KC-Traderbear

The number on the Color Wonder Sets is 081042378. I have found them 3 different places-- I found several on an endcap in the toy dept; some on the end in stationary; and some actually in the Crayola aisle mixed in and not marked. It is a clam shell type pack that includes 6 color wonder markers, 6 color wonder finger paints, 1- 30 page tablet, 1 23-page coloring book and a bonus 20-page mini tablet. I snatched 4 of them when they were 1/2 price, but after yesterday's haul at 75% off, I am going to return those.

Oh, I also meant to clue everyone in on the Barbie Mini Kingdom dolls that are not marked in any way and are in the regular Barbie aisle. They are mixed in with full price mini kingdom dolls ($7.99), but scan at $1.99. I swear I have been in about 5 Targets and have found some of these dolls everytime. Today I picked up 5 more. It is only the Princess Odette doll. She comes with a swan and a comb and a pink vanity. I actually just found the first one accidentially and then have just checked whenever I come across them. They would make great little party favors or birthday gifts.

Found 13 Color Wonder Sets today at 2 different Targets reg. $15 marked to $3.24. One of the Targets had them in the Crayola aisle not marked in any way. The other Target had them on an end cap in the toy aisle. They are part of a value pack where you get markers, finger paint and a couple books. Look specifically for Little Mermaid, Nemo, or Cars. Those are the only ones (as far as I know) that are marked down. If you've got kids and you travel, these are GREAT! The markers only work on the special Color Wonder paper (no marker stains in your car or on their clothes). We use them a lot on driving trips and airplanes. I rarely see these for more than 50% off. They go pretty fast when they hit 1/2 price. Also found a couple Calphalon pots (unmarked) reg. $80 down to $20. I bought one a week or so ago and love it because it has the padded handle built right in (on the lid too!) That's one thing I don't like about a lot of my other Calphalon pots-- I have to get the pot holders out everytime I want to use them! I saw a TON of Disney Max Video thingies (or whatever they are called). It was the orange one (High School Musical maybe)? Anyway, I have a feeling there will be a big sell off on those coming very soon. I hope they are worth the money. Of course if they hit 75% off, THEY WILL BE FOR SURE!

If you live near the Olathe South Target (151st and I-35), you should be able to catch some good deals. That store is the least shopped store in the city and frequently clearances stuff out a little faster than many other stores. The Olathe Super and the Overland Park Super are hard ones. They are the two most shopped Targets in the city (there is a list!) LOL. It can be hard (although not impossible) to find many good deals at those two locations; mostly because stuff there never makes it to 75% off. It is kind of a slow time of the year right now (at least in my opinion). You can find some things here and there, but right now-- unless you are looking for baby gear-- there isn't a lot out there. I'm still trying to sort through toys from the toy sell off. I have no room for anything else. Although I am anticipating that the bulk items (or what's left) should be 30-50% (or more) in the next couple weeks. Most of what I've seen is just 15% off -- some things are 30%. Good Luck and Happy Shopping! :)

spwalkhen and Deal Grabber... Thanks so much for the input. I will continue to scout these players out when (or if) they make it to 75% off! Electronics often times don't make it to 75% off, but sometimes if it's more kid related, they do. I appreciate the advice:)

I found some of those cute 2 pack of Blingy Binkies (pacifiers) for 75% off. Reg. $4.99 on sale for $1.24. They were marked at 1/2 price, but scanned at 75% off. They are so darn cute with rinestones and bling. I bought all 5 packs left. Didn't see too many baby items actually marked at 75% though and didn't have time to scan. Lots and lots of shoes at 75% off. Looked 3 times at a huge Pyrex box filled with glassware... 16 pieces I think. I kept thinking do I really want to lug that big thing to the scanner. I did it and it was 75% off of $40 ($9.98). That was a really nice find. Also got the Hello Kitty ipod player/clock for $12.xx (reg. $50) and the Hello Kitty phone (reg. $40) for $9.98. Waiting for the bulk items to move down to 30-50% so I can bring out my coupons and stock up on boring household crap for cheap. Although some of it is 30%, much of what I've seen just went to 15% this week. 50% is the greatest, but 30% with the right coupons can be pretty cheap too. Plus I find that there isn't always a lot left at 1/2 price when it comes to paper towels, cleaners, etc. Other miscellaneous stuff I found this week: Color Wonder Nemo and Little Mermaid sets for $7.48-- reg. $15 A pretty pink/brown Cherokee girls ski coat size 4/5 reg. $44 on sale for $11.xx Dora fleece blanket reg. $17 on sale for $4.xx Calphalon 4 1/2 quart pot with lid reg. $80 on sale for $20 There are a lot of those Disney mix sticks video/music player thingies at 1/2 price... I haven't looked at them really close, so I'm not sure what they do. I'm wondering if anyone knows whether they would make a good gift? Do they work well? If anyone knows, I'd sure appreciate hearing how they work. If they go down to 75% off, I'd like to get one for my dd and niece. Had some amazing luck when I went to return some toys I bought at 1/2 price (cause I found the same ones at 75% off) Anyway, I asked the guy when he thought they would be reshelved and he said within the next few hours. I smiled and said that I'd really like to rebuy them. I completely anticipated hearing, "well we can't do that. We have to put them back out." Instead he's like, Oh, well I can sell them to you again. No problem. I was dumbfounded. I called him a prince and walked back out with all the toys again. Now I have some great duplicates for my birthday gift stash. That actually has happened to me many times. Although there are times when I get "no"-- so most of the time I don't ask anymore. Guess it never hurts to ask. Because I live close to many Targets, sometimes if I really want to rebuy, I just take the item back as close to closing time as possible. Then, I'm there bright and early the next day to reclaim it (at the lower price). A little desperate? Maybe, but I only bother with it for the stuff that I'd really like to have multiples of.

