Perimeter Perusing at Target (Target Clearance Deals) - 2012

[momof3luvs1]

I was at Target on Sunday and there was not a clearance sticker to be had anywhere in the store more then 15% off. Nothing on toys at all so I will need to go back to check out what they are clearancing this year because at this point I have no clue. I have only been going about once every 2-3 weeks but I will make another trip now!

[txsupermom]

Had to pick up dog food tonight and did a "walk about" . . . clearance everywhere! Best markdowns were in bedding. I know they probably were marked down during the week, but very surprised the 70% bedding was still around on Saturday night. Goodie for me! Now to see how much, if anything is left at 70%.

 

30%-50% off wines and groceries

30%-50% off toys (not consolidated yet, so still in regular isles but signs were everywhere)

50%-70% off bedding (got a king set for $35 was originally $115 and a full comforter for $8 originally $35)

30%-70% pet supplies

30%-50% off patio

30% off sporting goods (mostly soccer)

50% off home decor

30% off melamine plates, cups, bowls

50% off bubble gum

70% Sally Hansen press on polish (for 2 bucks and change, figured I would try it out)

[alexle2007]

Scored Real Steel toys for a steal last nght! $2.24 for the ring and $3.18 for Atom. My son was thrilled since it is one of his favorite movies.

[tjredsox4]

When do bikes go on clearance? We want to get one for my stepson for his birthday next month. TIA

[lovetoshopCA]

When do bikes go on clearance? We want to get one for my stepson for his birthday next month. TIA

February and maybe September.

[momof3luvs1]

Went to target today, I sure hope they are planning to clearance more toys then what they have stickers on, there was barely any toys with clearance stickers on them and only about a handful that I would actually buy...

[lovetoshopCA]

Went to target today, I sure hope they are planning to clearance more toys then what they have stickers on, there was barely any toys with clearance stickers on them and only about a handful that I would actually buy...

I expect the toy clearance to be kinda lousy this year. There will be fewer overall SKUS and a lot of each of those only. That is my prediction. They will almost certainly add more tomorrow and next week, but as with the rest of the store, they simply do not have as much clearance as they used to. You'll probably start seeing them bring pallets of what they do have out. One of my stores has the end caps filled only, but the other one has endcaps and has already start to consolidate and dedicated an aisle to what is available. There are hundreds of those Little People super heroes, dozens of those TRIO super hero sets, dozens of those Dart Tag guns with the bigger ball like projectiles, Paper Jamz and a ton of Bakugan. There will almost certainly be more, but it won't be great.

[chr05angel]

Does anyone think it will go 70% before July 26th? Two stores in the KC area have almost all toys at 30 or 50% right now. Seems to me that perhaps 19th is more viable? what is everyone's opinion?

[mom2monkiesx3]

lots of garden 30-50% off today, I didn't need anything though.

[jhendon7]

Does anyone think it will go 70% before July 26th? Two stores in the KC area have almost all toys at 30 or 50% right now. Seems to me that perhaps 19th is more viable? what is everyone's opinion?

I was wondering the same thing. Both of the ones closest to me already have tons of stuff at 50%. But then again, none of the outdoor stuff has been marked down at all yet. Hmmm.

[lovetoshopCA]

Does anyone think it will go 70% before July 26th? Two stores in the KC area have almost all toys at 30 or 50% right now. Seems to me that perhaps 19th is more viable? what is everyone's opinion?

We all always speculate, but it is so hard to know. In years past, they start the Legos first and draw that out through the whole thing. They didn't do that this year. They seemed to mark stuff to 50% immediately only if there is a TON of it (here anyway), and, I suspect, like the Zhu Zhu stuff last year, they'll drag it out a bit at that price to try to reduce the inventory for a better price. They obviously don't think they'll sell through it at 30%, so they are hoping to push through it at half off. That said, I also feel like they started a week earlier than usual this year, which would put it more along the lines of the 12th or 19th than the 26th. I think we just have to see what they do these next two weeks. If they add a lot more at 30%, then I think it will go a bit later, if they don't, then maybe not.

[meo]

Was in today (been overseas for three years!) and did some perusing....felt good! Found garden/patio furniture on deep discount, but wondering if it will go lower...about 60% off now. Anyone have any input?

[HansieDZ]

Was in today (been overseas for three years!) and did some perusing....felt good! Found garden/patio furniture on deep discount, but wondering if it will go lower...about 60% off now. Anyone have any input?

Welcome Home!

[momoftwo+twins]

Made a quick trip to Target today. Saw a Lego Pirates of the Caribbean large ship for 15% off for $101. Also on an end cap in the toy department and the electronics department they had gift cards that had a free Hex Bug on it. The Hex Bug is a caterpillar that you can put wings on to turn it into a butterfly. It is super cute and best of all free. I just put $5 on the one I bought.

