark Down Schedule Monday - Electronics, Kids' Clothing, Stationery, Cards, Gift wrap Tuesday - Domestics, Women's Clothing, Pets, Market Pantry Wednesday - Men's Clothing, Toys, Health and Beauty, Lawn & Garden Thursday - Housewares, Lingerie, Shoes, Sporting Goods, Movies, Music, Books, Decor, Luggage Friday - Automotive, Cosmetics, Hardware, Jewelry Note that while this schedule says nothing about weekend markdowns, many Perimeter Perusers on the forum have seen items change in price between a Saturday morning shopping trip and one done on a Sunday afternoon. But nobody has found any rhyme or reason to what gets marked down on those days though - another part of the fun. Target does not have a layaway plan, but die-hard Perimeter Perusers have tried various methods of getting around this. Most are constantly debated on the forum as far as being 'ethical' or not, so we'll leave it for you to decide for yourself. Just don't be surprised to find some differing opinions if you bring it up in this thread. When an item goes 50% off and there are several left, some posters have said they find a hiding place to put the item. They then go back to see if the item is still there several weeks later, and if so, scan it to see if it has dropped in price. Some common hiding places shared are in the middle of a round clothes rack, where all of the clothes hide the item, about a third of the way off the floor of a stack of pillows or behind similar items, perhaps with newer packaging, on the proper shelf. Sometimes, when items are getting scarce at 50% off, posters will buy them at that price and hold on to the receipt. If they find the item later at 75% or 90% off, they will buy the item again, remove any clearance stickers that show the lower price and return the item at another time with the older, higher priced receipt, as long as it is within the 90-day return period. While not technically a clearance topic, in this thread, you may see reference to MM Juice or MM packs. These refer to 10 packs of Minute Maid juice boxes that can generally be bought for $.69. They are found in the juice aisle mixed in with the 15 packs. This usually includes only the Grape, Apple & Fruit Punch flavors -- never Orange Juice. They look exactly like the 15 packs which are generally stocked on the shelf, but instead of having 3 rows of 5 boxes, there are only 2 rows. They are often mixed in with the others, and even hidden in the back behind the 15 packs. You may go months or longer before you find your first set, but they really do exist. They are not an urban legend. And most of us can attest that you'll do a little dance in the aisle when you find them the first time. Helpful Target Clearance-Related Links Target Store Locator Target Coupon Generator PerimeterPerusing.com Target Clearance Locator

http://www.gottadeal.com/images/target.gif Welcome to the Wonderful World of Target Perimeter Perusing! PerimeterPerusing.com - quick text-only list of current monthly finds - great for printing to take with you! As many of you know, Target B&M stores are known for their terrific clearance deals. This thread is for GottaDeal.com forum members to share their latest clearance finds. Also, please keep non-clearance discussion to a minimum - there are other threads for discussing weekly sale ads and store policy. This first post will contain some background information on the wonderful world of Target clearance, otherwise known around here as Perimeter Perusing! You may have noticed that although the sticker price (the red-orange clearance sticker) show one price, many times the items will actually scan for a lesser amount. You can use this to your advantage because many shoppers without the benefit of being GottaDeal members do not realize this and pass the item by, thinking the sticker price is the actual price. Also, many times an item is not marked clearance in any way but still may be on clearance, so if you have an item that you would consider buying if it was on clearance, we suggest you take it to the nearest scanner and check the price that comes up. This is especially true of items which other members have reported being on clearance at their local store. The standard clearance pattern at Target usually begins by items being marked down 15% or 30% at the beginning. This price can last somewhere between two weeks to a month, depending on how well the item sells at this price and what department the item is from. Then the item typically drops to 50%, again for anywhere from two weeks to a month in most cases. Generally, the lowest an item will be marked down is 75% off, with a few exceptions. Items considered 'holiday' or 'seasonal' items have been known to go as low as 90%, and you will find a few occasional display items or things found in the stockroom after inventory discounted in the 80%-90% range. In many cases, the lowest price an item will go will usually end in $x.x4 or $x.x8, but this is not always the case for 100% of items, so take that into consideration. A typical markdown schedule for the seasonal or holiday clearance is as follows: Traditional Post-Holiday Target Clearance Schedule 50% off - marked down on the day after the holiday, usually lasts for three days 75% off - marked down on the fourth day after the holiday, usually lasts for three days 90% off - marked down on the seventh day after the holiday, usually lasts for 1-3 days Other than Christmas, this is usually the schedule used for post-holiday clearance, including Valentine's Day, Easter, Summerville, and Halloween, for at least the last few years. The holiday mark-down does seem to fluctuate from store to store on occasion, but to help demonstrate how the holiday clearance has gone in 2008 and 2009, here is the Decatur, AL clearance dates for Valentine's Day and Halloween, courtesy of Timswife81404: Valentine's 08 Feb. 15th, 2008 = 50% Feb. 18th, 2008 = 75% Feb. 20th, 2008 = 90% Valentine’s 09 Feb. 15th, 2009 = 50% Feb. 17th, 2009 = 75% (red dot dollar spot too) Feb. 21st, 2009 = 90% Halloween 08 Nov. 1st, 2008 = 50% Nov. 4th, 2008 = 75% Nov. 8th, 2008 = 90% Halloween 09 Nov. 1st, 2009 = 50% Nov. 3rd, 2009 = 75% Nov. 7th, 2009 = 90% Target initiated a controversial new return policy in November 2002 that says any seasonal clearance items returned will be refunded at the current clearance price, even with a receipt showing a higher purchase price. They updated the policy in April 2003 to specify these items as Christmas trees and decorations and Halloween costumes and decorations. Other seasonal merchandise should still be refunded at the price stated on the reciept. Christmas clearance is an animal all to itself. The dates appear to be as follows: 50% off - always December 26,lasts four to five days 75% off - within a day or two on either side of New Year's Eve/Day (12/31-01/01) 90% off - within a day or two of Epiphany (01/06) The Decatur, AL markdown schedule for Christmas in 2007, 2008 and 2009 was as follows: Christmas 07 Dec. 26th, 2007 = 50% Dec. 31st, 2007 = 75% Jan. 4th, 2007 = 90% Christmas 08 Dec. 26th, 2008 = 50% Dec. 30th, 2008 = 75% Jan. 6th, 2009 = 90% Jan. 2nd, 2009 = 75% Dollar Spot Christmas (black dot) Christmas 09 Dec. 26th, 2009 = 50% Dec. 31st, 2009 = 75% (black dollar spot too) Jan. 5th, 2010 = 90% Twice a year, Target has a major clearance on toys. Once in January and again in the summer. Here are the dates for the January toy clearance in Decatur, AL: Toys 08 Jan. 10th, 2008 = 75% Toys 09 Jan. 15th, 2009 = 75% on MOST toys some still 30-50% Jan. 29th, 2009 = 75% on remaining toys Toys 10 Jan. 15th, 2010 = 75% (Friday) Other departments have an annual major clearance. Dates will be posted here as they become known. Baby 09 Jan. 19th, 2009 = 75% on MOST already clearanced Jan. 26th, 2009 = 75% on remaining clearance Target is one of the few stores where many (although not all) of the cashiers have the ability to bargain when an item doesn't scan with a price. There are times when an item will scan as 'clearance + tax' - be happy in these situations instead of groaning. Sometimes the cashier can do a price override to find the most recent lowest price, but sometimes if you say "I'll take it for (whatever 75% off the marked retail price would be)" they'll just key that in. It's always worth a shot. The same thing applies for an item that scans 'NOF' (Not On File). This means the item is so old that it is completely out of the computer inventory system. Again, a good suggestion is to try offering the 75% off the retail price, but if necessary a price can usually be looked up at the Guest Services Desk. However, if an item has gone 'salvage,' this may backfire on you. In this instance Target marks the item back up to full retail value before pulling it from the shelves and donating it to a charity such as Goodwill or the Salvation Army for a tax write off. This is one of the reasons how Target can claim to donate so much to charity. The markdown teams in each many stores have been known to keep to a standardized schedule, but there are stores that have different ones, so your experience many vary. For those who do follow the standard schedule, the departmental markdown days are: Traditional Department Mark Down Schedule Monday - Electronics, Kids' Clothing, Stationery, Cards, Gift wrap Tuesday - Domestics, Women's Clothing, Pets, Market Pantry Wednesday - Men's Clothing, Toys, Health and Beauty, Lawn & Garden Thursday - Housewares, Lingerie, Shoes, Sporting Goods, Movies, Music, Books, Decor, Luggage Friday - Automotive, Cosmetics, Hardware, Jewelry Note that while this schedule says nothing about weekend markdowns, many Perimeter Perusers on the forum have seen items change in price between a Saturday morning shopping trip and one done on a Sunday afternoon. But nobody has found any rhyme or reason to what gets marked down on those days though - another part of the fun. Target does not have a layaway plan, but die-hard Perimeter Perusers have tried various methods of getting around this. Most are constantly debated on the forum as far as being 'ethical' or not, so we'll leave it for you to decide for yourself. Just don't be surprised to find some differing opinions if you bring it up in this thread. When an item goes 50% off and there are several left, some posters have said they find a hiding place to put the item. They then go back to see if the item is still there several weeks later, and if so, scan it to see if it has dropped in price. Some common hiding places shared are in the middle of a round clothes rack, where all of the clothes hide the item, about a third of the way off the floor of a stack of pillows or behind similar items, perhaps with newer packaging, on the proper shelf. Sometimes, when items are getting scarce at 50% off, posters will buy them at that price and hold on to the receipt. If they find the item later at 75% or 90% off, they will buy the item again, remove any clearance stickers that show the lower price and return the item at another time with the older, higher priced receipt, as long as it is within the 90-day return period. While not technically a clearance topic, in this thread, you may see reference to MM Juice or MM packs. These refer to 10 packs of Minute Maid juice boxes that can generally be bought for $.69. They are found in the juice aisle mixed in with the 15 packs. This usually includes only the Grape, Apple & Fruit Punch flavors -- never Orange Juice. They look exactly like the 15 packs which are generally stocked on the shelf, but instead of having 3 rows of 5 boxes, there are only 2 rows. They are often mixed in with the others, and even hidden in the back behind the 15 packs. You may go months or longer before you find your first set, but they really do exist. They are not an urban legend. And most of us can attest that you'll do a little dance in the aisle when you find them the first time. Helpful Target Clearance-Related Links Target Store Locator Target Coupon Generator PerimeterPerusing.com Target Clearance Locator

