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 mark 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.