Reader Tips for Shopping at Target
I always go to the outside walls of the store or what my husband affectionately calls "the gauntlet." That is where all of the clearance stuff is. Usually if it's in the main shopping area and not on sale, then soon it will be in the clearance rack. I am waiting for a light to go on clearance right now. My son (3) and I visit it every time we shop, which is at least once a week. Hope this helps you. -- Michele Ferguson
I have some advice about saving money at Target stores. I used to work for Target and mark down/clearance the merchandise everyone wants. The best time to go looking for goodies labeled with the bright orange stickers is Monday-Friday. We never worked weekends. So your best bet finding new reduced items would be Monday - Friday. We also use to get off work around 2 PM so that would be all that would get marked down till the next day. Most stuff gets put on the end caps at the end of each isle. (In that back where you don't always go.) Most people know this already, but if you are new to the game, that's where to look. Hope this helps a few readers! -- Stacy, 28, TN
I had a routine that I would do every week. After I dropped the kids off at school on Tuesdays, I would head for Target. At 8:30 in the morning the Target team would be busy. I would make a swing through the store to all the clearance "ends". The 50 - 75% off racks. I would keep watch on some womens size small things for my girls to go down to $1.97. One last reason I went on Tue. is because it seemed like they got all the weekend returns done on Mon. so by Tue. a lot of the product was clearanced. I would also see the same few ladies every Tue. and would have to hurry to find the "good" sales before them. -- Lisa Danzeisen, Saint Cloud, MN
I'm a bit of a pro at shopping for bargains at Target. My Mom is an employee of a Target store here in Chicago and has been for the past 5 1/2 years so I've found out most of the worth while tricks. One way, at least for the Targets here in Illinois is if you walk around the outer edges of the aisles and look at what are called the end-caps (the small areas at the edge of every aisle) you will find a great amount of clearance items, and worth while ones at that. One thing I love about Target clearance is the stuff is usually still in great condition, not like most other store where the stuff is badly damaged or completely broken. Usually it's things that they have to move out to make room for more great stuff. Every department has at least one clearance section and there is always stuff on clearance. Another thing is at the Target here in Chicago just inside the Men's fitting room they have a ton of underwear, socks, boxers, undershirts and things of that nature, for the whole family. I just bought my son (who is beginning potty training) 11 pairs of underwear for 11 cents a piece!!! Not only that, but Target has some pretty good prices and some really good deals at times and I'm not just saying that because my Mom works there but my advice to you is if you love the service and quality at Target as much as I do get there early and allow yourself some time and just cruise all the edges of the aisles!!! -- Melissa Hansen, Mother of 1 son Isaac, Chicago, Illinois.
My best bargain at Target was after Christmas. Since they expand their toy department at Christmas time, they put a lot on clearance about two weeks after the holidays. I stocked up on gifts for birthdays for the rest of the year. I saw the same toys at other stores for twice the price! -- Chris
Hi! I am an avid Target shopper and I wanted to write in why I always buy my formula at Target as opposed to another large retailer. I need to buy a specific type of formula for my baby who was a preemie and had lots of tummy problems. Both Target and another store carries this formula. At Target I buy a 24oz container of formula for 13.99. When shopping at another store I saw the same formula in a container that LOOKED twice the size of what's available at Target. Well, my love of Target made me do the math. The other store's container seemed twice as big, but only held 32 ounces of formula for 19.99. When you do the math, Target is cheaper by .04 per ounce! I save nearly a dollar on every canister! That's $6 a month for me! Not to mention the coupons I receive from the company AND found on select cans of formula at Target. Last month I really thought I won big! The concentrated liquid was on clearance! I saved at least a quarter per can! (I cleaned them out). While I don't buy baby food there, sometimes they clearance Gerber finger foods and such. MORE SAVINGS!! If I got into the amount of money I have saved buying clothes for my kids at Target I would go on another hundred pages! We are certainly a Target family. Quality product, reasonable prices and yet they don't look cheap! I also used to work there and saw first hand their work ethic and community involvement. Target is a store people can be proud of! -- Tricia
I am a Target shopper. The best deals are Wednesdays. That is the day they do markdowns. Also, shop on Wednesdays and Thursdays for the best deals. The ads come out on Sunday, But a lot of the prices go up. I have gotten 12' market umbrellas for as low as 14.00. Toys that sell for 29.00 for 8.00. I also buy up the good deals and sell the items to friends for a profit. My friends don't mind paying a few dollars more because it saves them the hassle of going to Target to get it. -- Traci Blumenthal
I've found it pays off to zip into Target about once a week after a major holiday, (ie: Christmas, Easter, Fouth of July etc). Not only are their decorations and holiday household goods hugely marked down, but so are their seasonal children's clothes. Eventually all the holiday leftovers are 90% off, so I buy holiday clothes for future years for often less than $1.00 apiece. Great for gifts too, if you can think ahead to what size other's kids will be. -- Brendae Carlson, Hillsboro, OR
I love Target! At department stores, I always ask for (and usually get) discounts on items that are slightly damaged and that are fixable. I found out the other day when I bought two candles (that had obviously been dropped!), that at Target, all you have to do is ask the cashier and they are authorised to give a 10% discount on dent-and-scratch items. Ten percent off is better than nothing off! -- Caroline VanHouten
My tips for shopping at Target, are to shop the
endcaps of the display aisles, especially near the interior aisles, (ie.
