Perimeter Perusing at Target (Target Clearance Deals) - 2014

[pattycal1]

anyone know if Target or any other store has ipad mini 16gb on sale or have a coupon? Target had it for 199.00 back in June--- wonder if they will do it again?

[kathytheshopper]

The rest of the back to school went 70% off today (not backpacks or lunch bags). Don't forget that if you spend $25 you can use that coupon/app and get a $5.00 gift card.

I got tons of the two packs of scissors, Bic pens, bracelet erasers, etc.... all for the shoebox project. I got some of those "Gelbies" to give out for Halloween. They have Elmers Extreme glue sticks for .58 cents and I had .50 off coupons so I got  a ton of those. I didn't know, however, that Target has a limit for how many coupons you can use (the coupon didn't have a limit printed on it). That messed things up but my nice clerk gave me a gift card for the coupon amount since she knows I give most of this away. I guess it's store policy but I don't see any signs, etc... I can understand honoring the limits on a coupon but i don't see why the store needs to limit them.

[kathytheshopper]

Swimming pools and lots of swim stuff 70% off along with most of the backpacks and lunch bags.

[txsupermom]

Grills, patio umbrellas, and most remaining summer went 70% off today.  Got a Char-broil gas grill for 29.98 (99.99 orig), some nice planters and solar yard lights for 70% off.

 

Nerf water guns 70% off.

 

Also picked up an hp printer for 49.xx on clearance for 50% off.

 

Only the "little kid" backpacks were marked down 70%.  The swiss army, transports, etc were only 30% and those were few and far between.  Was hoping to pick up a few but doesn't look like promising.

 

Lots of school stuff marked 70% off here too.  Mostly things I don't need but did managed to find some Mead Trapper Keepers.

[shaneberry21]

All the room fans marked 50% off at my store today. Included tower, box, pedestal, ect. Lots of 50% off framed art and lamp bases. Also the "RE" branded college stuff-bedding and cheap kitchen gadgets. Long tongs in kitchen were $1.48 down from $2.99 and pizza cutting wheel for $1.48 as well.

[cutexianchick]

I havnt posted in a long time.  Our Target back to school backpack/lunchbag are just now 70%.  The only thing that got to 70% earlier was paper notebooks, notebooks, couple odds and ends, pretty much they got rid of stuff at 30-50%.  I bought their brand wipe board markers at 50% that is it!  Ive never seen it stay this price for so long and soo messy, they usually group it and get rid of it.  Our bbq grill stuff is 50% with a few things left and actually a couple gel plastic lounge chairs at 70%.  

 

I remember a couple years ago this forum was so busy... so many deals and so much fun going to targets to shop, now its not worth my time to hit the few around me.    Memories, Memories... lol     Has anyone notice the Intex spa on clearance anywhere?  Pools are gone, but the spa is still full price... Im wondering if this will be a stock item or it will clearance after cold weather.  

[cutexianchick]

Target has a limit for how many coupons you can use (the coupon didn't have a limit printed on it). That messed things up but my nice clerk gave me a gift card for the coupon amount since she knows I give most of this away. I guess it's store policy but I don't see any signs, etc... I can understand honoring the limits on a coupon but i don't see why the store needs to limit them.

Target has a new updated coupon policy.  I know it is for manufacture coupons but not sure if it includes their own.  It pretty much voids the limit 4 coupon policy!!!

[lovetoshopCA]

I remember a couple years ago this forum was so busy... so many deals and so much fun going to targets to shop, now its not worth my time to hit the few around me.    Memories, Memories... lol     Has anyone notice the Intex spa on clearance anywhere?  Pools are gone, but the spa is still full price... Im wondering if this will be a stock item or it will clearance after cold weather.  

 

I think that they are probably going to keep them in stock around here. I wanted to get one too, but hubby put the kabosh on it since he didn't want to deal with storing it, etc.

[Brad]

http://www.gottadeal.com/images/target.gif

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Target Perimeter Perusing!

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
Target Clearance Locator

[lovetoshopCA]

They were marking a bunch of Men's clothing today. That's a day early, so they may not have a lot of other stuff, but it is something.

