Gator Pam

UPDATE: CLICK HERE FOR CURRENT THREAD: http://forums.gottadeal.com/showthread.php?t=100165 Please continue Target clearance discussion there :) I hope this thread stays active, as posters share their hints and clearance finds at Target. I've been Perimeter Perusing Target for about three years now, and find it helps me get through from one BF to the following year. As many of you know, the Brick and Mortar store Target is known for their terrific clearance deals. You may have noticed that although the sticker price, including the reddish orange clearance stickers, says one price, that many times the items scan for less. It could be better for you if the item is priced higher and does scan less. Many shoppers do not realize this and pass the item by. Also, many times an item is not marked clearance in any way and I would suggest if you are interested in an item that you take it to the nearest scanner and check the price that comes up. The standard clearance at Target works by items being marked down 15% or 30% initially. This price can last somewhere between two weeks to a month, depending on how well the item sells at this price. Then the item typically drops to 50%, again for two weeks to a month. 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% after the holiday, and you will find a few occasional display items or things found in the stockroom after inventory marked 80%-90% off. Almost always, the lowest price an item will go will usually end in $.x4 or $.x8, but not always. A markdown schedule for the seasonal or holiday clearance is as follows: Traditional Holiday clearance schedule 50% off day after holiday for three days 75% off fourth day after holiday for three days 90% off seventh day after holiday for 1-2 days. Other than Chr-stmas this is the schedule used for holiday clearance, including Valentine's Day, Easter, Summerville, and Halloween, for at least the last two years Also, Target is the only store I have found where many, although not all, of the cashiers seem to have the ability to bargain on a price when an item doesn't scan with one. 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 over ride sort of thing 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. 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 system. Again, I would 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 how Target claims to donate so much to charity. The markdown teams in each store seems to keep to a standardized schedule, but there are stores that seem to have different ones. For those who do follow it the departmental mark down days are: ------- Mark Down Schedule ------- -Mon. -- Electronics, Kids Clothing and Stationary (Cards, GiftWrap, etc.) -Tues. -- Domestics, Women's Clothing, Pets and Market (food items) -Wed. -- Men's Clothing, Toys, Health and Beauty, Lawn & Garden items -Thur. -- House Wares, Lingerie, Shoes, Sporting Goods, Movies, Music, Books, Decor and Luggage -Fri. -- Auto, Cosmetics, Hardware, & Jewelry This schedule says nothing about weekend mark downs, but I have seen items change in price between a Saturday morning perimeter perusal and one done on a Sunday afternoon. I still haven't found any rhyme or reason to what gets marked down on those days though. Another part of the fun. Go to Target.com and see if there are any updates about new Target openings. Target does not have a lay-a-way, but diehard Perimeter Perusers have tried various methods of getting around this. Most are constantly debated on the various forums dedicated to this subject as far as being 'ethical' or not, I'll leave it for you to decide for yourself. When an item goes 50% off, and there are several left, some posters have said they find a 'hiding' place to put the item and they go back to see if the item is still there several weeks later to scan and see if it dropped in price. Some common hiding places shared is: 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. 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. Target initiated a new return policy in November of 2002 that says any 'seasonal' clearance items returned will be refunded at the current clearance price, even with a receipt! They updated the policy in April, 2003 to specify these items as Chr-stmas trees and decorations and Hallowe'en costumes and decorations. As far as I know, all other seasonal merchandise should be refunded at the price stated on the reciept. Other web sites to visit to find listed bargains are: Target UPC finds Freebies and Bargains I hope y'all find this information helpful, and would love to know of other Perimeter Perusers tricks that I may not have covered! I just learned something new on a different forum devoted to Target. I've now that the Target website puts out coupons to be printed and used at their SuperTarget stores, but I didn't know that if a regular Target carried the item you could use that coupon, a coupon from a Target circular if one happens to be out, and a manufacturers coupon all at the same time on one item. So, you can stack all three coupons on one item at either a Super or regular Target. Here an online site to print off SuperTarget coupons. Super Target Coupons Some times Wow coupons has target coupons to print off as well, but they seem to not have any at the moment.

