lovetoshopCA

Generally, but if you know the DPCI#, punch it into the scanner first to be sure.

Are you guys talking about Kota? 'Cause I haven't seen any toy called Spike.

The eight media markets the Company plans to exit include: Cincinnati OH, Fort Lauderdale FL, Fort Wayne IN, Memphis TN, Minneapolis-St. Paul MN, Rochester MN, Omaha NE, Rockford IL.Individual stores to be closed include: Mesa (1349 Alma School Road Mesa, AZ), Ontario (4421 Mills Circle Ontario, CA), Vallejo (105 Plaza Drive Vallejo, CA), Pembroke Pines (11960 Pines Boulevard Pembroke Pines, FL), Stonecrest (8140 Mall Parkway Lithonia, GA), Fayetteville (240 Pavilion Parkway Fayetteville, GA), Hoffman Estates (2780 Sutton Road Hoffman Estates, IL), Rockford (6650 East State Street Rockford, IL), Fort Wayne (4310 Coldwater Road Fort Wayne, IN), Germantown (20904 Frederick Road Germantown, MD), Bloomington (4250 West 78th Street Bloomington, MN), Maple Grove (12209 Elm Creek Blvd Maple Grove, MN), Minnetonka (11240 Wayzata Blvd. Minnetonka, MN), Rochester (1200 16th Street SW Rochester, MN), Roseville (2401 Fairview Ave., North Roseville, MN), Woodbury (8268 Tamarack Village Woodbury, MN), Southaven (6535 Towne Center Crossing Southaven, MS), Omaha (201 North 78th Street Omaha, NE), Papillion (7549 Towne Centre Parkway Papillion, NE), West Omaha (17101 Davenport Street Omaha, NE), Western Hills (5555 Glenway Avenue Cincinnati, OH), Tri-County (11747 Princeton Pike Springdale, OH), Kenwood (8121 Montgomery Road Cincinnati, OH), Collierville (4600 Merchants Park Circle Collierville, TN), Market at Wolfcreek (2825 N. Germantown Parkway Memphis, TN) and Tysons Corner (2051 Chain Bridge Road Vienna, VA).

They are based in California, and here they are generally referred to as Cost Plus. They are closing 26 stores: Oakland-based Cost Plus Inc. has decided to close 26 stores, exit eight media markets, reduce its work force, and part ways with its head of store operations, following a report by the specialty retailer that its same-store sales plunged 4.3 percent during the crucial holiday season. Cost Plus would not disclose which stores would close, which media markets would be abandoned, and precisely how many employees would lose their jobs, or how many people would be out of work when the stores close. The company did say that it would reduce its home office and distribution center staff by 18 percent. As of February 2008, Cost Plus had 808 home office and distribution center employees, which could amount to a job loss of 145 people in that category. Cost Plus accepted the resignation of Michael Allen, executive vice president-store operations. Cost Plus hopes to save $21 million a year from the various cost reductions. Between now and the end of the company's 2009 fiscal year, Cost Plus expects to record a variety of impairment, write-off, severance, and other charges totaling $29 million.

They sell them online, so maybe it was an online return from Christmas? The online DPCI is 242-00-2558

You can always buy it now and take a chance on returning it and getting it again. It is just a chance, though. I usually only do this when I buy at least a handful of something and know that I am chancing it. I take them back to a particular store that moves its go-backs back to the sales floor really fast, and I usually do a bunch of returns at once. Then I intercept the person hauling the cart back to re-shelve. Very risky, but it has worked sometimes.

some of the after Christmas red box stuff didn't clearance with Christmas. it was mostly stuff from Men's like wallets, but it could have been correct.

Just an FYI. I got a $5 of $50 clothing purchase coupon in the mail to Resident yesterday. Not sure I'll get it used, but I might.

They go through every department every week. They do not mark the same items week after week. They mark different items. So, if they mark Product X this week, then they usually mark it again 2 weeks later. But Product Y may be getting marked down the week after Product X. So they still have to go through the department. So, it would not be the least bit surprising to see them go through and mark down the things they skipped this week when they did the other items 75%. At most stores the items they skipped this week they marked down to 50% a week ago, so next week would be the normal 2 weeks schedule. In some stores they are going through the whole 30%, 50%, 75% process, but that doesn't mean they won't go through toys again next week. However, pretty much everyone on here knows that they mark the toys down faster in January than the rest of the year, so even if it went 50% this week, I would not find it surprising to see it go 75% this coming week. They need the space back for regular merchandise.