Actually, the younger stores sometimes clear stuff out faster, especially if they aren't shopped as frequently. The stores that haven't been open for a year don't really count toward financial data that the corporation reports to Wall Street. That's why analysts say things like "Results from Target's (or Walmart or K-Mart, etc.....) SAME STORE sales"-- just another way to say stores that have been open for at least a year. I'm pretty sure that's how it works. Somone in the financial field feel free to correct me or better explain it if they can! Anyway, although ALL Target stores want to make money (obviously) the younger stores (less than a year) that might not be shopped as much seem to be able to take more liberties with their markdowns-- at least from what I've found. I've seen the new stores sometimes go straight to 50% off items verses following the 15/30/50/75 pattern that other stores follow. One manager of a brand new store told me once, "we'll be the clearance store now for awhile!" Of course, we have GOBS of Target stores around this city, so competition among stores may also have a lot to do with it.

I had sort of an amazing experience at one of my Targets on Thursday. It is a new store that is a little bit of a drive for me. All of the Targets in the city went to 75% off with their toys on Wednesday, so I figured that this new store would as well, but I didn't want to drive all the way out there without for sure knowing. Anyway I called their guest services to give them a couple of dpci numbers of some toys and ask for specific prices. I gave her 3 numbers and the prices she gave me were indeed 75% off. So I made a trip out there. When I got there NOTHING was marked to 75% or scanning at 75% off. I was kind of ticked. So I tracked down someone in the aisle who was so over the moon nice I couldn't believe it. She got the LOD and I (very nicely) explained what happened. I had all the items in my cart that I wanted (a Barbie stying head, a 12 dancing princess carriage, some spark art software, a couple barbies)-- not a lot. He said he would give it all to me for 75% off. He was so nice. The gal said she would come up to the registers with me when I was ready and asked if I wanted to go back to the toy aisle and get anything else!!! I couldn't believe it. I went back and just picked up a couple more things (cause I didn't want to appear greedy). Here's the amazing part. When we got to the register, after the cashier conferred with the LOD, she gave me EVERYTHING for 75% the already 1/2 price sticker. I couldn't hardly believe it when I looked at my receipt. The $30 Barbie Styling head was $3.74. The 12 Dancing Princess carriage (reg. priced $35) was like $4. What a trip. I am not going to say which Target this was. The people were so nice and I feel bad enough that I got all this stuff for that price. I would not in any way want someone to get in trouble for this!! What I don't understand is why the prices that guest services were giving me were completely different than what they were scanning in the aisles??? I know she got the dpci numbers right cause before she gave me the prices she verified what the toy was with me. They were all prices that reflected a 75% discount on the price of the toy. It's like they had the new markdown prices that weren't yet reflected in the toy aisle.

I have had this happen to me and as near as I can tell here is why (and I'm speaking only of toys here, cause that's where it has happened to me)... If a store only has one of item left and it doesn't meet with the price changing team in the aisle to be scanned, then it sometimes doesn't get "registered" with the lower price. Sometimes however I've seen an item-- like the Spark Art easel that has software to go with it. If the store has a lot of the art easels but none of the software to go with it, then at the time the art easel gets scanned, the software automatically is lowered to even if those software boxes are not physically there to be scanned. Sort of like it goes into the system as a set or something at the same time. It confused me for the longest time, but if Target sold out of a really hot toy at 30% off and there are no more on the shelf when the pricing team blows through to mark everything to 75% then it is possible that the item won't be shown at 75% even if someone returns one to that store the next day. It will still be 30% off. Doesn't always work like this, but sometimes it does. I would love to hear from someone else on this if they have any understanding of the process cause I'm just speculating based on my shopping experiences.

Yesterday I got the A to Z Little People for $9.64 (reg. $40) and the Play Doh Table for $7.48 (reg. $30). I'd try scanning them cause ya never know!

