[US] Target: markdowns

dr_teng

I'll have to check out whether my local one has Mine sets, a 70% clearance on that would be fantastic.

black_towr

Does Target have a separate clearance aisle? Or are clearanced sets marked on the shelf?

adol7

Target usually uses the endcaps of aisles for clearance, but during big clearance times (usually after-Christmas), they more likely use a dedicated aisle. Either way, they "almost" always have their red stickers on the items.

FenrisAkashi

Typically with all Lego clearance in the last 6 months in the Portland OR area the clearance has been in the Lego aisle with a small "Clearance" tag under the items clearanced.

juggles7

I posted about this 10 days ago, telling that Target had put their Helms Deep sets in the stockroom. I checked again today. No Helms Deep on the shelves, none of the new LOTR there, either. I entered the store item number, the DPCI, into the store scanner. It showed the Helms Deep was still in the stockroom. What are these people thinking? Hiding merchandise where shoppers can't see it/buy it is just dumb. Maybe when they get a load of the new LOTR sets, they'll come to their senses and clearance the old sets. Oh, and the store scanner doesn't even recognize the DPCI for Gandalf Arrives.

starfire2

juggles7 said:

I posted about this 10 days ago, telling that Target had put their Helms Deep sets in the stockroom. I checked again today. No Helms Deep on the shelves, none of the new LOTR there, either. I entered the store item number, the DPCI, into the store scanner. It showed the Helms Deep was still in the stockroom. What are these people thinking? Hiding merchandise where shoppers can't see it/buy it is just dumb. Maybe when they get a load of the new LOTR sets, they'll come to their senses and clearance the old sets. Oh, and the store scanner doesn't even recognize the DPCI for Gandalf Arrives.

As one of " those people", I will say that sometimes merchandise is pulled to make revisions to that isle. Sometimes those items pulled because they are " Not On Planogram". Meaning there is not set spot for them. Instead they are sent back to Target DC to be sold " online only". Not everything that gets discontinued is Clearanced. Also, they are not doing it to torture and annoy you. The backrooms are already crowded with other merchandise.

Lego

Just noticed the Lego Mine is sold out on target.com

juggles7

Starfire2, thanks for your reply. No offense was intended towards you. I understand the mechanism that's in place. I also know that shoppers might have bought one or more of those sets in the last 10 days, but Target hid them in the back, preventing their sale. Enough said.

I think diverting retail stock to online sales is a bad idea, especially for online shoppers. People who buy Lego online expect new sets that have not been in a retail environment. Retail stock often has wear and tear, and worse than that, may have been previously purchased, and later returned to the store.

starfire2

juggles7 said:

Starfire2, thanks for your reply. No offense was intended towards you. I understand the mechanism that's in place. I also know that shoppers might have bought one or more of those sets in the last 10 days, but Target hid them in the back, preventing their sale. Enough said.

I think diverting retail stock to online sales is a bad idea, especially for online shoppers. People who buy Lego online expect new sets that have not been in a retail environment. Retail stock often has wear and tear, and worse than that, may have been previously purchased, and later returned to the store.

I wasn't offended, nor did I think you were directing it at me. It just annoys me when people assume what happens in a retail enviroment. Unless you work in retail, you shouldn't assume what goes on. I don't work at that Target store and can't speak about their procedures, but I do work at A Target and know that sometimes items are pulled during a revision and don't always make it back out onto the floor. Why? Who knows ?! Maybe someone here, or in your area can sell you one cheap if your Target does not clearance them.

madforLEGO

Lego said:

Just noticed the Lego Mine is sold out on target.com

LEGO Mine has been sold out for some time now at Target's Website.

dougts

juggles7 said:

People who buy Lego online expect new sets that have not been in a retail environment.

while I think this is true for the hardcore minority of LEGO online shoppers like us, I would quite confidently say that the overwhelming majority of LEGO online shoppers don't really care - they shop online because of price, convenience, and availability. As long as the item arrives and is intact, they honestly don't care about the box condition. Little Timmy rips the box to shreds and it goes straight into the recycle can.

not12fall

Any online item could have been returned as well.

nkx1

dougts said:

juggles7 said:

People who buy Lego online expect new sets that have not been in a retail environment.

while I think this is true for the hardcore minority of LEGO online shoppers like us, I would quite confidently say that the overwhelming majority of LEGO online shoppers don't really care - they shop online because of price, convenience, and availability. As long as the item arrives and is intact, they honestly don't care about the box condition. Little Timmy rips the box to shreds and it goes straight into the recycle can.

