Tips for Shopping the Day of the Target 70% off Toy Sale
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If you are new to this unadvertised clearance sale, here are a couple of posts to get you up to speed:
Learn about the 70% off Toy Clearance at Target (Usually happens January and July/August)
Getting Ready for the Target 70% off Toys Clearance (things to do before the sale starts)
Here are some tips for shopping the day of the sale:
Arrive early:
Once word gets out that the markdown has taken place, things will start to go quick. At some stores everything may have already been marked down when the stores open, at other stores you may have to shop while the employees are marking stuff down. There is no way to know what it will be like at your store.
Leave the kids at home:
The aisles get crowded, if possible it’s so much easier to shop if you can leave the kids at home. Maybe a friend can babysit for you while you pick up items she wants. Team work! If you do have to bring your kids, I usually say stuff like “Oh, don’t you think your cousin Cason would love this Lego”, so it’s totally tricks them into thinking I am not buying the Lego for them. (Do you think that works?) I have had years where I have had to bring my small children, so it is possible, it’s just not my idea of fun. (once I even brought 4 of them – crazy, huh?)
Don’t believe the signs (check the stickers):
When you get there the signs in the toy department may say 30% or 50% off – don’t believe them!!! I would walk down the aisles and check the individual stickers, you will probably find the items are in fact 70% off. The employees are so busy scanning and changing prices, they don’t get the chance to change the signs.
The scanners are your friends:
If you see an item that is only 50% off, scan it to see if it is actually cheaper. It takes the employees awhile to actually switch out all the price tags on the toys so they may not have gotten to all of them yet. If you scan and see the toy is 70% off, a happy dance is required!
The employees are your friends too:
They employees with the pricing guns are the ones that are changing all the prices on the toys. In order for the new discount to take effect, they have to scan each one of the items with their pricing gun, if the price is lower they will have a little red price sticker print out with the new price. If there are 3 identical Leap Frog items, only one item needs to be scanned, once one item is scanned all the exact same Leap Frog items will ring up at the new lower price.
Since there are a lot of toys it takes the employees awhile to price all the toys. Maybe you found a 50% off toy on the next aisle over that the employees haven’t gotten to yet.
When I first started shopping this sale (over 15 year ago) nobody knew about it. It was kind of like my own little secret! Asking the employees to check to see if an item was lower with their little pricing guns was a piece of cake. Now, the employees have a long line of people wanting price checks and it is not easy on them. I ask politely if they can check and item or two (not a whole cart). I have never had anyone turn me down. They employees at my stores have always been more than polite and I appreciate them so much for it!
Have fun:
I have had great experiences almost every time I have shopped this sale. I find that most everyone is willing to point out where they found an item or share their thoughts on toys. I have run into several Grandmother’s that love to chat about their grandchildren. It can be fun and friendly experience! Make the most of it, even if it’s chaotic and you see and people buying tons of items for Ebay.
Share your Photos:
One of my favorite parts of this big sale is seeing all the fun stuff people bought. I LOVE PHOTOS!! Please email me photos of your finds to [email protected], or you can post directly to the All Things Target Facebook wall if you want.
Oh, and I should mention if you end up shopping at more than one Target, it doesn’t make you crazy, it makes you dedicated!! Have fun everyone!!
