Target - Summer Clearance

[King]

Last cycle here there was one store with 30-40 of most PQ sets at 30% off. The big day that we expected them to go to 50 or 70% off, they were all salvaged. The days of the 70-75% off set at Target may be officially over.

King

[BrickUpdate]

Very little in my local Target, just Hogwarts Castle for around $90, but it was opened; QAR for around $80 or 90 as well, and then a Star Wars set with the Gungans in it for $7 off retail. I posted photos on my blog if anyone is interested in seeing them.

Target always seems picked over to me, and spotty on sales. I remember at the 50% off sale last year, there were SO MANY sets that had been opened and resealed. It was really disheartening because some parent will buy it for a kid who will end up disappointed. I steered one parent away from an opened set they were going to buy.

[brickarmor]

Just called local Target. No change on the stuff I've been watching, and it's definitely been two weeks. Hope the rest of you have better luck today!

[Morgan19]

No dice on a grand scale. All the LEGO that had been marked "clearance" as of last night (right before closing) was completely gone when they opened this morning, as were all the LEGO aisle clearance tags/stickers. So it seems like they weren't bought, but actually removed from the store.

While the rest of the toy department had plenty of 70% signs on other toys, discounted LEGO was nowhere to be found in any aisle. It looks like 70-75% sets are indeed a thing of the past.

m19

[ncbarrett]

No dice on a grand scale. All the LEGO that had been marked "clearance" as of last night (right before closing) was completely gone when they opened this morning, as were all the LEGO aisle clearance tags/stickers. So it seems like they weren't bought, but actually removed from the store.

check your local goodwill (if you have one) if they disappeared they could have gone there.

[SlickP]

Yeah the good ole days of Target Clearance seem to be over. I rarely go in there anymore....

[PanzerGrenadier]

I will watch my goodwills with great interest. A lot fewer goodwills to watch than targets. Last week i found the batman bionicle looking figure, the monster fighter vampyre hearst, and avengers hulk escape. all were salvaged returns or damaged from target. all were over 50% off as well.

[Nepenthe7]

No dice on a grand scale. All the LEGO that had been marked "clearance" as of last night (right before closing) was completely gone when they opened this morning, as were all the LEGO aisle clearance tags/stickers. So it seems like they weren't bought, but actually removed from the store.

check your local goodwill (if you have one) if they disappeared they could have gone there.

How long does it take to get to goodwill?

[jeremyp4]

I am getting a little worried that this round of clearance is really going to suck. I have been writing down where items were in stock/limited stock and some of the stores where I saw these items earlier today just changed over to not sold at this store! Several items also just went to online only at target.com. Usually when stores go to not sold at this store that means it is now salvage and out of the system. QAR, BP, HP Forbidden Forest are just a few that I saw just do this (with the QAR & HP Forbidden Forest go to online only) at places I was just at 9pm tonight. Let's hope at least a few items go to 50% & 70% and not just to salvage.

This happened last clearance. I was trying to track down items online so I didn't have to drive all over town to find them and they all went to online only. Luckily, the stores still had them. I think they just take them out of the online system when they start to clearance them out. Hopefully this still holds true this time. Lets cross our fingers.

Do you use the target app to do this or just the main page? Do you know if it's possible to use the app like the Walmart app to actually see what they have in stock and the price?

[atmail35]

I hit the jackpot, sort of at Braintree MA.
Minataurus for $7.48, bought the last 2
Series 1 SW Planets $2.99 or $3.65 (no Death Star/TIE Interceptor) odd that it was two prices, Naboo one was cheaper...lots left
Little City Speed Boat $1.48, tons left
AC was 50% off, two motherships left and the smaller sets (orig $10).

I also went to Stoughton MA and there were no clearance LEGO items to be found.

Good luck!

[octick]

How long does it take to get to goodwill?

If they are salvaged by a Target, you might see them within a week at nearby stores. Last time, they were.

