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For those of you that read my blog on a regular basis, you probably already know about the Target 70% off toy sale that happens in January and July. However, I couldn’t really have the 20 days of Target Training and not talk about how you can score some great toys for 75% off! So, for those of you that are new and don’t know about one of the best ways to score some cheap gifts to give all year long…read on!
Target will reset the toy department in January and July. When they do this, they clear out a good portion of the toys to make way for the new ones . Tons of toys get marked down to 70% off. Good ones too! To get an idea of the deals you can find, you can check out what several readers picked up during the clearance last July, see all the fun stuff HERE, HERE and HERE.
The Basics
Target follows a markdown schedule, they will markdown each department on a certain day. The markdowns usually go 30%, 50% and then 70% (only holiday/seasonal items go 90% off). Twice a year each department will get “reset”. This means that they will bring in a ton of new merchandise for the next season. So, the toy department will get reset in January, to make way for the upcoming spring and summer toys. The toys also get reset in July to get ready for the holiday seasons toys. I have a post explaining the markdown system in detail, you can read it HERE.
How the Toys are Marked Down
The markdown for the toys and other departments are different than the holiday clearance that can be marked down via a computer. When the toys get marked down each individual item will need to be scanned with a pricing gun before the new price will take effect. If you are interested in two identical items, only one of them will need to be scanned with the gun, once one of the items is entered, they discounted price is good on all identical items.
In the past, the scanning team starts at my stores around 9:00 am, they are usually still scanning items when I get there. If there is something you want that still have a higher price, scan it with the store price check scanners. If it isn’t 75% off, then you can save it in your cart and then ask one of the employees with the pricing guns if they wouldn’t mind seeing if the item has been marked down. I have NEVER had an employee tell me no, they are generally very nice about it, however, I have noticed that as this sale gains more popularity it is harder for the employees to scan lots of extra items to see if the price has changed.
Why shop the sale if you don’t need toys now?
If you have never shopped this clearance sale before, you are probably thinking “Why in the world would I want anymore toys?” After all, the big clearance comes after Christmas and your kids just got tons of toys for Christmas and they are taking over the house. I use this clearance sales in January and July to buy toys that I will need for gifts all year long. If you do some thinking, you can purchase lots of toys now that you can use to give as gifts all year long at a BIG discount. Shopping all at once also saves time! It’s so much easier to run to our “toys stockpile” for a gift than having to go the store every time a birthday party comes along. I have 5 kids and over 50 nieces and nephews, so there are a lot of parties in our family!
I shop for the following items:
- I buy items for my kids birthdays and even Christmas next year (there are some toys that you just can’t go wrong with, in our house, that is Lego’s, Playmobil, Games, and Arts & Crafts)
- I buy items for nephews and nieces birthdays
- I pick up gifts now for birthday’s my kids may get invited too (Since my daughter is 10, I will pick up items that would work for that age range)
- I help my sister and other friends and family by picking up toys for them to give to their kids (my sister works, and she can’t always make it to the sale, so I help her out by picking up items for her)
- I buy items now, so I can donate at Christmas time (Sometimes when you plan for generosity, it’s much easier to give! It’s not so much of a strain on the pocketbook)
- You can even find games for adults and teens.
Want to learn more?
I have put together 10 tips for shopping the day of the toys sale. Don’t worry, I pretty much talk the Target Toy sale 24/7 a week or two before it starts, so you won’t miss it! The best way to stay informed is to “like” Thrifty & Thriving on Facebook, that is where you will find all of the latest markdown news when it comes to the toy department.
For more posts in the 20 Days of Target Training, click the image above.
Alice Sanchez says
I was able to score really big this past July…I hit 3 Target stores in New York..Spring Valley, Monroe & Middletown. This was my first time that I’ve had such a head start to my x-mas shopping…I got great gifts for my grandchildren, nieces, nephews and extra toys to donate to my local church. Thank you sooooo much for your informaton. I love your website!
Denise says
Do you have an idea of when in January this happens? I buy things for our elementary school Secret Santa Shoppe and need to find items at or below $5.00.
Christy says
@Denise This sale usually happens towards the middle of January. Last year it took place on Jan. 13th. Toy markdowns usually happen on Thursdays, so it should happen around January 12th this year.
You should find lots of items priced below $5.00!! Make sure you follow Thrifty and Thriving on Facebook, because I will post on their as soon as I know the sale has started. https://www.facebook.com/ThriftyandThriving