**Official** Target July and August Clearance Deals

[kenchu2000]

OK, just came back from another Target store trying to do the price adjustment again.  This time it didn't go as smooth as the first one I did at another Target store.  So here is what happened - I tried to do the price adjustment for the two Ambush ships that I paid for $70 each.  The girl at register was extremely helpful and she tried to help me return the items and re-purchase it without hassles, but then the evil supervisor walked by and told the girl she can't do that.  The supervisor said the store policy is all return clearance items must go back to the shelves first before they can be re-purchased.  So the supervisor put the Ambush boxes on the cart and asked me to wait for the handler to put them back to the shelves first.  I waited for about 40 minutes... and the handler never showed up.

 

Luckily the store closes at 11pm, so the supervisor had no choice but had to let me re-purchase it without waiting for the handler to show up.  So I walked out the store with 2 Ambush ships at $30 each, plus the last remaining Ambush ship found on the shelves also at $30.    So $90 + 40 mins wait time for 3 Ambush ships, I guess not too bad :-)

 

So it looks like it's quite YMMV.

[TheOrcKing]

Very cool...Man, $30 for the pirate ship and $18 for the black gate this early after release is insane!  WTH...I still don't understand why these are being blown out like this...

Or why MY target doesn't have these prices?!?!

Same here to both respones. My Target never once had a mistake sale on Pirate Ship Ambush or Battle at Black Gate. Amazing....

Ah well, I did find a Helm's Deep for $85 and Goblin King Battle for $65 so at least I found something worthwhile all the same.

[terrymc4677]

I was able to acquire 4 ships and 3 gates at the first clearance price over the past 2 1/2 weeks. I am going to try the adjustment tomorrow. If they don't adjust I will just return them and hope they go back to the shelf where I can re-buy them. Getting them at the first clearance price doesn't seem like such a good deal anymore after hearing about this second wave of clearance prices. If it goes through that will put $262 back into my pocket, which would be huge. Worst case scenario, I return and don't re-buy, which I would be fine with too since the first wave of clearance prices are nothing to get excited about anymore. The sets are boxed up and the receipts are in hand! Wish me luck!

[joonhee]

I'm thinking the exact same thing

I got three goblin kings at 30% off but I bet its 70% off right now if they let me repurchase

[Soadfan4ever]

OK, just came back from another Target store trying to do the price adjustment again.  This time it didn't go as smooth as the first one I did at another Target store.  So here is what happened - I tried to do the price adjustment for the two Ambush ships that I paid for $70 each.  The girl at register was extremely helpful and she tried to help me return the items and re-purchase it without hassles, but then the evil supervisor walked by and told the girl she can't do that.  The supervisor said the store policy is all return clearance items must go back to the shelves first before they can be re-purchased.  So the supervisor put the Ambush boxes on the cart and asked me to wait for the handler to put them back to the shelves first.  I waited for about 40 minutes... and the handler never showed up.

 

Luckily the store closes at 11pm, so the supervisor had no choice but had to let me re-purchase it without waiting for the handler to show up.  So I walked out the store with 2 Ambush ships at $30 each, plus the last remaining Ambush ship found on the shelves also at $30.    So $90 + 40 mins wait time for 3 Ambush ships, I guess not too bad :-)

 

So it looks like it's quite YMMV.

Glad to hear it worked out for your again.  I had a crazy thought about purchasing some at full retail at remaining targerts and returning them to clearance stores, then waiting for them to hit the shelves and clearing them out again.  There are about 5 that have the clearance in my area, and the ones at full retail stores are not moving.  It's just so hard to pass when there is 70% clearance to be had on such a cool item.  Karma-wise I can't go through with it.  I'm very happy with what I have, I don't want to be too greedy.

[pins79]

Goblin kings are sitting at so many Walmarts...I have no doubt that they will drop to $35 at some point.  Even at $65, I'm not a buyer of goblin kings.