http://www.gottadeal.com/images/target.gif Welcome to the Wonderful World of Target Perimeter Perusing! PerimeterPerusing.com - quick text-only list of current monthly finds - great for printing to take with you! As many of you know, Target B&M stores are known for their terrific clearance deals. This thread is for GottaDeal.com forum members to share their latest clearance finds. Also, please keep non-clearance discussion to a minimum - there are other threads for discussing weekly sale ads and store policy. This first post will contain some background information on the wonderful world of Target clearance, otherwise known around here as Perimeter Perusing! You may have noticed that although the sticker price (the red-orange clearance sticker) show one price, many times the items will actually scan for a lesser amount. You can use this to your advantage because many shoppers without the benefit of being GottaDeal members do not realize this and pass the item by, thinking the sticker price is the actual price. Also, many times an item is not marked clearance in any way but still may be on clearance, so if you have an item that you would consider buying if it was on clearance, we suggest you take it to the nearest scanner and check the price that comes up. This is especially true of items which other members have reported being on clearance at their local store. The standard clearance pattern at Target usually begins by items being marked down 15% or 30% at the beginning. This price can last somewhere between two weeks to a month, depending on how well the item sells at this price and what department the item is from. Then the item typically drops to 50%, again for anywhere from two weeks to a month in most cases. Generally, the lowest an item will be marked down is 75% off, with a few exceptions. Items considered 'holiday' or 'seasonal' items have been known to go as low as 90%, and you will find a few occasional display items or things found in the stockroom after inventory discounted in the 80%-90% range. In many cases, the lowest price an item will go will usually end in $x.x4 or $x.x8, but this is not always the case for 100% of items, so take that into consideration. A typical markdown schedule for the seasonal or holiday clearance is as follows: Traditional Post-Holiday Target Clearance Schedule 50% off - marked down on the day after the holiday, usually lasts for three days 75% off - marked down on the fourth day after the holiday, usually lasts for three days 90% off - marked down on the seventh day after the holiday, usually lasts for 1-3 days Other than Christmas, this is usually the schedule used for post-holiday clearance, including Valentine's Day, Easter, Summerville, and Halloween, for at least the last few years. The holiday mark-down does seem to fluctuate from store to store on occasion, but to help demonstrate how the holiday clearance has gone in 2008 and 2009, here is the Decatur, AL clearance dates for Valentine's Day and Halloween, courtesy of Timswife81404: Valentine's 08 Feb. 15th, 2008 = 50% Feb. 18th, 2008 = 75% Feb. 20th, 2008 = 90% Valentine’s 09 Feb. 15th, 2009 = 50% Feb. 17th, 2009 = 75% (red dot dollar spot too) Feb. 21st, 2009 = 90% Halloween 08 Nov. 1st, 2008 = 50% Nov. 4th, 2008 = 75% Nov. 8th, 2008 = 90% Halloween 09 Nov. 1st, 2009 = 50% Nov. 3rd, 2009 = 75% Nov. 7th, 2009 = 90% Target initiated a controversial new return policy in November 2002 that says any seasonal clearance items returned will be refunded at the current clearance price, even with a receipt showing a higher purchase price. They updated the policy in April 2003 to specify these items as Christmas trees and decorations and Halloween costumes and decorations. Other seasonal merchandise should still be refunded at the price stated on the reciept. Christmas clearance is an animal all to itself. The dates appear to be as follows: 50% off - always December 26,lasts four to five days 75% off - within a day or two on either side of New Year's Eve/Day (12/31-01/01) 90% off - within a day or two of Epiphany (01/06) The Decatur, AL markdown schedule for Christmas in 2007, 2008 and 2009 was as follows: Christmas 07 Dec. 26th, 2007 = 50% Dec. 31st, 2007 = 75% Jan. 4th, 2007 = 90% Christmas 08 Dec. 26th, 2008 = 50% Dec. 30th, 2008 = 75% Jan. 6th, 2009 = 90% Jan. 2nd, 2009 = 75% Dollar Spot Christmas (black dot) Christmas 09 Dec. 26th, 2009 = 50% Dec. 31st, 2009 = 75% (black dollar spot too) Jan. 5th, 2010 = 90% Twice a year, Target has a major clearance on toys. Once in January and again in the summer. Here are the dates for the January toy clearance in Decatur, AL: Toys 08 Jan. 10th, 2008 = 75% Toys 09 Jan. 15th, 2009 = 75% on MOST toys some still 30-50% Jan. 29th, 2009 = 75% on remaining toys Toys 10 Jan. 15th, 2010 = 75% (Friday) Other departments have an annual major clearance. Dates will be posted here as they become known. Baby 09 Jan. 19th, 2009 = 75% on MOST already clearanced Jan. 26th, 2009 = 75% on remaining clearance Target is one of the few stores where many (although not all) of the cashiers have the ability to bargain when an item doesn't scan with a price. There are times when an item will scan as 'clearance + tax' - be happy in these situations instead of groaning. Sometimes the cashier can do a price override to find the most recent lowest price, but sometimes if you say "I'll take it for (whatever 75% off the marked retail price would be)" they'll just key that in. It's always worth a shot. The same thing applies for an item that scans 'NOF' (Not On File). This means the item is so old that it is completely out of the computer inventory system. Again, a good suggestion is to try offering the 75% off the retail price, but if necessary a price can usually be looked up at the Guest Services Desk. However, if an item has gone 'salvage,' this may backfire on you. In this instance Target marks the item back up to full retail value before pulling it from the shelves and donating it to a charity such as Goodwill or the Salvation Army for a tax write off. This is one of the reasons how Target can claim to donate so much to charity. The markdown teams in each many stores have been known to keep to a standardized schedule, but there are stores that have different ones, so your experience many vary. For those who do follow the standard schedule, the departmental markdown days are: Traditional Department Mark Down Schedule Monday - Electronics, Kids' Clothing, Stationery, Cards, Gift wrap Tuesday - Domestics, Women's Clothing, Pets, Market Pantry Wednesday - Men's Clothing, Toys, Health and Beauty, Lawn & Garden Thursday - Housewares, Lingerie, Shoes, Sporting Goods, Movies, Music, Books, Decor, Luggage Friday - Automotive, Cosmetics, Hardware, Jewelry Note that while this schedule says nothing about weekend markdowns, many Perimeter Perusers on the forum have seen items change in price between a Saturday morning shopping trip and one done on a Sunday afternoon. But nobody has found any rhyme or reason to what gets marked down on those days though - another part of the fun. Target does not have a layaway plan, but die-hard Perimeter Perusers have tried various methods of getting around this. Most are constantly debated on the forum as far as being 'ethical' or not, so we'll leave it for you to decide for yourself. Just don't be surprised to find some differing opinions if you bring it up in this thread. When an item goes 50% off and there are several left, some posters have said they find a hiding place to put the item. They then go back to see if the item is still there several weeks later, and if so, scan it to see if it has dropped in price. Some common hiding places shared are in the middle of a round clothes rack, where all of the clothes hide the item, about a third of the way off the floor of a stack of pillows or behind similar items, perhaps with newer packaging, on the proper shelf. Sometimes, when items are getting scarce at 50% off, posters will buy them at that price and hold on to the receipt. If they find the item later at 75% or 90% off, they will buy the item again, remove any clearance stickers that show the lower price and return the item at another time with the older, higher priced receipt, as long as it is within the 90-day return period. While not technically a clearance topic, in this thread, you may see reference to MM Juice or MM packs. These refer to 10 packs of Minute Maid juice boxes that can generally be bought for $.69. They are found in the juice aisle mixed in with the 15 packs. This usually includes only the Grape, Apple & Fruit Punch flavors -- never Orange Juice. They look exactly like the 15 packs which are generally stocked on the shelf, but instead of having 3 rows of 5 boxes, there are only 2 rows. They are often mixed in with the others, and even hidden in the back behind the 15 packs. You may go months or longer before you find your first set, but they really do exist. They are not an urban legend. And most of us can attest that you'll do a little dance in the aisle when you find them the first time. Helpful Target Clearance-Related Links Target Store Locator Target Coupon Generator PerimeterPerusing.com Target Clearance Locator