[lovetoshopCA]

my awesome deal of the day. 50% off. Veuve Cliquot $24.98

 

http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg158/lsmythLPS/IMG_20141009_151700729.jpg

Edited October 10, 2014 by lovetoshopCA

[txsupermom]

Lots of 70% off markdowns in bedding.  Got 400 thread count sheet sets, king size for 17.xx.  Also Fieldcrest bath sheets 5.xx and door mats from 2.xx to 3.xx.  Had a coupon for $10 off $50 home purchase, so that helped too.  Also, every time I've checked out, I've received a printed $5 off $30 purchase of home items.  

 

Saw a lot of markdowns in clothing.  Several racks of 70% off in women's, mens, and kids.  Mostly summer clothes.

[saraw77]

Anyone see how much the Halloween candy has been marked down yet?

[Gritz]

30% off candy and dollar spot

50% off decorations and costumes

[happygirl326]

At one Target I stopped in yesterday (Woodbridge, VA) all the red dot dollar spot was marked 70% off. Candy was 30% off in both Targets I went to and decorations were 50%.

[saraw77]

Thanks!

[tinkrbel]

halloween 70% here this am

[txsupermom]

Food/candy 50% off and everything else 70%.

[lovetoshopCA]

According to the laughably named "Guest Services" 800 number folks at Target, there will be no toy coupons available outside the actual toy catalog. The toy catalogs were only distributed randomly by mail and in yesterday's paper. So if you didn't get it, you are SOL.

 

Is Target trying to tick off their customers? Sure as heck seems like it.

[tanner08]

I received the same answer when I called, twice. Guess Toys r Us will be getting my holiday money, since they gladly handed me a toy book in store.

[boredbread]

After a many months hiatus from Target and a cross country move to Portland, Oregon, I'm back.

 

Food/candy 30%, everything else halloween 70%, dollar spot salvaged here today.  Much more high traffic in stores here so I don't think I'll be doing as well as my old locations.

 

"Hidden" finds today:  Up&up brand to-go coffee cups with lids were 70%, have white, green, orange, and gray stripes.   There were Lego movie Emmet t-shirts that weren't halloween-y at all in the 70%.  But, they were the kind where the wearer's head is in the spot of the character's head and I think they are creepy. 

[boredbread]

Wow, thanks for sharing.  Wish I had bought extra papers yesterday. 

 

Target has lost so many customers since the credit card scandal one would think they would be making a greater effort to please current customers.

 

According to the laughably named "Guest Services" 800 number folks at Target, there will be no toy coupons available outside the actual toy catalog. The toy catalogs were only distributed randomly by mail and in yesterday's paper. So if you didn't get it, you are SOL.

 

Is Target trying to tick off their customers? Sure as heck seems like it.

[shaneberry21]

Checked out my favorite Target today for Halloween clearance. 70% off black square dollar spot. 30% off red circle dollar spot. Candy and Halloween related food was all 30% off. Absolutely NO decorative anything left.

[supermom4]

Halloween Clearance--

Dartmouth, MA - yesterday was 70% dollar & Halloween costumes/decor, Food/candy was still 30%

Wareham, MA - today: dollar spot salvaged, 70% Halloween costumes/decor, and Food/Candy was 50%

A few Halloween items, such as Hallmark cards were regular price, and the Halloween Barbie & Kelly dolls were marked, and scanned at only 30% off.

I managed to get 5 boxes pumpkin stake lights for $3.60 each in Dartmouth yesterday, as they still only had the 50% signs up.

[tinkrbel]

hit the newest Flagler store and found candy and food+ other stuff at 70% today. bought some candy for halloween gifts/stockings and kraft macaroni and cheese for like .39 a box,

[lovetoshopCA]

Wow, thanks for sharing.  Wish I had bought extra papers yesterday. 

 

Target has lost so many customers since the credit card scandal one would think they would be making a greater effort to please current customers.

Yeah, right? I would certainly have hit a few Starbucks to get extra catalogs, but figured I didn't need to. Stupid of them.

[shaneberry21]

Went to another Target today. No dollar spot Halloween related left.

Candy and food was 50% off, they had some decor (but not much) and it was 70% off.

Picked up orange twinkle lights, pumpkin lanterns and door hanger all 70% off.

[keej]

these cute minon sweatshirts were 1.50 ish.

90% off in Ann Arbor Michigan

[neliak98]

I think I may have missed it ... but anyone still seeing swim accessories on clearance?  I saw some about a week ago and just realized I need some goggles and what not for vacation in December ... and of course my closest target has nothing so I am wondering if I should venture around a bit or not bother....

[txsupermom]

70% off food and candy/90% off everything else.