I guess I can only speak for myself, but when I order something (anything) online, I expect it to arrive in generally good condition, including the packaging. An item with excessively worn packaging is something I would expect to receive from an outlet store (such as Amazon warehouse). If I buy something new and it arrives with worn packaging, that would generally tarnish the image of the seller in my mind, and I might shop elsewhere knowing the seller only thinks enough of their customers to send them shelf-worn items.

In summary, I thinks it's generally poor customer service to send shelf-worn items of any kind, Lego or otherwise, to customers who purchase new items online. Customers such as myself who receive shelf-worn items might decide to shop elsewhere, such as somewhere that will send an item that looks new.

EKSam

My area Targets did not have anything on clearance :-) except Gandalf Arrives at $9 something, there were 4 boxes languishing on the end caps for days and then one fine day ...pfffttt Gandalf Departed.:-))

pillpod

Scan the Gandalf sets next time you see them. I saw one marked at $9 and it actually scanned for $3.88.

Milcheax

The Targets I have been visiting have been few and far between with regards to any remaining markdowns.

I did find a #30111 HP's The Lab for 1.06, but the supervisor on duty wouldn't price match any others that I found for that price :(

MorkMan

I thought all sets would have the same SKU/barcode on them. Sounds like they don't.

MorkMan

graphite said:

^ you scan stuff.

Are you just scanning one of everything? Seems like that would be a lot of work. Is the an easier way?

graphite

Not one of everything. But the things that might be on clearance at this point. Chima wont be, TMNT probably wont be, newer creator probably wont be etc.. so you only really need to scan the things that are a bit older. Sometimes newer stuff is either accidentally or intentionally and if you want to catch those then yes you need to scan everything.

legomason

Do you fill the cart with one of everything and take it to a price checker?

graphite

^ me? no I don't scan everything. I know what items I'm interested in and only scan the few i'm tracking. At WM though I have pictures of barcodes on my phone and can scan 20-30 items in a couple minutes. The target scanners just don't work that well off the phone.

Zon

I take pictures of the barcodes with my phone and then scan those. It will save you some trips!

starfire2

BTW on the Target mobile app you can scan barcodes and it will tell you the price. Also on the Walmart App.

ludzik

starfire2 said:

BTW on the Target mobile app you can scan barcodes and it will tell you the price. Also on the Walmart App.

Yeah, but doesn't that give you the generic price while some stores have different prices on clearance stuff?

sidersdd

starfire2 said:

BTW on the Target mobile app you can scan barcodes and it will tell you the price. Also on the Walmart App.

For the Target one, does it just give you the on-line price? Or does it have the concept of having a Store context and provide you the price available in that store (like the Walmart one)?

starfire2

it gives you the price in store

gmpirate

I find the Walmart App to be unreliable in regards to prices.

starfire2

I've never had a problem with it in "store mode".

gmpirate

^ well the problem may be in hitting store mode when you are not actually "in the store". Its worked for me at times but lately the prices do not match up.

graphite

^ last I checked only the iPhone WM works for in store prices. The Android one just pulls up online prices. Don't know if that is the problem you're having.

gmpirate

me = iPhone

scotty12

One of my Targets had the 79008 Pirate Ship Ambush on the shelves yesterday for $99.97. Nothing else had changed on the shelves.

sidersdd

starfire2 said:

it gives you the price in store

Great. So it must assume the store you are in by GPS? Any way to "trick" the app into thinking you're in a particular store, like you can with the Walmart one? I'd love to be able to check prices from home.

mrseatle

Scanned a bunch, bit still no clearance at my local Target. The Duplo set with two bunnies was marked down to 10.68... Saw some Duplo Jake the Pirate sets that looked kinda cool for Duplo.