I can be a little thick at times, could you clarify? Do you mean if I suggest people read the newbie guide, that I should post the whole thing here (I did write it, so I don't mind), instead of linking to it on another site?

Hi Brad and Rossman. I sort of highjacked a thread in the Black Friday forum regarding clearance deals at Target. Would it be appropriate for me to start a thread in the Offline Deals forum regarding Perimeter Perusing at Target?

The Target at Sawgrass Mills is a Target Greatland. Basically a Target with a larger floor plan. I find that particular Target is difficult to Perimeter Peruse, but not because of the size. My theory is since it is in a mall that attracts both locals and tons of tourists, that the clearance items sell out before getting marked down much. There are a lot of Targets all over the Fort Lauderdale area. If you have time, I suggest you try Perimeter Perusing at any of the other ones. The ones I know best are the ones in Hollywood, Aventura (my favorite for finding clearance when I'm down there), and the one at the Broward Mall. There may be better ones in the area I haven't visited yet, but I've been to about 10 of the different Targets in the area, and those are my favorites for clearance. Keep in mind many times the items are not marked on clearance at all! So anything you have an interest in bring to a scanner and double check the price. You may be surprised and find an item on clearance no one knows about. And the UPC list I linked is quite useful in that situation. Oh, have fun, Elena! Keep in mind a new Target may not have much clearanced merchandise for a few months, especially with the holidays approaching. But, the Halloween clearance should follow the standard seasonal markdown schedule most Targets follow after a holiday except Chr-stmas. Traditional Holiday clearance schedule 50% off day after holiday for three days 75% off fourth day after holiday for three days 90% off seventh day after holiday for 1-2 days. Other than Chr-stmas this is the schedule used for holiday clearance, including Valentine's Day, Easter, Summerville, and Halloween, for at least the last two years In case you haven't made it over to the newbie guide, here is the departmental markdown most Target stores follow. However, you do need to get to know your individual store as some work ahead or behind schedule. ------- Mark Down Schedule ------- -Mon. -- Electronics, Kids Clothing and Stationary (Cards, GiftWrap, etc.) -Tues. -- Domestics, Women's Clothing, Pets and Market (food items) -Wed. -- Men's Clothing, Toys, Health and Beauty, Lawn & Garden items -Thur. -- House Wares, Lingerie, Shoes, Sporting Goods, Movies, Music, Books, Decor and Luggage -Fri. -- Auto, Cosmetics, Hardware, & Jewelry I hope you find this helpful!

:::sung to George Thorogood's I Drink Alone::: I shop alone, yeah with nobody else I shop alone, yeah with nobody else You know when I shop alone I prefer to be by myself... Actually, if I could convince either of my guys (dh or ds) to get up and shop with me, it would be nice. But, neither of them will deign to even acknowledge that I'm up at that time of the morning on a day off from work and school. And since we're out of town at FIL's for the holiday weekend, I have no friends nearby to shop with.

I am looking forward to replies from those who frequent outlets. My experience has only been with Sawgrass Mills in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and I found that they are just about the same price as the retail stores in most instances. The only deals I have found there are on upscale clothing there, but many of those items appear to be seconds. But, I have never been to one of the outlet malls that are strip malls. Is it pretty much the same, or do you find nearly everything is a lot cheaper in those stores?

I gather your aunt has been there before then? Perhaps you can tell us why she likes it? It may help change our opinion of the store. However, I strongly suggest you check the ads for Circuit City or Best Buy for BF here on the site when they come out. You said you want a camcorder from BrandsMart. Do you know for sure it will be a BF item? You may find the same or an equivalent camcorder at CC or BB, or maybe even Wal-Mart. And, if W-M has it, you can buy it in advance, then go back with your receipt and the BF ad showing the sale price, and get the money refunded. I truly don't know if CC or BB price matches or refunds money from prior purchases on BF, but I know W-M does.