http://www.gottadeal.com/images/target.gif Welcome to the Wonderful World of Target Perimeter Perusing! PerimeterPerusing.com - quick text-only list of current monthly finds - great for printing to take with you! As many of you know, Target B&M stores are known for their terrific clearance deals. This thread is for GottaDeal.com forum members to share their latest clearance finds. Also, please keep non-clearance discussion to a minimum - there are other threads for discussing weekly sale ads and store policy. This first post will contain some background information on the wonderful world of Target clearance, otherwise known around here as Perimeter Perusing! You may have noticed that although the sticker price (the red-orange clearance sticker) show one price, many times the items will actually scan for a lesser amount. You can use this to your advantage because many shoppers without the benefit of being GottaDeal members do not realize this and pass the item by, thinking the sticker price is the actual price. Also, many times an item is not marked clearance in any way but still may be on clearance, so if you have an item that you would consider buying if it was on clearance, we suggest you take it to the nearest scanner and check the price that comes up. This is especially true of items which other members have reported being on clearance at their local store. The standard clearance pattern at Target usually begins by items being marked down 15% or 30% at the beginning. This price can last somewhere between two weeks to a month, depending on how well the item sells at this price and what department the item is from. Then the item typically drops to 50%, again for anywhere from two weeks to a month in most cases. Generally, the lowest an item will be marked down is 75% off, with a few exceptions. Items considered 'holiday' or 'seasonal' items have been known to go as low as 90%, and you will find a few occasional display items or things found in the stockroom after inventory discounted in the 80%-90% range. In many cases, the lowest price an item will go will usually end in $x.x4 or $x.x8, but this is not always the case for 100% of items, so take that into consideration. A typical markdown schedule for the seasonal or holiday clearance is as follows: Traditional Post-Holiday Target Clearance Schedule 50% off - marked down on the day after the holiday, usually lasts for three days 75% off - marked down on the fourth day after the holiday, usually lasts for three days 90% off - marked down on the seventh day after the holiday, usually lasts for 1-3 days Other than Christmas, this is usually the schedule used for post-holiday clearance, including Valentine's Day, Easter, Summerville, and Halloween, for at least the last few years. The holiday mark-down does seem to fluctuate from store to store on occasion, but to help demonstrate how the holiday clearance has gone in 2008 and 2009, here is the Decatur, AL clearance dates for Valentine's Day and Halloween, courtesy of Timswife81404: Valentine's 08 Feb. 15th, 2008 = 50% Feb. 18th, 2008 = 75% Feb. 20th, 2008 = 90% Valentine’s 09 Feb. 15th, 2009 = 50% Feb. 17th, 2009 = 75% (red dot dollar spot too) Feb. 21st, 2009 = 90% Halloween 08 Nov. 1st, 2008 = 50% Nov. 4th, 2008 = 75% Nov. 8th, 2008 = 90% Halloween 09 Nov. 1st, 2009 = 50% Nov. 3rd, 2009 = 75% Nov. 7th, 2009 = 90% Target initiated a controversial new return policy in November 2002 that says any seasonal clearance items returned will be refunded at the current clearance price, even with a receipt showing a higher purchase price. They updated the policy in April 2003 to specify these items as Christmas trees and decorations and Halloween costumes and decorations. Other seasonal merchandise should still be refunded at the price stated on the reciept. Christmas clearance is an animal all to itself. The dates appear to be as follows: 50% off - always December 26,lasts four to five days 75% off - within a day or two on either side of New Year's Eve/Day (12/31-01/01) 90% off - within a day or two of Epiphany (01/06) The Decatur, AL markdown schedule for Christmas in 2007, 2008 and 2009 was as follows: Christmas 07 Dec. 26th, 2007 = 50% Dec. 31st, 2007 = 75% Jan. 4th, 2007 = 90% Christmas 08 Dec. 26th, 2008 = 50% Dec. 30th, 2008 = 75% Jan. 6th, 2009 = 90% Jan. 2nd, 2009 = 75% Dollar Spot Christmas (black dot) Christmas 09 Dec. 26th, 2009 = 50% Dec. 31st, 2009 = 75% (black dollar spot too) Jan. 5th, 2010 = 90% Twice a year, Target has a major clearance on toys. Once in January and again in the summer. Here are the dates for the January toy clearance in Decatur, AL: Toys 08 Jan. 10th, 2008 = 75% Toys 09 Jan. 15th, 2009 = 75% on MOST toys some still 30-50% Jan. 29th, 2009 = 75% on remaining toys Toys 10 Jan. 15th, 2010 = 75% (Friday) Other departments have an annual major clearance. Dates will be posted here as they become known. Baby 09 Jan. 19th, 2009 = 75% on MOST already clearanced Jan. 26th, 2009 = 75% on remaining clearance Target is one of the few stores where many (although not all) of the cashiers have the ability to bargain when an item doesn't scan with a price. There are times when an item will scan as 'clearance + tax' - be happy in these situations instead of groaning. Sometimes the cashier can do a price override to find the most recent lowest price, but sometimes if you say "I'll take it for (whatever 75% off the marked retail price would be)" they'll just key that in. It's always worth a shot. The same thing applies for an item that scans 'NOF' (Not On File). This means the item is so old that it is completely out of the computer inventory system. Again, a good suggestion is to try offering the 75% off the retail price, but if necessary a price can usually be looked up at the Guest Services Desk. However, if an item has gone 'salvage,' this may backfire on you. In this instance Target marks the item back up to full retail value before pulling it from the shelves and donating it to a charity such as Goodwill or the Salvation Army for a tax write off. This is one of the reasons how Target can claim to donate so much to charity. The markdown teams in each many stores have been known to keep to a standardized schedule, but there are stores that have different ones, so your experience many vary. For those who do follow the standard schedule, the departmental markdown days are: Traditional Department Mark Down Schedule Monday - Electronics, Kids' Clothing, Stationery, Cards, Gift wrap Tuesday - Domestics, Women's Clothing, Pets, Market Pantry Wednesday - Men's Clothing, Toys, Health and Beauty, Lawn & Garden Thursday - Housewares, Lingerie, Shoes, Sporting Goods, Movies, Music, Books, Decor, Luggage Friday - Automotive, Cosmetics, Hardware, Jewelry Note that while this schedule says nothing about weekend markdowns, many Perimeter Perusers on the forum have seen items change in price between a Saturday morning shopping trip and one done on a Sunday afternoon. But nobody has found any rhyme or reason to what gets marked down on those days though - another part of the fun. Target does not have a layaway plan, but die-hard Perimeter Perusers have tried various methods of getting around this. Most are constantly debated on the forum as far as being 'ethical' or not, so we'll leave it for you to decide for yourself. Just don't be surprised to find some differing opinions if you bring it up in this thread. When an item goes 50% off and there are several left, some posters have said they find a hiding place to put the item. They then go back to see if the item is still there several weeks later, and if so, scan it to see if it has dropped in price. Some common hiding places shared are in the middle of a round clothes rack, where all of the clothes hide the item, about a third of the way off the floor of a stack of pillows or behind similar items, perhaps with newer packaging, on the proper shelf. Sometimes, when items are getting scarce at 50% off, posters will buy them at that price and hold on to the receipt. If they find the item later at 75% or 90% off, they will buy the item again, remove any clearance stickers that show the lower price and return the item at another time with the older, higher priced receipt, as long as it is within the 90-day return period. While not technically a clearance topic, in this thread, you may see reference to MM Juice or MM packs. These refer to 10 packs of Minute Maid juice boxes that can generally be bought for $.69. They are found in the juice aisle mixed in with the 15 packs. This usually includes only the Grape, Apple & Fruit Punch flavors -- never Orange Juice. They look exactly like the 15 packs which are generally stocked on the shelf, but instead of having 3 rows of 5 boxes, there are only 2 rows. They are often mixed in with the others, and even hidden in the back behind the 15 packs. You may go months or longer before you find your first set, but they really do exist. They are not an urban legend. And most of us can attest that you'll do a little dance in the aisle when you find them the first time. Helpful Target Clearance-Related Links Target Store Locator Target Coupon Generator PerimeterPerusing.com Target Clearance Locator