[momoftwo+twins]

Made a quick trip to Target today. Saw a Lego Pirates of the Caribbean large ship for 15% off for $101. Also on an end cap in the toy department and the electronics department they had gift cards that had a free Hex Bug on it. The Hex Bug is a caterpillar that you can put wings on to turn it into a butterfly. It is super cute and best of all free. I just put $5 on the one I bought.

Forgot to add that some of the patio furniture is 70% off but most of it was 50%. I saw outdoor rugs, webbed chairs and a chaise lounge 70% off.

[Brookedin17]

Made a quick trip to Target today. Saw a Lego Pirates of the Caribbean large ship for 15% off for $101. Also on an end cap in the toy department and the electronics department they had gift cards that had a free Hex Bug on it. The Hex Bug is a caterpillar that you can put wings on to turn it into a butterfly. It is super cute and best of all free. I just put $5 on the one I bought.

OMG that is awesome, i gotta get me some free Hex bugs!!

[meo]

Welcome Home!

 

Aww, thanks! It's amazing how much you can live without when you don't have Target or Walmart to run to all the time.

[blue61]

I am so disappointed in Target clearance. I was constantly buying merchandise for everything under the sun. The postings are now few and far between (even not including Target, but all the other stores that were always having great sales). I know that they are buying less but the end result is not as profitable for them as they think it is. I hear that their sales are not as expected. We bargain shoppers are bypassing this store weekly and even monthly because it is not worth the time and energy for the minimal "goods" and uninspiring pricing. Whoever thought this idea up has not thought of the big picture. Target was still making a huge profit on 75% off! Does anyone agree with my comments?

[lovetoshopCA]

I am so disappointed in Target clearance. I was constantly buying merchandise for everything under the sun. The postings are now few and far between (even not including Target, but all the other stores that were always having great sales). I know that they are buying less but the end result is not as profitable for them as they think it is. I hear that their sales are not as expected. We bargain shoppers are bypassing this store weekly and even monthly because it is not worth the time and energy for the minimal "goods" and uninspiring pricing. Whoever thought this idea up has not thought of the big picture. Target was still making a huge profit on 75% off! Does anyone agree with my comments?

They certainly weren't making any profit on the items that they were selling 75% off. Once it drops to 30% off, they are, at most, breaking even. After that, they are just trying recoup as much as they can from the loss. I do think they were making more on full price items from those of us who simply spend more time in the store each week/month, but, while I like to believe we are important and influence these things, I suspect that realistically we are a blip.

 

As for their over all earnings, they are pretty consistently going up. The trend over the last 3 years is that they increased earnings per share on a quarter over quarter basis (q1 from 1 year compared to q1 of the next year, etc.). Here is a link to the data:

 

http://data.cnbc.com/quotes/TGT/tab/5

 

I know WE don't like the changes they have made, but I think from a business standpoint, it makes sense. And their prices, overall, are quite often cheaper than Walmart, at least on things I buy. You can certainly buy clothing cheaper at Walmart, but the quality is not comparable in many cases. I've compared various items that I buy regularly, and they are almost always comparably priced, and it sure is a whole lot nice to shop at Target. :-)

[jhendon7]

Has anyone else noticed that they seem to be out of a lot of things lately? Toys, health related stuff, housewares, etc. I used to go there to look for clearance and end up buying other things while I was there, but now they seem to be out of a lot of the stuff that I used to buy. Very strange.

[dlwx5]

I really think it depends on the item!! Some items have huge markups and they still make money at 75% off, whereas with other items the markup isn't so big and therefore they may even take a bit of a loss.

 

I think the biggest problem is that due to forums like this and all the MANY bloggers out there, way more folks are aware of the cycles for mark downs, etc plus, management realizes what is going on and have chosen to cut back. I liked it better when it was mostly those of us who HAD to buy on clearance or do without that got the deals. Now folks who aren't single moms working for minimum wage and who have the time to "stalk" items make it harder for those of us who truly can ONLY buy on clearance after work or on the weekend.

 

And for those folks who buy out whole sections of stuff only to resell.....well, shame on them!!!

[freesia39]

If anyone wanted the clothing from the Webster, I found the women's stuff for 30% today. Found the one skirt I wanted. Didn't check if kids or men's was marked down. Also the cute stamp/stationery set from Privet House was down to 50%.

[kathytheshopper]

I really think it depends on the item!! Some items have huge markups and they still make money at 75% off, whereas with other items the markup isn't so big and therefore they may even take a bit of a loss.

 

I think the biggest problem is that due to forums like this and all the MANY bloggers out there, way more folks are aware of the cycles for mark downs, etc plus, management realizes what is going on and have chosen to cut back. I liked it better when it was mostly those of us who HAD to buy on clearance or do without that got the deals. Now folks who aren't single moms working for minimum wage and who have the time to "stalk" items make it harder for those of us who truly can ONLY buy on clearance after work or on the weekend.