Found lots of stuff today. HP Knight Bus, Heroica Draida Bay, Minotaurus for 70% off. Lighthouse, Bounty Hunter Assault Gunship, Alien Quest stuff, and Satellite Launch Pad for 50% off. Didn't get AQ stuff as I have everything but the helicopter (which they didn't have).

Interesting fact, I learned at Target (and probably not news to some of you),
I scanned something and it was 30% off. One minute later, I watched an employee scan the very same item, spit out a sticker, and now it scanned 50% off. I asked her, "So, the pricing isn't effective until you scan the item." She said, "Yep."

She continued to explain that the pricing implemented by corporate does not take affect in the system until the item is scanned by the employee's hand scanner. The hand scanner tells them where to go and what the price is. When they scan it, it updates the system and spits out the new price tag.

I always thought it was in the system (price scanner and checkout) when corporate changed the price of the item, and by scanning the items, they are just spitting out stickers. I bet I have missed out on some deals when the stores are behind, and I come in right as they open.

[pushpin]

Hey Octick, which Goodwill is this?

[jefftroll]

octick - I can confirm what you are saying about the employee needing to scan an item. I flat out asked an employee had not made it to my lego isle yet if she needed to scan them and she confirmed what you mentioned. Price is not changed until she scans at least one of them. So I made her scan everything in my cart and for the non lego items I bought I made sure they had already been down that isle. They are usually pretty cool about scanning items for you if you ask nice enough.

Something I noticed is that Super Targets general are fail when it comes to the number of items on clearance.

One surprise I had today was that one target had the naboo starfighter for $34 today which was not marked down yesterday.

[octick]

Hey Octick, which Goodwill is this?

The ones closest to your Target gets lots of clearanced Target stuff. They will start popping up soon. Keep in mind some Targets give to the main OC center which don't have a store.

[octick]

octick - I can confirm what you are saying about the employee needing to scan an item. I flat out asked an employee had not made it to my lego isle yet if she needed to scan them and she confirmed what you mentioned. Price is not changed until she scans at least one of them. So I made her scan everything in my cart and for the non lego items I bought I made sure they had already been down that isle. They are usually pretty cool about scanning items for you if you ask nice enough.

I thought it was like Walmart. I guess I was wrong. Sometimes, being first is not best.

With that new knowledge, I had my wife ask and trail the associate while she scanned the Legos. All of them were dropped from 30 to 50. She had to compete with the woman with 2 full cart loads of clearance toys. I have seen this at almost every single toy clearance time at Target. Wonder what kind of profit the toy hoarders turn on eBay.

[pushpin]

Hey Octick, which Goodwill is this?

The ones closest to your Target gets lots of clearanced Target stuff. They will start popping up soon. Keep in mind some Targets give to the main OC center which don't have a store.

I was wondering which specific Goodwills in SoCal you go to. I never have any luck where I am

[MunsonRoyE]

I got a lone Black Pearl for 50% off (not really 50% because it was marked up to $119). At another Target my wife found a Millennium Falcon and a Marina for 70% off!

[jefftroll]

I managed to score some Pod Racers for 50% off. I'll probably build one and keep one in the box.

[melsig]

I checked 2 Targets today - one had no additional clearance and no employees marking sets down at all. Black Pearl and Millennium Falcon were both still full price. (They did have Heroica Fortaan for $16.49 but that had been on the shelves for the same price a week earlier. I did buy it today, though.)

The second Target had a few sets left marked down from 30% to 50% and - which I don't understand at all - some sets marked down from 30% to 70% off. I found:

Lighthouse $14.63
Minotaurus $8.24
Heroica Draida Bay $4.88
SW Anakin and Sebulba's Podracer $45.00
AQ Tripod $10.98
AQ Alien Defender $5xx

There are still quite a few Alien Defender sets left - this is in Highland Park, IL.

[atmail35]

Here I saw Millenium Falcons at Full price too...all PoTC seems to be gone. No podracers. Next to no larger sets available on clearance, probably flew off the shelves at 30% off.

No first wave Friends on clearance either or Dino.