http://www.gottadeal.com/images/target.gif Welcome to the Wonderful World of Target Perimeter Perusing! PerimeterPerusing.com - quick text-only list of current monthly finds - great for printing to take with you! As many of you know, Target B&M stores are known for their terrific clearance deals. This thread is for GottaDeal.com forum members to share their latest clearance finds. Also, please keep non-clearance discussion to a minimum - there are other threads for discussing weekly sale ads and store policy. This first post will contain some background information on the wonderful world of Target clearance, otherwise known around here as Perimeter Perusing! You may have noticed that although the sticker price (the red-orange clearance sticker) show one price, many times the items will actually scan for a lesser amount. You can use this to your advantage because many shoppers without the benefit of being GottaDeal members do not realize this and pass the item by, thinking the sticker price is the actual price. Also, many times an item is not marked clearance in any way but still may be on clearance, so if you have an item that you would consider buying if it was on clearance, we suggest you take it to the nearest scanner and check the price that comes up. This is especially true of items which other members have reported being on clearance at their local store. The standard clearance pattern at Target usually begins by items being marked down 15% or 30% at the beginning. This price can last somewhere between two weeks to a month, depending on how well the item sells at this price and what department the item is from. Then the item typically drops to 50%, again for anywhere from two weeks to a month in most cases. Generally, the lowest an item will be marked down is 75% off, with a few exceptions. Items considered 'holiday' or 'seasonal' items have been known to go as low as 90%, and you will find a few occasional display items or things found in the stockroom after inventory discounted in the 80%-90% range. In many cases, the lowest price an item will go will usually end in $x.x4 or $x.x8, but this is not always the case for 100% of items, so take that into consideration. A typical markdown schedule for the seasonal or holiday clearance is as follows: Traditional Post-Holiday Target Clearance Schedule 50% off - marked down on the day after the holiday, usually lasts for three days 75% off - marked down on the fourth day after the holiday, usually lasts for three days 90% off - marked down on the seventh day after the holiday, usually lasts for 1-3 days Other than Christmas, this is usually the schedule used for post-holiday clearance, including Valentine's Day, Easter, Summerville, and Halloween, for at least the last few years. The holiday mark-down does seem to fluctuate from store to store on occasion, but to help demonstrate how the holiday clearance has gone in 2008 and 2009, here is the Decatur, AL clearance dates for Valentine's Day and Halloween, courtesy of Timswife81404: Valentine's 08 Feb. 15th, 2008 = 50% Feb. 18th, 2008 = 75% Feb. 20th, 2008 = 90% Valentine’s 09 Feb. 15th, 2009 = 50% Feb. 17th, 2009 = 75% (red dot dollar spot too) Feb. 21st, 2009 = 90% Halloween 08 Nov. 1st, 2008 = 50% Nov. 4th, 2008 = 75% Nov. 8th, 2008 = 90% Halloween 09 Nov. 1st, 2009 = 50% Nov. 3rd, 2009 = 75% Nov. 7th, 2009 = 90% Target initiated a controversial new return policy in November 2002 that says any seasonal clearance items returned will be refunded at the current clearance price, even with a receipt showing a higher purchase price. They updated the policy in April 2003 to specify these items as Christmas trees and decorations and Halloween costumes and decorations. Other seasonal merchandise should still be refunded at the price stated on the reciept. Christmas clearance is an animal all to itself. The dates appear to be as follows: 50% off - always December 26,lasts four to five days 75% off - within a day or two on either side of New Year's Eve/Day (12/31-01/01) 90% off - within a day or two of Epiphany (01/06) The Decatur, AL markdown schedule for Christmas in 2007, 2008 and 2009 was as follows: Christmas 07 Dec. 26th, 2007 = 50% Dec. 31st, 2007 = 75% Jan. 4th, 2007 = 90% Christmas 08 Dec. 26th, 2008 = 50% Dec. 30th, 2008 = 75% Jan. 6th, 2009 = 90% Jan. 2nd, 2009 = 75% Dollar Spot Christmas (black dot) Christmas 09 Dec. 26th, 2009 = 50% Dec. 31st, 2009 = 75% (black dollar spot too) Jan. 5th, 2010 = 90% Twice a year, Target has a major clearance on toys. Once in January and again in the summer. Here are the dates for the January toy clearance in Decatur, AL: Toys 08 Jan. 10th, 2008 = 75% Toys 09 Jan. 15th, 2009 = 75% on MOST toys some still 30-50% Jan. 29th, 2009 = 75% on remaining toys Toys 10 Jan. 15th, 2010 = 75% (Friday) Other departments have an annual major clearance. Dates will be posted here as they become known. Baby 09 Jan. 19th, 2009 = 75% on MOST already clearanced Jan. 26th, 2009 = 75% on remaining clearance Target is one of the few stores where many (although not all) of the cashiers have the ability to bargain when an item doesn't scan with a price. There are times when an item will scan as 'clearance + tax' - be happy in these situations instead of groaning. Sometimes the cashier can do a price override to find the most recent lowest price, but sometimes if you say "I'll take it for (whatever 75% off the marked retail price would be)" they'll just key that in. It's always worth a shot. The same thing applies for an item that scans 'NOF' (Not On File). This means the item is so old that it is completely out of the computer inventory system. Again, a good suggestion is to try offering the 75% off the retail price, but if necessary a price can usually be looked up at the Guest Services Desk. However, if an item has gone 'salvage,' this may backfire on you. In this instance Target marks the item back up to full retail value before pulling it from the shelves and donating it to a charity such as Goodwill or the Salvation Army for a tax write off. This is one of the reasons how Target can claim to donate so much to charity. The markdown teams in each many stores have been known to keep to a standardized schedule, but there are stores that have different ones, so your experience many vary. For those who do follow the standard schedule, the departmental markdown days are: Traditional Department Mark Down Schedule Monday - Electronics, Kids' Clothing, Stationery, Cards, Gift wrap Tuesday - Domestics, Women's Clothing, Pets, Market Pantry Wednesday - Men's Clothing, Toys, Health and Beauty, Lawn & Garden Thursday - Housewares, Lingerie, Shoes, Sporting Goods, Movies, Music, Books, Decor, Luggage Friday - Automotive, Cosmetics, Hardware, Jewelry Note that while this schedule says nothing about weekend markdowns, many Perimeter Perusers on the forum have seen items change in price between a Saturday morning shopping trip and one done on a Sunday afternoon. But nobody has found any rhyme or reason to what gets marked down on those days though - another part of the fun. Target does not have a layaway plan, but die-hard Perimeter Perusers have tried various methods of getting around this. Most are constantly debated on the forum as far as being 'ethical' or not, so we'll leave it for you to decide for yourself. Just don't be surprised to find some differing opinions if you bring it up in this thread. When an item goes 50% off and there are several left, some posters have said they find a hiding place to put the item. They then go back to see if the item is still there several weeks later, and if so, scan it to see if it has dropped in price. Some common hiding places shared are in the middle of a round clothes rack, where all of the clothes hide the item, about a third of the way off the floor of a stack of pillows or behind similar items, perhaps with newer packaging, on the proper shelf. Sometimes, when items are getting scarce at 50% off, posters will buy them at that price and hold on to the receipt. If they find the item later at 75% or 90% off, they will buy the item again, remove any clearance stickers that show the lower price and return the item at another time with the older, higher priced receipt, as long as it is within the 90-day return period. While not technically a clearance topic, in this thread, you may see reference to MM Juice or MM packs. These refer to 10 packs of Minute Maid juice boxes that can generally be bought for $.69. They are found in the juice aisle mixed in with the 15 packs. This usually includes only the Grape, Apple & Fruit Punch flavors -- never Orange Juice. They look exactly like the 15 packs which are generally stocked on the shelf, but instead of having 3 rows of 5 boxes, there are only 2 rows. They are often mixed in with the others, and even hidden in the back behind the 15 packs. You may go months or longer before you find your first set, but they really do exist. They are not an urban legend. And most of us can attest that you'll do a little dance in the aisle when you find them the first time. Helpful Target Clearance-Related Links Target Store Locator Target Coupon Generator PerimeterPerusing.com