 

And for those folks who buy out whole sections of stuff only to resell.....well, shame on them!!!

I agree. It depends alot on what the item is as to how much money they make on it. They are a huge business so I'm sure they can get huge lots really cheap. More speciality items-like Legos-they would certainly lose money at 75% off. However, it's getting the people into the store that makes the profits. I used to be a 3-4 times a week Target clearance shopper. Most importantly though I was a loyal shopper and bought my regular price stuff there too. Now I probably go there maybe once every 10 days or so. I do not like the new arrangement of the product that was done last year in my store. I swear I could design a better layout with NO business background! I buy my food at Walmart or HyVee. And now Penneys is going sort of the same route and I've significantly stopped my shopping there. It's just so boring. Instead I am shopping at Younkers which I NEVER thought I would do (too expensive). Today Younkers had a $50.00 off a $100.00 purchase. For $59.00 dollars I got a bracelet, some jean leggings, a new bra, some mens Polo flip flops AND the last pair of Birkenstock sandals that were on sale for $49.99 instead of $79.99. So they were free! I was so excited. Target has lost me and now I think Penneys is losing me. I just loved the good old days at Target!

[freesia39]

I really noticed the change in Target's inventory at Christmas - there wasn't as much of it as in past years. (and it wasn't good this past year.)

[Sarasuzymama]

July 25 or 26...that is when I think the toy clearance 70% markdown will happen. The last 3 years it has been the last week of July, so I'm guessing this year will be no different. Though you'd better believe I'll be checking the week before, too!

 

While I didn't see a TON this year, I was very happy to see some kids' digital cameras, Leap Frog products, and iXL tablets marked down. My kids have moved past a lot of toys but these they would actually like. So, I guess I'll be happily stalking this sale once again!!

[Sarasuzymama]

Does anyone think it will go 70% before July 26th? Two stores in the KC area have almost all toys at 30 or 50% right now. Seems to me that perhaps 19th is more viable? what is everyone's opinion?

I just posted but I think that it will be the 25/26th. Last year I remember that they had marked a lot of things to 50% off "early" and I kept thinking it would all go to 70% off the week before and it didn't. But I will for sure be checking just in case!!

[lovetoshopCA]

Has anyone else noticed that they seem to be out of a lot of things lately? Toys, health related stuff, housewares, etc. I used to go there to look for clearance and end up buying other things while I was there, but now they seem to be out of a lot of the stuff that I used to buy. Very strange.

Yes! It is part of the just in time thing that has also led to the decrease in clearance. I don't think it works that great because in addition to leaving them with less to clearance, it leaves them with more out of stock items more often. I get way more frustrated by that than I ever used to. Walmart has this problem too. Fortunately, I don't shop there as often, and I have a second Target I can easily check for items I really need, but it is really aggravating.

 

I really think it depends on the item!! Some items have huge markups and they still make money at 75% off, whereas with other items the markup isn't so big and therefore they may even take a bit of a loss.

 

I think the biggest problem is that due to forums like this and all the MANY bloggers out there, way more folks are aware of the cycles for mark downs, etc plus, management realizes what is going on and have chosen to cut back. I liked it better when it was mostly those of us who HAD to buy on clearance or do without that got the deals. Now folks who aren't single moms working for minimum wage and who have the time to "stalk" items make it harder for those of us who truly can ONLY buy on clearance after work or on the weekend.

 

And for those folks who buy out whole sections of stuff only to resell.....well, shame on them!!!

I can pretty well assure you there is nothing that they are making a profit on at 75% off. I've worked in purchasing for retail stores, and the wholesale price of items is much higher than most people realize. I do agree that the internet has had a huge impact on people finding the deals that ARE out there and made it more difficult for the old timers (like me!) who used to get a lot more to ourselves. But that is a fact we can't change.

 

As for people who resell, we've had that discussion here many times. Lots of people get upset about them, and some of them are particularly nasty, but they've got families to feed as well. None of them are likely getting rich on their clearance purchases. And many were probably laid off minimum wage jobs. In this economy, a lot of folks need to earn money one way or another, and it does work. I've certainly sold more than one deal I've gotten at Target. No shame in it at all.

[blue61]

I agree with your comments. Too bad so many stores are minimalizing their markdowns. The job market still stinks and we need to save as much as we can when buying merchandise

[blue61]

I am right with you. I hear that JCP is not happy with their markdown strategy???? I also hear that CVS will discontinue their markdowns per a cashier at the store. Parisian (Belk & Younkers0 are great for markdowns. Can't wait until they go an additional 80% off of clearance.

[kathytheshopper]

I am right with you. I hear that JCP is not happy with their markdown strategy???? I also hear that CVS will discontinue their markdowns per a cashier at the store. Parisian (Belk & Younkers0 are great for markdowns. Can't wait until they go an additional 80% off of clearance.

Love that 80% off Younkers!