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Just like the majority of the stores you shop at, Target brings in new merchandise for each season. For instance, in the bedding departments you will find darker tones for fall and winter, and lighter and brighter tones in the spring in summer. The same goes in the clothing department, the summer brings shorts, swimsuits and lighter weight jackets, where as the winter brings much warmer clothing (unless you live in Hawaii or some place that is always warm). In the sporting goods you will find items for water activities in the summer, soccer equipment in the fall and snow items in the winter.
Items go on clearance all year long in every department, but there are a couple times a year when a good portion of the items in each department gets marked down at the same time. When this happens there is a better selection of clearance deals, and also a better chance you can find something at 75% off. This just recently happened in the home department (September), we saw a large amount of clearance bedding, towels and home decor. They were getting rid of the old, to bring in the new.
Many of you are familiar with the BIG clearance that happens in the toy department in January and July. This happens for the same reason, in July they are clearing out all the toys they brought in for the summer so they can make room for all of the toys that will be hot for Christmas. Once January rolls around they will be clearing out the toys they brought in specifically for Christmas so they can make room for the spring and summer toys.
There are other times when there will be a larger selection of clearance in certain departments. There are usually certain times of the year when new models come out. Let’s take camera equipment as an example. I know that most camera companies will come out with new models in the fall. They want to make sure that these new cameras are out in time for Christmas, they want these new items to be on everyone’s wish list. So, in order to make room for some of the newer models Target will clearance out some of the older model. This pretty much goes for all electronic type items. I was able to find several cameras and camera equipment on clearance during October.
Here are some factors to remember when searching for clearance items during the year:
- Is a new seasons merchandise coming soon? (generally, the new seasons merchandise will arrive 2-3 months before the season starts)
- When do new models come out for the items you are interested in (do your research, and then check for clearance before the new models arrive)
- Is there a holiday that is coming soon? (Christmas is a big one, Target will make room in several departments in order to make room for Christmas merchandise)
- Do you see an abundance of an item at your store? (Maybe they ordered too many, maybe it’s not selling well, if you see a surplus of an item, there is a good chance it will be clearanced sometime)
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Tiffany says
Just a note, I live in Hawaii, and we still get cold-weather clothes at all the stores. It’s actually really tough to find warm-weather clothes between September and February, unless they’re leftovers from the spring & summer lines. Our Target has a TON of winter clothes on clearance right now because unless you’re planning a trip to the mainland, no one really buys all the sweaters and stuff. We have bathing suits available year-round, but they also go on clearance seasonally (so last year’s suits are now on clearance because this year’s suits are starting to arrive).