http://www.gottadeal.com/images/target.gif Welcome to the Wonderful World of Target Perimeter Perusing! PerimeterPerusing.com - quick text-only list of current monthly finds - great for printing to take with you! As many of you know, Target B&M stores are known for their terrific clearance deals. This thread is for GottaDeal.com forum members to share their latest clearance finds. Also, please keep non-clearance discussion to a minimum - there are other threads for discussing weekly sale ads and store policy. This first post will contain some background information on the wonderful world of Target clearance, otherwise known around here as Perimeter Perusing! You may have noticed that although the sticker price (the red-orange clearance sticker) show one price, many times the items will actually scan for a lesser amount. You can use this to your advantage because many shoppers without the benefit of being GottaDeal members do not realize this and pass the item by, thinking the sticker price is the actual price. Also, many times an item is not marked clearance in any way but still may be on clearance, so if you have an item that you would consider buying if it was on clearance, we suggest you take it to the nearest scanner and check the price that comes up. This is especially true of items which other members have reported being on clearance at their local store. The standard clearance pattern at Target usually begins by items being marked down 15% or 30% at the beginning. This price can last somewhere between two weeks to a month, depending on how well the item sells at this price and what department the item is from. Then the item typically drops to 50%, again for anywhere from two weeks to a month in most cases. Generally, the lowest an item will be marked down is 75% off, with a few exceptions. Items considered 'holiday' or 'seasonal' items have been known to go as low as 90%, and you will find a few occasional display items or things found in the stockroom after inventory discounted in the 80%-90% range. In many cases, the lowest price an item will go will usually end in $x.x4 or $x.x8, but this is not always the case for 100% of items, so take that into consideration. A typical markdown schedule for the seasonal or holiday clearance is as follows: Traditional Post-Holiday Target Clearance Schedule 50% off - marked down on the day after the holiday, usually lasts for three days 75% off - marked down on the fourth day after the holiday, usually lasts for three days 90% off - marked down on the seventh day after the holiday, usually lasts for 1-3 days Other than Christmas, this is usually the schedule used for post-holiday clearance, including Valentine's Day, Easter, Summerville, and Halloween, for at least the last few years. The holiday mark-down does seem to fluctuate from store to store on occasion, but to help demonstrate how the holiday clearance has gone in 2008 and 2009, here is the Decatur, AL clearance dates for Valentine's Day and Halloween, courtesy of Timswife81404: Valentine's 08 Feb. 15th, 2008 = 50% Feb. 18th, 2008 = 75% Feb. 20th, 2008 = 90% Valentine’s 09 Feb. 15th, 2009 = 50% Feb. 17th, 2009 = 75% (red dot dollar spot too) Feb. 21st, 2009 = 90% Halloween 08 Nov. 1st, 2008 = 50% Nov. 4th, 2008 = 75% Nov. 8th, 2008 = 90% Halloween 09 Nov. 1st, 2009 = 50% Nov. 3rd, 2009 = 75% Nov. 7th, 2009 = 90% Target initiated a controversial new return policy in November 2002 that says any seasonal clearance items returned will be refunded at the current clearance price, even with a receipt showing a higher purchase price. They updated the policy in April 2003 to specify these items as Christmas trees and decorations and Halloween costumes and decorations. Other seasonal merchandise should still be refunded at the price stated on the reciept. Christmas clearance is an animal all to itself. The dates appear to be as follows: 50% off - always December 26,lasts four to five days 75% off - within a day or two on either side of New Year's Eve/Day (12/31-01/01) 90% off - within a day or two of Epiphany (01/06) The Decatur, AL markdown schedule for Christmas in 2007, 2008 and 2009 was as follows: Christmas 07 Dec. 26th, 2007 = 50% Dec. 31st, 2007 = 75% Jan. 4th, 2007 = 90% Christmas 08 Dec. 26th, 2008 = 50% Dec. 30th, 2008 = 75% Jan. 6th, 2009 = 90% Jan. 2nd, 2009 = 75% Dollar Spot Christmas (black dot) Christmas 09 Dec. 26th, 2009 = 50% Dec. 31st, 2009 = 75% (black dollar spot too) Jan. 5th, 2010 = 90% Twice a year, Target has a major clearance on toys. Once in January and again in the summer. Here are the dates for the January toy clearance in Decatur, AL: Toys 08 Jan. 10th, 2008 = 75% Toys 09 Jan. 15th, 2009 = 75% on MOST toys some still 30-50% Jan. 29th, 2009 = 75% on remaining toys Toys 10 Jan. 15th, 2010 = 75% (Friday) Other departments have an annual major clearance. Dates will be posted here as they become known. Baby 09 Jan. 19th, 2009 = 75% on MOST already clearanced Jan. 26th, 2009 = 75% on remaining clearance Target is one of the few stores where many (although not all) of the cashiers have the ability to bargain when an item doesn't scan with a price. There are times when an item will scan as 'clearance + tax' - be happy in these situations instead of groaning. Sometimes the cashier can do a price override to find the most recent lowest price, but sometimes if you say "I'll take it for (whatever 75% off the marked retail price would be)" they'll just key that in. It's always worth a shot. The same thing applies for an item that scans 'NOF' (Not On File). This means the item is so old that it is completely out of the computer inventory system. Again, a good suggestion is to try offering the 75% off the retail price, but if necessary a price can usually be looked up at the Guest Services Desk. However, if an item has gone 'salvage,' this may backfire on you. In this instance Target marks the item back up to full retail value before pulling it from the shelves and donating it to a charity such as Goodwill or the Salvation Army for a tax write off. This is one of the reasons how Target can claim to donate so much to charity. The markdown teams in each many stores have been known to keep to a standardized schedule, but there are stores that have different ones, so your experience many vary. For those who do follow the standard schedule, the departmental markdown days are: Traditional Department Mark Down Schedule Monday - Electronics, Kids' Clothing, Stationery, Cards, Gift wrap Tuesday - Domestics, Women's Clothing, Pets, Market Pantry Wednesday - Men's Clothing, Toys, Health and Beauty, Lawn & Garden Thursday - Housewares, Lingerie, Shoes, Sporting Goods, Movies, Music, Books, Decor, Luggage Friday - Automotive, Cosmetics, Hardware, Jewelry Note that while this schedule says nothing about weekend markdowns, many Perimeter Perusers on the forum have seen items change in price between a Saturday morning shopping trip and one done on a Sunday afternoon. But nobody has found any rhyme or reason to what gets marked down on those days though - another part of the fun. Target does not have a layaway plan, but die-hard Perimeter Perusers have tried various methods of getting around this. Most are constantly debated on the forum as far as being 'ethical' or not, so we'll leave it for you to decide for yourself. Just don't be surprised to find some differing opinions if you bring it up in this thread. When an item goes 50% off and there are several left, some posters have said they find a hiding place to put the item. They then go back to see if the item is still there several weeks later, and if so, scan it to see if it has dropped in price. Some common hiding places shared are in the middle of a round clothes rack, where all of the clothes hide the item, about a third of the way off the floor of a stack of pillows or behind similar items, perhaps with newer packaging, on the proper shelf. Sometimes, when items are getting scarce at 50% off, posters will buy them at that price and hold on to the receipt. If they find the item later at 75% or 90% off, they will buy the item again, remove any clearance stickers that show the lower price and return the item at another time with the older, higher priced receipt, as long as it is within the 90-day return period. While not technically a clearance topic, in this thread, you may see reference to MM Juice or MM packs. These refer to 10 packs of Minute Maid juice boxes that can generally be bought for $.69. They are found in the juice aisle mixed in with the 15 packs. This usually includes only the Grape, Apple & Fruit Punch flavors -- never Orange Juice. They look exactly like the 15 packs which are generally stocked on the shelf, but instead of having 3 rows of 5 boxes, there are only 2 rows. They are often mixed in with the others, and even hidden in the back behind the 15 packs. You may go months or longer before you find your first set, but they really do exist. They are not an urban legend. And most of us can attest that you'll do a little dance in the aisle when you find them the first time. Helpful Target Clearance-Related Links Target Store Locator Target Coupon Generator PerimeterPerusing.com