Are you planning on coming for school? One of my ex-coworkers (he graduated this past Spring and returned home) was from Brazil. In fact, as i am the activities programmer at the village housing complex we live at here at UF, I talked him into doing a Brazilian International Cooking Night a few months back. If you're interested, you can see the recipes he and his friends prepared at Tanglewood International Cooking Nights Recipes. We had a great time! Anyway, if you're planning on coming for school, please consider giving UF a look. Perhaps you could could even drive up one day from Orlando while you're there and walk around campus to check it out.

I start shopping the clearance sales after the holidays for the next year. But, tastes can change over a year, so 50% - 75% of my shopping still tends to get done on BF.

:::wry grin::: It's sort of explaned in the Newbie Guide that's linked above, but if you have never been to Target, I can see how the phrase doesn't mean anything to you. Target is a large discount retailer, similar to Wal-Mart and K-mart here in the states. They try to have a nicer shopping atmosphere, and some people who disdain discount retailers like to refer to the store as "Tay-jay". Sort of a mock French accent to denote snobbishness, kwim? Anyway, one thing Target does that none of the other stores do on a nation-wide basis is mark down overstock as clearance. Except for seasonal items, the items are not necessarily marked down the same week, but if an item goes on clearance at one Target, you can pretty much be sure it will go on clearance at all of the Targets across the country within a month or so, as long a the item does not sell out before being marked down. When Target puts an item on clearance, they usually move it from it's regular shelf location to a stand of shelves on the end of an aisle that is referred to as an endcap. Each aisle in the store has two endcaps, and the ones that are close to the outer walls of the store (the perimeter) is where Target tends to put their clearanced merchandise. So, those of us who frequent Target several times a week looking for clearance deals have coined the phrase, "perimeter perusing." I hope that helped define the phrase. If not, ask for clarification.

Do you mean scout out Sawgrass Mills in advance? Sounds like a plan to me!

Feel free to join us at Freebies and Bargains. The forum is free to join, but you are limited to 10 posts a day without becoming a paid subscriber. Here is a dated post I made about the ins and outs of Perimeter Perusing at Target. Some information has changed, such as Target no longer price matching and the mark down schedule has changed slightly. But it's a terrific intro to the addiction. Target Shoppers Newbie Guide

Price matching is where you bring an ad from one store to another for the same exact item and they honor the competitions sale price. But, many stores gurantee they will refund you the cost difference on an item for 14 days or so if they put it on sale for a lower price then you bought it for within that time. I have heard if you buy items at Wal-Mart a week or so before BF, and put them in lay-a-way, and then show up with all of the ads on BF showing cheaper prices, they will take the items out of lay-a-way and allow you to buy them for the sale prices. I have also heard of shoppers buying early at Wal-Mart that they know are in the ads on BF, and going directly to Customer Service with their receipts for the items and the ads for both Wal-Mart and other stores in hand, and having the price difference refunded. But don't know if stores other than Wal-Mart do this. I will disclaim this information by saying that we moved away from south FL in 1998, although I have occasionally visited Sawgrass Mills since then. So things at BrandsMart may have changed since then. What I don't like about Brandsmart is the availablity of merchandise on BF, like K-mart they seem to have very few of the price buster items and run out within minutes of the door opening. Also, for many items, you don't take the item off of the display floor, but have to go around back and pick up the item from a loading dock area. I had too many of the items I bought this way be damaged or not be gift worthy in the packaging when they finally gave me my merchandise. And the wait to be helped in the loading dock area on BF, which is outside and not a/c, can be several hours. The sales people seemed very lackadaisical and not interested in helping you unless you buy several large ticket items. The store is not laid out sensibly, making it difficult to find what you want and difficult to browse. However, I have heard if you are an international shopper, the sales force can be helpful and know policies regarding exporting items. So, it may be beneficial to you in that way. Their service department does have a good reputation for repairs and installation, although I don't know how helpful they can be to you in Brazil. As far as Sawgrass Mills itself, all I can say is you have to know your prices before shopping there. There are some good deals to be found. But, IMO the majority of items are not at outlet prices but regular retial, and many items can be found cheaper at regular price at Wal-Mart.