Ma1234

Just picked up the new King's Castle for $49.98 at Target. They had maybe a dozen (I only bought what I need - one). It's the only set at half off; but various Hobbit, Galaxy Squad, City, Friends and Star Wars was 30% off.

mathew

^ 50% off a brand new set!? Is this a nation wide sale?

ColoradoBricks

Stop by mine today, they had #9473, #75006 and a Duplo set at 30% off. I didn't scan Castle (just read that post) but they were at listed at full price on the shelves.

Poochy

My TGs do not even carry the King's Castle yet :(.

TinKnockerHimes

I just stopped at mine today and they now put a red sticker on them with a clearance price, never seen them do that before, but at most only saw about $5-$10 off most stickered items

juggles7

I saw red "clearance" stickers on many sets at Target today, but the discounts were only within the range of 10-16% off. Some surprises, though, in what was being marked down, which included LOTR Uruk-Hai Army #9471, as well as Hobbit Attack of the Wargs. Creator Log Cabin, Creator Small Cottage, and Creator Prehistoric Hunter #6914 were also on sale and had red stickers. The Small Cottage and the Wargs are 2013 sets, I believe. Hard to believe they won't be carrying those anymore. Oh, and the Quinjet was on "clearance" but it was only marked down from 70 to 60. I was at another Target just 2 days ago, only a few miles away, and none of these sales were going on there.

juggles7

The Castle series was in stock; everything was full price.

Thanos75

The Orc Forge is also on sale for $33

Poochy

Bug Obliterator #70705 is 50% off at mine, Mine of Moria #9473 is only 15% though, and nothing else noteworthy.

juggles7

Correction: it was NOT the Hobbits' Wargs set on sale, but rather it was the Hobbits' Mirkwood Spiders.

kwkw

@Poochy which Target store is this?

Poochy

@kwkw Irvine@Barranca. I saw 6 #70705 there last night so apparently no one is interested in them (or the resellers haven't gotten to them yet). I'm passing on them at 50%, waiting for 70%, assuming you don't clear them out first :). Oh, they also had one of the smaller GS sets for 30% off (I forgot the set/name).

kwkw

@poochy thanks lol Nah i wouldn't touch any galaxy squad sets for resale sure they're great sets in my opinion but they'll surely tank in the aftermarket like alien conquest

scotty12

I'm seeing most of the same sales as everyone else. One Target only had a few small Friends sets, SW Series 3 Planets, and a Hero set...that's it. The smaller Target had 20-25 different sets on clearance. Friends #3937 & #3939, all the SpongeBob SquarePants, MF Vampire Hearse, Werewolf & Castle (still $84.xx), not Crazy Scientist, SuperHeroes Quinjet, ALL Creator sets, LOTR Uruk-Hai, Mirkwood Spiders, Mines of Moria, City #60008 Museum Break in ($48.xx) and games City Alarm, The Hobbit ($24), and Ninjago ($20).

Only the #60008 Museum Break in (69.99 down to $48.xx) and the Mines of Moria $79.99 down to $55.xx were the only 2 sets marked down more that 15%.

I was at this same Target on Wed. and asked a manager about the LOTR sets that were pulled back and she didn't have a clue either. She said they 'might' come back out again in 2 weeks when they have a "major" reshelving inventory. So I'm assuming it'll sit on the shelves for the 2 weeks before it might go to 30-50% off on the 'clearance' endcaps.

BlueMoonUSA

Saw a bunch of 79104 TMNT Shellraisers at the Mall store over here in Chesapeake, Virginia. 50% off so $29.98. I'm somewhat tempted at that price, despite not being a huge fan of the line. Wasn't this the set that was to be recalled by lego for instability issues?

juggles7

I checked 3 more Target stores today. There was little in common between what's being marked down at the different stores. One store had the Star Wars Headhunter for 30% off. Mines of Moria was full price at some stores, 30% off at others. The best deal was the Turtles 79104, mentioned in the previous post, at 50% off, which I found in one of the stores.