http://www.gottadeal.com/images/target.gif Welcome to the Wonderful World of Target Perimeter Perusing! PerimeterPerusing.com - quick text-only list of current monthly finds - great for printing to take with you! As many of you know, Target B&M stores are known for their terrific clearance deals. This thread is for GottaDeal.com forum members to share their latest clearance finds. Also, please keep non-clearance discussion to a minimum - there are other threads for discussing weekly sale ads and store policy. This first post will contain some background information on the wonderful world of Target clearance, otherwise known around here as Perimeter Perusing! You may have noticed that although the sticker price (the red-orange clearance sticker) show one price, many times the items will actually scan for a lesser amount. You can use this to your advantage because many shoppers without the benefit of being GottaDeal members do not realize this and pass the item by, thinking the sticker price is the actual price. Also, many times an item is not marked clearance in any way but still may be on clearance, so if you have an item that you would consider buying if it was on clearance, we suggest you take it to the nearest scanner and check the price that comes up. This is especially true of items which other members have reported being on clearance at their local store. The standard clearance pattern at Target usually begins by items being marked down 15% or 30% at the beginning. This price can last somewhere between two weeks to a month, depending on how well the item sells at this price and what department the item is from. Then the item typically drops to 50%, again for anywhere from two weeks to a month in most cases. Generally, the lowest an item will be marked down is 75% off, with a few exceptions. Items considered 'holiday' or 'seasonal' items have been known to go as low as 90%, and you will find a few occasional display items or things found in the stockroom after inventory discounted in the 80%-90% range. In many cases, the lowest price an item will go will usually end in $x.x4 or $x.x8, but this is not always the case for 100% of items, so take that into consideration. A typical markdown schedule for the seasonal or holiday clearance is as follows: Traditional Post-Holiday Target Clearance Schedule 50% off - marked down on the day after the holiday, usually lasts for three days 75% off - marked down on the fourth day after the holiday, usually lasts for three days 90% off - marked down on the seventh day after the holiday, usually lasts for 1-3 days Other than Christmas, this is usually the schedule used for post-holiday clearance, including Valentine's Day, Easter, Summerville, and Halloween, for at least the last few years. Target initiated a controversial new return policy in November 2002 that says any seasonal clearance items returned will be refunded at the current clearance price, even with a receipt showing a higher purchase price. They updated the policy in April 2003 to specify these items as Christmas trees and decorations and Halloween costumes and decorations. Other seasonal merchandise should still be refunded at the price stated on the reciept. Target is one of the few stores where many (although not all) of the cashiers have the ability to bargain when an item doesn't scan with a price. There are times when an item will scan as 'clearance + tax' - be happy in these situations instead of groaning. Sometimes the cashier can do a price override to find the most recent lowest price, but sometimes if you say "I'll take it for (whatever 75% off the marked retail price would be)" they'll just key that in. It's always worth a shot. The same thing applies for an item that scans 'NOF' (Not On File). This means the item is so old that it is completely out of the computer inventory system. Again, a good suggestion is to try offering the 75% off the retail price, but if necessary a price can usually be looked up at the Guest Services Desk. However, if an item has gone 'salvage,' this may backfire on you. In this instance Target marks the item back up to full retail value before pulling it from the shelves and donating it to a charity such as Goodwill or the Salvation Army for a tax write off. This is one of the reasons how Target can claim to donate so much to charity. The markdown teams in each many stores have been known to keep to a standardized schedule, but there are stores that have different ones, so your experience many vary. For those who do follow the standard schedule, the departmental markdown days are: Traditional Department Mark Down Schedule Monday - Electronics, Kids' Clothing, Stationery, Cards, Gift wrap Tuesday - Domestics, Women's Clothing, Pets, Market Pantry Wednesday - Men's Clothing, Toys, Health and Beauty, Lawn & Garden Thursday - Housewares, Lingerie, Shoes, Sporting Goods, Movies, Music, Books, Decor, Luggage Friday - Automotive, Cosmetics, Hardware, Jewelry Note that while this schedule says nothing about weekend markdowns, many Perimeter Perusers on the forum have seen items change in price between a Saturday morning shopping trip and one done on a Sunday afternoon. But nobody has found any rhyme or reason to what gets marked down on those days though - another part of the fun. Target does not have a layaway plan, but die-hard Perimeter Perusers have tried various methods of getting around this. Most are constantly debated on the forum as far as being 'ethical' or not, so we'll leave it for you to decide for yourself. Just don't be surprised to find some differing opinions if you bring it up in this thread. When an item goes 50% off and there are several left, some posters have said they find a hiding place to put the item. They then go back to see if the item is still there several weeks later, and if so, scan it to see if it has dropped in price. Some common hiding places shared are in the middle of a round clothes rack, where all of the clothes hide the item, about a third of the way off the floor of a stack of pillows or behind similar items, perhaps with newer packaging, on the proper shelf. Sometimes, when items are getting scarce at 50% off, posters will buy them at that price and hold on to the receipt. If they find the item later at 75% or 90% off, they will buy the item again, remove any clearance stickers that show the lower price and return the item at another time with the older, higher priced receipt, as long as it is within the 90-day return period. While not technically a clearance topic, in this thread, you may see reference to MM Juice or MM packs. These refer to 10 packs of Minute Maid juice boxes that can generally be bought for $.69. They are found in the juice aisle mixed in with the 15 packs. This usually includes only the Grape, Apple & Fruit Punch flavors -- never Orange Juice. They look exactly like the 15 packs which are generally stocked on the shelf, but instead of having 3 rows of 5 boxes, there are only 2 rows. They are often mixed in with the others, and even hidden in the back behind the 15 packs. You may go months or longer before you find your first set, but they really do exist. They are not an urban legend. And most of us can attest that you'll do a little dance in the aisle when you find them the first time. Helpful Target Clearance-Related Links Target Store Locator Target Coupon Generator PerimeterPerusing.com