I have never had trouble using expired coupons... Target makes their coupons so easy to just snip off the expiration date. Their registers must not in any way track with expiration dates (which I don't understand). Most of the time the clerk doesn't even look at the coupon anyway. I figure that if they were really worried about it, they would program the coupon to give the register/cashier an alert if it was expired. I even used a $15 off any "home" purchase on a cart full of toys when they went 1/2 off. It was a coupon that had printed on my receipt. I understand that there may be some Targets that are really strict perhaps, but around here, they just don't care. Must be so darn many Targets in this city that they will do whatever it takes to get business.

To everyone who found those Butterscotch Fur Real ponies--- CONGRATS! I picked one up at 1/2 price for my daughter's birthday and it is THE cutest thing. I was happy with the value at 50% off, but to get it for 75% off is a GREAT deal. Nicely Done!! I ran all over the city yesterday trying to hit the markdown teams. Got lucky at 2 Targets with the pricers IN the aisle. One aisle was closed for a little bit while they finished up. All of us anxious mom's taping our watches waiting to get in. Fortunately, it wasn't much of a wait at all. The other gal was by herself and was really nice about stickering stuff that she hadn't gotten to yet. I found a lot of what I bought at 1/2 price, so I will be returning a lot of what I just bought a week or so ago. Here's what I found... Remote Control John Deere Tractor reg. $130 ($32.xx) Spark Art Table reg. $70 ($17.xx) Lots of 12 Dancing Princess Barbie items (castle, dolls, playsets) the castle was reg 65 down to $16.xx) A huge Little People Zoo alphabet playmat thing with 26 little people animals (letters of the alphabet) reg $40 down to $9.64 Barbie horse stying head reg. $36 down to $8.xx Play Doh creativity table reg. $30 down to $7.50 Weebles castle reg. $32 down to $8.xx (also used one of my Thanksgiving toy coupons from the Target toy book in Nov and got another $5 off)-- I completely forgot to use the $5 coupon on the play doh table --RATS) Found Leap Frog Letters in a Line game for $3.74; used the toy coupon for buy that game and get a free Leap Frog game so I got a Leap Frog card game for $5.99 FREE. Got the Little Mommy Toddler doll reg. $50 down to $13.xx); triplets dolls reg. $20 down to $5 and Little Mommy Twin stroller and Play yard too. Found lots more (too much as my husband would say), but these are the highlights. Kids are all set for birthdays and next Christmas for sure. Good luck on toy finds. Remember to scan! I went to one Target in the evening and although the toy clearance aisle was licked clean, I found lots of stuff laying in the regular aisles-- some wasn't stickered at all, some was still just stickered at 30%. It always helps to either be familiar with what was a Christmas toy or read this forum so you know what to watch for! Also, I've found this is the time of year when toys jump from 30% straight to 75% off.

There is a lot of stuff on clearance at only 15% off that ends in a 4. In my experiences at Target, once something goes to 75%, that's about as good as it gets... aside from seasonal items (Christmas, Valentines, Easter, Halloween). If you are math challenged, look on the orange sticker up in the top right hand corner, most times you will see either a 15, 30, 50 or 75. That's how you know what percentage you are getting.

There was one year... either last year or the year before, I can't remember, but one of our Targets just started packing up the toys after they had been 50% off for awhile. All the other Targets had gone 75% with their toys, but this one store shipped them out instead of taking them down to 75% off. I asked the ladies that were boxing them up why the heck they didn't mark them to 75% and they didn't know. They thought it was weird too (and there was A LOT of them). It was a Target that is always real slow to mark stuff. Maybe they just put it off too long until the store manager said "get em out to make more room..." I don't know. Stocking up for birthdays, etc. is great to do at 75%, but if there is something that you know you really want, I don't know if I'd wait, especially if you have a store that is a little slow to mark. I always buy what I know I want at 50% and then watch for it to go cheaper and do the return switch-a-roo with my receipts. That way I'm covered. I almost always have more luck with Target's summer sell off in the toy department. Most people are thinking back to school and not many are shopping the toy aisle at that time. This time of year there are lots of people shopping with gift cards to spend and kids looking to spend Christmas money or do exchanges. Things can get pretty picked through this time of year.

Last year in Kansas City when the stores went 75% on New Years Eve, they went 90% on the 6th. This year, some stores went 75% on New Years Eve and some went the day after, so I don't know if they are all going to go 90% on the same day or not...

