Target–The Clearance King
This particular tip has saved me hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Target is the second largest retailer in the world. They are priced slightly higher than Wal-Mart but have managed to grab the public perception that they offer higher quality products. What most people do not know is that they are the king of clearance. The way the clearance at Target works on regular items is that once an item is marked clearance it will usually be marked down 30%. After two weeks it will go to 50% off. And then it will finally be marked down to 75% off. I have used these clearance deals to purchase bikes, linens, shampoo, electronics, etc. Most of them at 75% off the regular price. Now seasonal (holiday items) go through this clearance cycle much faster, meaning days instead of weeks, and the seasonal items go up to 90% off. You will see the clearance items marked with a small red tag. You always have to scan the bar codes because the prices will update before the employees will remark the items.
The mar down schedule for Target goes like this:
Monday–kids clothing, infants dept. and electronics (maybe food also)
Tuesday–women’s clothing (maybe food also)
Wednesday–men’s clothing,garden, health and beauty
Thursday–lingerie, shoes, house wares, sporting goods, luggage, toys
Friday–cosmetics, hardware, auto, domestics, home improvement and jewelry
Be aware not all stores follow this schedule. It is more like a guideline. Just to give you a few recent examples of clearance items small appliances just went on 75% clearance less than a week ago. I saw a KitchenAid K45SS Classic 250-Watt 4-1/2-Quart Stand Mixer which retails on Amazon.com for $170.00, but it was on clearance at Target for $60. A four slice toaster that is regularly $70 was $16.24. This is a great way to save money on everyday needs as well as some big ticket items.
November 5th, 2007 at 10:23 am
This is great info. I found a camping tent worth about $150 for $40 one time (at Target) and couldn’t believe I got such a great deal. Now that I have some clue how to find more of those deals I’ll be on the lookout for them. Thanks for the insight.
November 5th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
WHAT are you doing telling everyone about Target clearance?!?!?!? Now I am going to have to share
(just kidding). I have found that grocery items rarely go lower than 30%. One of the best deals I ever found was my husbands Eddie Bauer bike for 30.00. I found a tent also and it is an 8 man and I think I paid 40.00 (Eddie Bauer). Can’t beat that!
November 12th, 2007 at 2:36 am
[...] Target - The Clearance King by Saving Freak [...]
November 13th, 2007 at 12:26 am
[...] to Million Dollar Journey for hosting the Carnival of Personal Finance and including my post about Target Clearance. For those who do not know. a blog carnival is a compilation of posts from many blogs. They all [...]
November 16th, 2007 at 6:24 am
[...] Target - The Clearance King - by Saving Freak - Very interesting. I love Target, Wal-Mart would have to pay me well to get me to shop there, so now I need to keep a better eye out for the clearance deals. [...]