They do sporting goods on friday. it was probably in their path, so they marked it. they normally put things in their carts to be reshelved in the department, but it was probably "close enough" for the person doing it.

Yes, that is exactly what will happen. Not sure why that would be surprising. They go through the departments on a regular rotation every week. That is why there is a schedule posted on the first page of the thread. The department team members are supposed to sort it out so that the 75% is away from the 30-50% so they can go through it faster, but yep, they'll go through it again just like usual.

Nice price. These are still 50% everywhere around here.

Anyone in the SoCal area looking for Biscuit, the older Pasadena store (Lake) has at least 20 on an upper shelf. Also, Eagle Rock has those puppet show things people were looking for. Not much else of note to report.

if your store price scanners have a row of number buttons, enter them on the side and it will tell you if they have them in stock as well as the price. You can call the store and ask about the item using the number. You can have an employee check their handheld computers for it. etc.

they have encouraged us to do so.

Ahhh...that just makes you a better person than I'll ever be.

Huge pain in the $%^&* to do that, so, sorry, I don't do it.

Could be they are going slower in your store. They typically only mark down on Wednesday or Thursday. However, if they were marking down in the late afternoon and simply didn't finish, they may do it tomorrow. If it was done in the morning, check back next week.

Just made it to my first store in time for opening today. I didn't want to go to my regular morning store because they didn't have much in toys, so I had to really drive to get there. But I made it. They had only done one of the 2 main aisles, so I pulled a couple of carts with me and started grabbing what I wanted that was already marked. I filled 2 carts and guaged that they were not going to be done with the other aisle soon. I paid for my 2 carts & loaded them in the car. Went back and they still weren't done, so I browsed some more and kept finding hidden gems on the shelves (that's how I found a Vsmile & some Legos). Finally got the stuff from the last main aisle and then found 2 more items on a partial aisle that they had not done before break. Stashed them and paid. Came back hours later after hitting 5 more stores, and the last 2 items got marked even without being on the floor. Yeah! At another store they hadn't started the toys yet, but their carts were parked next door in sporting goods, so I knew they were just at lunch. I found everything I wanted and put it into a couple of carts. Hauled the carts over to the indoor garden furniture stuff and left them somewhat out of sight there. Salted an end cap with one each of the items I had in my carts so they'd get marked down while I was away. I went to lunch, came back and found my stuff still there! Yeah! They had skipped the end caps, but one of the gals was so sweet she volunteered to scan items for me, so I was good to go. I also lucked out and walked into one store that had clearly just finished the markdowns and there was a Millennium Falcon on the shelf. Nearly died! All that and I had my extra 10% today, so it was a VERY good day!

Yeah, I know that some of them can be pretty horrible. On the other hand, I will give them a little bit of grace because they are required to markdown a certain number of items per hour and per day. If they miss their quota it goes into their performance reports. It can be a serious problem to have customer after customer bringing items up to them to scan for them. Once the first person starts, then there are others and before they know it they are pretty far behind schedule. It generally depends on how busy things are and if they are doing well with their schedule for the day. Of course some are going to be nasty regardless. I guess that is why I make a point of being friendly with the markdown team of all the stores I frequent. Getting to know them and chatting with them can help. There is no reason for them to be nasty, but they do sometimes need to firmly tell customers they can't do as they are asking. The four hour wait was absurd, though. I'd have at least asked a manager to intervene at some point far before that time had passed. A couple of our stores have taken to blocking the aisle and telling customers they can't come in until they are done. They only really have this problem with the toy clearance, so you can imagine how they dread it.

If the 2nd store had already marked the clearance stuff on the regular schedule a week or two ago, then I'd go ahead and go there despite the fact that they just organized it. Mostly it is about the markdown team, which is separate from the organization. If it was marked on schedule, then it should stay on schedule.

That only applies to seasonal merchandise. So if they are trying that with anything else, then you should fight it. Of course, only seasonal merchandise drops to 90% off, so if that is all you have tried to return, that would make sense.

It will be interesting to see if that happens, as it never has, and none of the gals who work the markdown teams here have ever heard of such a thing at Target.

Yeah, ours too in the SG Valley. I'll be there in the morning.

Yeah, I think the people who might be finding stuff are doing just that. I am going to head to the one store that might mark down today after dropping of my boys at school. DH is sick today, DS1 was sick last week. I was sick early this week and DS2 is not doing great. I am just hoping that I am ABLE to do the toy clearance this year!