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Target Perimeter Perusing! PerimeterPerusing.com - quick text-only list of current monthly finds - great for printing to take with you! As many of you know, Target B&M stores are known for their terrific clearance deals. This thread is for GottaDeal.com forum members to share their latest clearance finds. Also, please keep non-clearance discussion to a minimum - there are other threads for discussing weekly sale ads and store policy. This first post will contain some background information on the wonderful world of Target clearance, otherwise known around here as Perimeter Perusing! You may have noticed that although the sticker price (the red-orange clearance sticker) show one price, many times the items will actually scan for a lesser amount. You can use this to your advantage because many shoppers without the benefit of being GottaDeal members do not realize this and pass the item by, thinking the sticker price is the actual price. Also, many times an item is not marked clearance in any way but still may be on clearance, so if you have an item that you would consider buying if it was on clearance, we suggest you take it to the nearest scanner and check the price that comes up. This is especially true of items which other members have reported being on clearance at their local store. The standard clearance pattern at Target usually begins by items being marked down 15% or 30% at the beginning. This price can last somewhere between two weeks to a month, depending on how well the item sells at this price and what department the item is from. Then the item typically drops to 50%, again for anywhere from two weeks to a month in most cases. Generally, the lowest an item will be marked down is 75% off, with a few exceptions. Items considered 'holiday' or 'seasonal' items have been known to go as low as 90%, and you will find a few occasional display items or things found in the stockroom after inventory discounted in the 80%-90% range. In many cases, the lowest price an item will go will usually end in $x.x4 or $x.x8, but this is not always the case for 100% of items, so take that into consideration. A typical markdown schedule for the seasonal or holiday clearance is as follows: Traditional Post-Holiday Target Clearance Schedule 50% off - marked down on the day after the holiday, usually lasts for three days 75% off - marked down on the fourth day after the holiday, usually lasts for three days 90% off - marked down on the seventh day after the holiday, usually lasts for 1-3 days Other than Christmas, this is usually the schedule used for post-holiday clearance, including Valentine's Day, Easter, Summerville, and Halloween, for at least the last few years. Target initiated a controversial new return policy in November 2002 that says any seasonal clearance items returned will be refunded at the current clearance price, even with a receipt showing a higher purchase price. They updated the policy in April 2003 to specify these items as Christmas trees and decorations and Halloween costumes and decorations. Other seasonal merchandise should still be refunded at the price stated on the reciept. Target is one of the few stores where many (although not all) of the cashiers have the ability to bargain when an item doesn't scan with a price. There are times when an item will scan as 'clearance + tax' - be happy in these situations instead of groaning. Sometimes the cashier can do a price override to find the most recent lowest price, but sometimes if you say "I'll take it for (whatever 75% off the marked retail price would be)" they'll just key that in. It's always worth a shot. The same thing applies for an item that scans 'NOF' (Not On File). This means the item is so old that it is completely out of the computer inventory system. Again, a good suggestion is to try offering the 75% off the retail price, but if necessary a price can usually be looked up at the Guest Services Desk. However, if an item has gone 'salvage,' this may backfire on you. In this instance Target marks the item back up to full retail value before pulling it from the shelves and donating it to a charity such as Goodwill or the Salvation Army for a tax write off. This is one of the reasons how Target can claim to donate so much to charity. The markdown teams in each many stores have been known to keep to a standardized schedule, but there are stores that have different ones, so your experience many vary. For those who do follow the standard schedule, the departmental markdown days are: Traditional Department Mark Down Schedule Monday - Electronics, Kids' Clothing, Stationery, Cards, Gift wrap Tuesday - Domestics, Women's Clothing, Pets, Market Pantry Wednesday - Men's Clothing, Toys, Health and Beauty, Lawn & Garden Thursday - Housewares, Lingerie, Shoes, Sporting Goods, Movies, Music, Books, Decor, Luggage Friday - Automotive, Cosmetics, Hardware, Jewelry Note that while this schedule says nothing about weekend markdowns, many Perimeter Perusers on the forum have seen items change in price between a Saturday morning shopping trip and one done on a Sunday afternoon. But nobody has found any rhyme or reason to what gets marked down on those days though - another part of the fun. Target does not have a layaway plan, but die-hard Perimeter Perusers have tried various methods of getting around this. Most are constantly debated on the forum as far as being 'ethical' or not, so we'll leave it for you to decide for yourself. Just don't be surprised to find some differing opinions if you bring it up in this thread. When an item goes 50% off and there are several left, some posters have said they find a hiding place to put the item. They then go back to see if the item is still there several weeks later, and if so, scan it to see if it has dropped in price. Some common hiding places shared are in the middle of a round clothes rack, where all of the clothes hide the item, about a third of the way off the floor of a stack of pillows or behind similar items, perhaps with newer packaging, on the proper shelf. Sometimes, when items are getting scarce at 50% off, posters will buy them at that price and hold on to the receipt. If they find the item later at 75% or 90% off, they will buy the item again, remove any clearance stickers that show the lower price and return the item at another time with the older, higher priced receipt, as long as it is within the 90-day return period. While not technically a clearance topic, in this thread, you may see reference to MM Juice or MM packs. These refer to 10 packs of Minute Maid juice boxes that can generally be bought for $.69. They are found in the juice aisle mixed in with the 15 packs. This usually includes only the Grape, Apple & Fruit Punch flavors -- never Orange Juice. They look exactly like the 15 packs which are generally stocked on the shelf, but instead of having 3 rows of 5 boxes, there are only 2 rows. They are often mixed in with the others, and even hidden in the back behind the 15 packs. You may go months or longer before you find your first set, but they really do exist. They are not an urban legend. And most of us can attest that you'll do a little dance in the aisle when you find them the first time. Helpful Target Clearance-Related Links Target Store Locator Target Coupon Generator PerimeterPerusing.com

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Target Perimeter Perusing! PerimeterPerusing.com - quick text-only list of current monthly finds - great for printing to take with you! As many of you know, Target B&M stores are known for their terrific clearance deals. This thread is for GottaDeal.com forum members to share their latest clearance finds. Also, please keep non-clearance discussion to a minimum - there are other threads for discussing weekly sale ads and store policy. This first post will contain some background information on the wonderful world of Target clearance, otherwise known around here as Perimeter Perusing! You may have noticed that although the sticker price (the red-orange clearance sticker) show one price, many times the items will actually scan for a lesser amount. You can use this to your advantage because many shoppers without the benefit of being GottaDeal members do not realize this and pass the item by, thinking the sticker price is the actual price. Also, many times an item is not marked clearance in any way but still may be on clearance, so if you have an item that you would consider buying if it was on clearance, we suggest you take it to the nearest scanner and check the price that comes up. This is especially true of items which other members have reported being on clearance at their local store. The standard clearance pattern at Target usually begins by items being marked down 15% or 30% at the beginning. This price can last somewhere between two weeks to a month, depending on how well the item sells at this price and what department the item is from. Then the item typically drops to 50%, again for anywhere from two weeks to a month in most cases. Generally, the lowest an item will be marked down is 75% off, with a few exceptions. Items considered 'holiday' or 'seasonal' items have been known to go as low as 90%, and you will find a few occasional display items or things found in the stockroom after inventory discounted in the 80%-90% range. In many cases, the lowest price an item will go will usually end in $x.x4 or $x.x8, but this is not always the case for 100% of items, so take that into consideration. A typical markdown schedule for the seasonal or holiday clearance is as follows: Traditional Post-Holiday Target Clearance Schedule 50% off - marked down on the day after the holiday, usually lasts for three days 75% off - marked down on the fourth day after the holiday, usually lasts for three days 90% off - marked down on the seventh day after the holiday, usually lasts for 1-3 days Other than Christmas, this is usually the schedule used for post-holiday clearance, including Valentine's Day, Easter, Summerville, and Halloween, for at least the last few years. Target initiated a controversial new return policy in November 2002 that says any seasonal clearance items returned will be refunded at the current clearance price, even with a receipt showing a higher purchase price. They updated the policy in April 2003 to specify these items as Christmas trees and decorations and Halloween costumes and decorations. Other seasonal merchandise should still be refunded at the price stated on the reciept. Target is one of the few stores where many (although not all) of the cashiers have the ability to bargain when an item doesn't scan with a price. There are times when an item will scan as 'clearance + tax' - be happy in these situations instead of groaning. Sometimes the cashier can do a price override to find the most recent lowest price, but sometimes if you say "I'll take it for (whatever 75% off the marked retail price would be)" they'll just key that in. It's always worth a shot. The same thing applies for an item that scans 'NOF' (Not On File). This means the item is so old that it is completely out of the computer inventory system. Again, a good suggestion is to try offering the 75% off the retail price, but if necessary a price can usually be looked up at the Guest Services Desk. However, if an item has gone 'salvage,' this may backfire on you. In this instance Target marks the item back up to full retail value before pulling it from the shelves and donating it to a charity such as Goodwill or the Salvation Army for a tax write off. This is one of the reasons how Target can claim to donate so much to charity. The markdown teams in each many stores have been known to keep to a standardized schedule, but there are stores that have different ones, so your experience many vary. For those who do follow the standard schedule, the departmental markdown days are: Traditional Department Mark Down Schedule Monday - Electronics, Kids' Clothing, Stationery, Cards, Gift wrap Tuesday - Domestics, Women's Clothing, Pets, Market Pantry Wednesday - Men's Clothing, Toys, Health and Beauty, Lawn & Garden Thursday - Housewares, Lingerie, Shoes, Sporting Goods, Movies, Music, Books, Decor, Luggage Friday - Automotive, Cosmetics, Hardware, Jewelry Note that while this schedule says nothing about weekend markdowns, many Perimeter Perusers on the forum have seen items change in price between a Saturday morning shopping trip and one done on a Sunday afternoon. But nobody has found any rhyme or reason to what gets marked down on those days though - another part of the fun. Target does not have a layaway plan, but die-hard Perimeter Perusers have tried various methods of getting around this. Most are constantly debated on the forum as far as being 'ethical' or not, so we'll leave it for you to decide for yourself. Just don't be surprised to find some differing opinions if you bring it up in this thread. When an item goes 50% off and there are several left, some posters have said they find a hiding place to put the item. They then go back to see if the item is still there several weeks later, and if so, scan it to see if it has dropped in price. Some common hiding places shared are in the middle of a round clothes rack, where all of the clothes hide the item, about a third of the way off the floor of a stack of pillows or behind similar items, perhaps with newer packaging, on the proper shelf. Sometimes, when items are getting scarce at 50% off, posters will buy them at that price and hold on to the receipt. If they find the item later at 75% or 90% off, they will buy the item again, remove any clearance stickers that show the lower price and return the item at another time with the older, higher priced receipt, as long as it is within the 90-day return period. While not technically a clearance topic, in this thread, you may see reference to MM Juice or MM packs. These refer to 10 packs of Minute Maid juice boxes that can generally be bought for $.69. They are found in the juice aisle mixed in with the 15 packs. This usually includes only the Grape, Apple & Fruit Punch flavors -- never Orange Juice. They look exactly like the 15 packs which are generally stocked on the shelf, but instead of having 3 rows of 5 boxes, there are only 2 rows. They are often mixed in with the others, and even hidden in the back behind the 15 packs. You may go months or longer before you find your first set, but they really do exist. They are not an urban legend. And most of us can attest that you'll do a little dance in the aisle when you find them the first time. Helpful Target Clearance-Related Links Target Store Locator Target Coupon Generator PerimeterPerusing.com