The Stanly store (151st and Antioch) and the Super Target off State Line Road and 135th St. went to 75% yesterday. Those are the only two that I know of... the only other two that I went to anyway. I thought for sure that Olathe South would go to 75 yesterday, and they are (as a fact from a Target manager) the least shopped store in the city. I like to go there as a starting point cause they always have the most left. I actually live in Overland Park and it's about 15 minutes across the interstate (not bad), but there were several of us that got "skunked" yesterday. We were all back out there again today though! If we weren't so busy shopping bargains, we probably would have went for coffee! You are lucky if you are close to that store. You most likely will have good luck with the Spark Art Easel there. I would check back Wed/Thursdays over the next couple weeks. I have found lots of good toy deals there in the past. Good luck! P.S. (Just in my opinion...) I wouldn't wait on the software for that. I picked up the easel when they went 50% cause I had my extra 10% rewards and I also went ahead and got the software cause that will probably sell out quicker than the easels. If I see one, I will post here and let you know!!

Hey Nikkilugi... I was at Olathe when they opened this morning too. They were still unpacking boxes when I was there. They had a lot for sure. I thought of many on this forum when I was at another one of our Targets in Kansas City that went 75% yesterday. They accidently put the 75% off signs up in front of all those fire pits that so many people were waiting for this fall. Four women were clammoring for them and the sales lady gave them the 75% off price. I had no need for one, but they got them for $37.xx I think. I think they were all very happy about that little mistake.

Does anyone know how to get the text from someone's previous message into a post to respond to it? I mean when it says "originally posted by"..... I would appreciate knowing how to do that. I can't seem to figure it out! When I try to click the box that says "quote mesage in reply" it won't allow me to click it. Thanks.

Nikkilugi, My husband and I opened the Butterscotch FurReal Pony tonight because we are gonig to give it to my daughter for her 4th birthday in February and I wanted to be sure everything worked right. It is just darling. I highly recommend it if you find one. It's the cutest thing and it's sounds are so real.

No, they were the coupons from the toy catalog. None of the cashiers give me any problems about them.

The Olathe South store had 2 Butterscotch ponies left after I bought mine this morning. I also saw 2 at the Ward Parkway store around 2ish. The Overland Park Super had 1, but it was only 30% off. I googled YMMV and saw something about mileage, but I figured I didn't have the right explanation. I figured the "V" either stood for violation or victory. (I consider it a victory, but I understand some people get persnickity sales clerks too.) I am very lucky here. The only arguement I ever got into was over a mean man who was in the process of an aisle markdown on bedding and he wouldn't change the markdown on my blanket until he got down to them on the other end of the aisle. ARGGGh. Generally our Target clerks are absolutely heavenly to deal with around here. I swear some of them would pour me a cup of coffee when I get into the store if I asked them to :>)

Now, I'm curious (and an internet dummy). What is YMMV? It doesn't mean I'm going to jail or anything does it? Our Targets ask no questions about using coupons. They take 'em all.

Lots of toys 1/2 price today: 1. 12 Dancing Princess carriage $17.xx 2. Ariel carriage with dolphins $17.xx (less $10 coupon that came in pre Thanksgiving toy catalog)-- made it $7.xx 3. Fisher Price Sparkel Art easal $32.xx; -plus a major score on ALL the software that goes with it for 1/2 price as well. 4. Fur Real Butterscotch Pony (giant size horse) 1/2 price- $125 5. 12 Dancing Princesses Barbie dolls AND Barbie Mermaidia dolls 1/2 price-- $8.xx 6. Playskol (I think) Air Action Hockey 1/2 price - also used pre Thanksgiving toy coupon for $10 off; made it $9.xx 7. Polly Pocket Amusement Park- 1/2 price ($17.xx)- used pre Thanksgiving coupon for $10 off m-- made it $7.xx 8. 50 packs of AA (4 pack) and 9 Volt batteries (2 pack) for $12.50. 9. Those nice Schleich toy animals-- some of the horses are 75% off-- $1.24; also a gift pack of jungle animals is 1/2 price -- $9.98. These were in their main aisle and I kind of had to dig for them. There are only two kinds of horses on sale... appolossa (sp??) and a solid brown. 10. Giant John Deere Remote control tractor 1/2 price- $64.xx Also used my Target rewards today so 10% additional off it all!! It was a good day of gift buying for my kiddos. I went to 5 stores. I am tired.

I just read in our paper that the sales from this past weekend 23rd/24th were not what retailers expected in terms of volume. "Analysts" were saying this week would be a big push for sales to drive up year end numbers. Of course there is probably some analyst out there that says just the opposite! LOL The Target gremlins are probably checking in on this forum laughing their behinds off at us trying to "figure" it all out!!

Gator Pam, I don't know if you have one near to you, but a store that starts with a C and rhymes with Osco put their Fly Pen bundles down to $49.97. That included the pen, charger, and Hello Kitty software+ photo album. AMAZING DEAL. I think they just did it Christmas Eve, but I'm not at all for sure on that. The pens alone go for $99. (I wasn't sure if I could talk about other stores in here, but since this is the only forum I post to, I thought I'd let you know.) I'm sorry if I've broken a rule!! :)