Thanks Crissy! Are the deals better online, or should I go to b&m stores for them?

:::nodding::: Neither Paul (hubby) nor Beorn (12 year old son) seem to shop for gifts, so I always choose my gifts from them on BF. I do hope Beorn learns to be more considerate as he matures, or I can see myself forewarning his future fiance.

ITA! My son has both, and the SP plays all of the Advance games, as well as older Game Boy Color games. The built in rechargeable battey in the SP rules! My 12 year old son has been very patient about gaming systems. He has several of the Gameboy hand-held systems, a Sega Dreamcast with very limited games (terrific system, I wish games were still made for it!), and a Gamecube. He's now at an age where I am willing to get him a newer system, and he seems to prefer the Playstation 2 and it's selection of games. But, I hear the Playstation 3 is coming out soon. Should I wait? Is it that big a difference in the system for a teen? Beorn (ds) has not expressed interest in it at all, but I don't think he even knows about it.

Husband, Paul, and my 12 year old son, Beorn. Beorn is particularly difficult to shop for as he has mild Asperger's Syndrome and never really expresses interest in anything for a gift. He's never written a letter to Santa, or a wish list. So I have to observe him and guess at what his current interest is.

Does anyone here do Target Perimeter Perusing, and visit the online sites about hidden 75% to 90% off Target b&m clearance? That's what gets me through the year until BF. The following site helps a lot, and if you like discussing the deals I can post links to several message boards, or if allowed and anyone is interested, I could start a Target thread here... Target UPC Clearance List

If you can find the item you want at BrandsMart at Wal-Mart, take the BrandsMart ad with you and price match at Wal-Mart. Especially if you can buy it in advance, and then bring in the receipts and ad on BF and go to Customer Service for a price adjustment. Are you planning on going to the BrandsMart at Sawgrass Mills Mall? (I grew up in Hollywood, FL so I know it well). My experience there has not been good over the years. I really recommend you try to price match the items you are interested in at another retailer. Does Best Buy or Circuit City price match? I'm up in Gainesville, FL now, and will be close to Orlando for Thanksgiving weekend visiting FIL. I'm pretty sure you'll find either of those retailers in Orlando.

Are the 24 hour Wal-Mart SuperCenters open on Thanksgiving Day? If so, will they price match an out of area K-Mart ad?

Thanks! I tried that, but did not like how it brought up new posts for all of the forums at once instead of in the forum I was in at the time. However, when I returned this time, a down scroll button appeared on the left of threads I have already read which says it will take me to the oldest unread post or some such. It wasn't there before, but woorked great this time. :nodding: I found that after I posted, thank you again.

I always price match at Wal-Mart on Black Friday. But, we don't have a K-mart nearby anymore. If I can get ahold of an out-of-area K-mart Thanksgiving Day ad, wlould the 24 hour Wal-Mart SuperCenter where I shop price match it on Thanksgiving Day?

:::sigh::: I am the only cook for the Thanksgiving meal at FIL's, and since we sit to eat at 2:00 PM, I can't be dragging from being at the stores really early while I finish preparing the meal. A few years ago, I had submitted an article to Woman's World magazine about preparing the Thanksgiving meal in my FIL's kitchen, in response to their request for articles about Thanksgiving mishaps. I was told it would be published, but never did see it. I'm glad I kept a copy for myself in Word on my hard drive.

Interesting. The Wal-Mart I shop on BF (not my own WM, as we always travel to spend Thanksgivng weekend with FIL) have the pallets wrapped, but in a clear plastic so you can definitely see what's on them.

Hi! I'm new to gottadeal.com and am searching for a new user FAQ. When I go into a thread, how do I get to unread posts only without going to the last post and working backwards? How do I add avatars to my username? Things like that. TIA!