you put the video ID (you can get it from the URL) between the youtube tags that appear when you click the icon. don't put the full URL - just the ID

GottaDeal.com Spring Gadget Giveaway! POST DEALS & WIN GREAT PRIZES! http://www.gottadeal.com/images/springcontest.gif Introducing the GottaDeal.com Spring Gadget Giveaway! We're doing some spring cleaning and are clearing out the GD Prize Closet so we've got some great gadgets to give away and all you have to do to be eligible to win is to post deals here on the forum - it's that easy! Over the next couple of months, we are going to award giveaway entries to forum members who post qualifying* deals in the Online Hot Deals forum. You can earn a maximum of 5 entries per day - one for each qualifying* deal you post. See below for details about what makes a qualifying deal. At the end of the contest period, we will randomly select 5 winners from all the entries earned during the duration of the contest period. The first winner selected will receive their choice of all 5 prizes. The next winner will receive their choice of the 4 remaining prizes, and so on. PRIZES: TomTom One 3rd Edition GPS Navigation SystemCanon Powershot A590 IS 8MP Digital CameraWestern Digital MyBook 500GB External Hard DriveSony Playstation 2 System SingStar Karaoke Bundle$75 Gift Card to the Store of the Winner's Choice OFFICIAL RULES Promotion period begins on February 23, 2009 at 12:00am Eastern Time and ends on May 3, 2009 at 11:59pm Eastern Time. All registered GottaDeal.com forum members are eligible to participate in this promotion, including temporary and permanent moderators. Members found to have created multiple forum accounts for the purposes of accumulating additional entries will be disqualified. You will receive one drawing entry for each qualifying* deal thread posted in the Online Hot Deals forum during the contest period. List of partner stores may change during the contest. Deals will count if the store is on the list when the thread is posted.Only your first five qualifying* deal threads will earn you entries each day. Each daily period starts at 12:00am and ends at 11:59pm Eastern Time. Prize winners will be randomly selected no later than May 4, 2009 from all entries earned during the promotion period. Limit one prize per forum member. Once someone has been chosen as a winner, their remaining entries will be removed from the drawing.Winners will be contacted via private message and/or e-mail to claim their prize. If a prize is not claimed within 14 days, it will be forfeited. QUALIFYING DEALS In order for a deal thread to qualify for an entry for this promotion, it must satisfy ALL of the following criteria: 1. The thread's title must include the name of the retailer the deal is for. 2. The post must contain a link, even if it's just a link to the retailer's home page. 3. The deal must be from one of our partner retailers (see complete list below). 4. The deal must must be unique and not be a repost of a recently posted deal. We reserve the right to disqualify any deal for any reason. Besides these mandatory criteria, we also ask that you be as descriptive as possible in your thread title. Where possible, include an image in your post. If there is a specific method to get the deal, provide step-by-step instructions. If a coupon code is needed, be sure to include the code in your post. Please do not directly copy and paste deals from other sites - you may "borrow" the deal, but type the title and post in your own words. Directly copied posts may be disqualified. HELPFUL HINTS Please search before posting a deal. Re-posted deals will be deleted.Make sure your deal is a legit deal and not just "filler" to earn an entry.Check the list of partner retailers - some "big" stores are not eligible.List of qualifying retailers may change at any time - keep checking back.Please take the time to read this entire post - it will save you time.Combine deals if possible. Similar deals from same store may be merged.Avoid using ALL CAPS in your posts and include the $ when posting prices. *** CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE QUALIFYING PARTNER RETAILERS ***

you can also pick up as many as you need on ebay for around a buck each if your PO doesn't have them.

if you use aol, the changes we're going to make late tonight might fix that.

the codes were only good for a limited # of uses. this deal is 2 days old now and so it's likely the coupons have reached their redemption limits. the old "you snooze, you lose" scenario.

http://forums.gottadeal.com/showthread.php?t=134068

I had a 60" HDTV delivered about a month ago by CEVA (via Amazon). The delivery guys brought it inside, but did not do the full "white glove" service of unpacking, etc... I contacted Amazon and they credited me what the shipping would have cost (over $100) if it wasn't free (which it was). When I ordered, I was actually contacted by someone at Amazon who acted as a concierge for the transaction and was available via e-mail or phone for any questions, complaints, etc...

Link: http://www.gottadeal.com/Deal/30882 Use stackable codes GD4F4P1RZLT7F1 and XR9F44S3?M5MFZ to get it for $94.05 w/ Free Shipping. http://i.dell.com/images/global/products/monitors/s199wfp_overview1.jpg

http://www.kohls.com SAVE30JAN 30% off, expires 1/20 MVC5773 Free shipping, expires 1/17 Codes as always are for Kohl's Charge cardholders only. Use this thread to post the deals you find along with any new codes that come out.

AOL might have added our server to their blacklist for some reason. I'll see what I can find out.

You might want to find the thread from last year and see when people posted about finding 75% off.

as you can see, the post-holiday forum changes have been made. the black friday and holiday forums have been closed and archived. we now have 5 full years of archived BF discussion :) we also made a few other minor changes to the forum organization to consolidate some things. new threads about stores/deals should go in the appropriate sub-forums.

New thread for Q1 2009 started early so you can post your post-Christmas clearance finds right at the beginning Previous quarter's thread: http://forums.gottadeal.com/showthread.php?t=120415 PLEASE USE THE STANDARD FORMAT TO REPORT YOUR CLEARANCE FINDS SO OTHERS CAN QUICKLY SEE THE SUMMARY LIST!!! THANKS!!!

ok, i will post the new thread later tonight so you can report your xmas finds tomorrow.

Also a special thread just for Xmas wouldn't have the auto-summary feature or the items posted on perimeterperusing.com, so that might be a reason to go with #2. Of course hardly anyone is using the standard format to get the items to appear in the summary anyway, so....

QUESTION ABOUT POST-CHRISTMAS CLEARANCE: Just wondering what people thing we should do: 1. Keep this thread open until 12/31 (and include all Xmas clearance posts) and start normal new thread 1/1 (which may also have leftover Xmas posts). 2. Close this thread tonight and start new thread for Q1 2009 early so Xmas clearance will be at the beginning of the new thread and contained all in one thread. 3. Create a separate thread just for Xmas clearance discussion (and close this one 12/31 & open new one for 1/1) Thoughts?