housewares, cleaning supplies). Target generally places their clearance items on these
endcaps.
They also clearance office type items, such as telephones (I recently purchased a Southwestern Bell Freedom Phone for $8.40, in metallic
silver (also had light blue). The very same phone in white or ivory was $19.99 in the telephone section. They also had scanners on
clearance. Another area to look for the best bargains is the clearance racks for
clothing (particular toddlers and misses). Many times, they may only have
one or two items left and make room for an entire display, by putting these single items marked down on their clearance rack. I always
shop there first. Also shop right after the holidays, for the best selection on
holiday merchandise. I have purchased beautiful Christmas cloth
tablecloths and last year by waiting until January 2nd, I purchased several
Mikasa Crystal candy dishes for $1.49 each. I put these away to give as
gifts to our Pastors full of candy next year. They also clearance out all
of
their holiday stoneware, etc. In fact, one gal had purchased 2 sets of 4
when they were 50% off and came back and picked up 2 more sets when they were 70% off. Not a bad way to get set up in housekeeping on a
budget. -- Kristi in IA
I go to target and hit their clearance section. I have found for my son shirts for 1.94 and pants for 3.84. I saved almost $50.00 by buying from the clearance rack. Last Christmas I found Pokemon t-shirts for $1.94 each. I bought each one of my nephews and my son 2 each for Christmas. So shop the clearance racks first before looking at the regular priced ones. -- Rebecca
Last fall, my husband requested a nice electric shaver for Christmas. I do holiday shopping a few months ahead of time, so I did some price comparisons at Target to know how much money I'd need to have for the purchase. I noticed some red-tagged shavers on the bottom shelf. When I looked, I couldn't believe my eyes - it was the shaver my husband wanted! The best part was, it was marked down to $19.99 from the original price of $89.99 - a savings of $70.00!! My husband got a wonderful Christmas present and I got to save a lot of money. So, when you shop at Target, look high and low for bargains. --P.S. Davis, Abilene, Texas
I love target. They always keep there clearance items on the end of the isle, closest to the wall. My husband and i go "clearance shopping" at target. Going thru all of the end of isles, we have picked up some awesome deals! I just got a night light for my little girl who is 2 that actually screws into the wall, so she can't pull it out, and it was $2.00. -- Julie Beam
I love Target! My favorite money saving strategy is to always walk down the ends of the aisles first. That is where the clearance merchandise is usually kept. I have found some great buys! My best one was bike horns and handle bar streamers for kids bikes that were on clearance for $.19 each. I bought all they had! They made great birthday presents throughout the year for my children's friends! Another time, I found children's backpacks that had a matching fanny pack inside for $1.29. I bought several of these too for Christmas gifts. I took fabric paint and wrote the child's name on the backpack. They were a holiday hit! -- Ruth
I do sometimes shop at Target -- MOSTLY for
their clearance! I have found some "loose" packages of mens'
underwear, only like $1.00 or so. I have also found packages that were open
and marked down!! the toy section when they have one of their MAJOR markdowns
IS REALLY GREAT! I have found frames, socks, shirts, jeans, underwear, games
and other stuff only on their clearance racks. Lets see, I am NOT really sure if
I buy anything other then that! My friend and I also met to start our day with
a cup of coffee!!!! ALWAYS
FUN! -- Maureen in NJ
Whenever I shop at Target I always head straight for the clearance isle. I am always able to find OTC medicine our family uses on clearance and one that I have a coupon for. My trips to Target are never less than an hour long but, the savings are worth it.