 

The only thing that concerns me about returning the sets is employees potentially buying them before they go back on shelves. 

[Soadfan4ever]

Same here to both respones. My Target never once had a mistake sale on Pirate Ship Ambush or Battle at Black Gate. Amazing....

Ah well, I did find a Helm's Deep for $85 and Goblin King Battle for $65 so at least I found something worthwhile all the same.

 

 

I'm thinking the exact same thing

I got three goblin kings at 30% off but I bet its 70% off right now if they let me repurchase

 

 The Helm's Deep and Goblin King discounts are actual sales that I have seen at all targets, while the Pirate Ship and Black Gate are clearances that are only occuring at smaller aisle stores.  Almost every HD/GK has a yellow advertised sales tag infront of it that says the sale runs through September 21st(not 100% on this date), while some PS/BG weren't even marked.  They were just moved to another section of the store with other seasonal clearance, mostly those smurf toys and swimming stuff.

[brickolodon]

Glad to hear it worked out for your again.  I had a crazy thought about purchasing some at full retail at remaining targerts and returning them to clearance stores, then waiting for them to hit the shelves and clearing them out again.  There are about 5 that have the clearance in my area, and the ones at full retail stores are not moving.  It's just so hard to pass when there is 70% clearance to be had on such a cool item.  Karma-wise I can't go through with it.  I'm very happy with what I have, I don't want to be too greedy.

I'm not completely opposed to what you're saying, but it will show unapropriate behavier, so far...anybody? Next step - put some barcodes from cheap sets to get better   price?, like some guy did.

[Soadfan4ever]

I was able to acquire 4 ships and 3 gates at the first clearance price over the past 2 1/2 weeks. I am going to try the adjustment tomorrow. If they don't adjust I will just return them and hope they go back to the shelf where I can re-buy them. Getting them at the first clearance price doesn't seem like such a good deal anymore after hearing about this second wave of clearance prices. If it goes through that will put $262 back into my pocket, which would be huge. Worst case scenario, I return and don't re-buy, which I would be fine with too since the first wave of clearance prices are nothing to get excited about anymore. The sets are boxed up and the receipts are in hand! Wish me luck!

Good Luck!

[Soadfan4ever]

I'm not completely opposed to what you're saying, but it will show unapropriate behavier, so far...anybody? Next step - put some barcodes from cheap sets to get better   price?, like some guy did.

I felt like I cheated the system or something with all of the money I saved on Saturday.  I still have a few more Ships and Black Gates that I could try to get the price adjustment on, but I feel like I shouldn't push my luck.  Did someone here on brickpicker actually do that barcode thing?  I can see taking advantage of sales and clearances as they are the decision of those businesses, but changing the barcodes to cheat the price is very underhanded. 

[nolanfan34]

I have not seen any Pirate Ships or Black Gates on clearance in Washington state, has any other WA brickpicker seen them?

[Soadfan4ever]

I have not seen any Pirate Ships or Black Gates on clearance in Washington state, has any other WA brickpicker seen them?

Have you tried the trick with the "limited availability" on the target App?

[nolanfan34]

No, I will have to go back and read in the thread. Unless there are simple cliffs on how to do it.

[Soadfan4ever]

No, I will have to go back and read in the thread. Unless there are simple cliffs on how to do it.

Search in the App for whichever item you want, select it then hit the "find in another store" button.  The list or map will show either out of stock, limited availability or in stock.  I can't remember who originally posted about it, but I have found that 100% of the stores showing limited availability to be the ones that had the sales.  In stock stores had no clearance.

[TheOrcKing]

Search in the App for whichever item you want, select it then hit the "find in another store" button.  The list or map will show either out of stock, limited availability or in stock.  I can't remember who originally posted about it, but I have found that 100% of the stores showing limited availability to be the ones that had the sales.  In stock stores had no clearance.

Er, I did that limited availability check with my Target, the Pirate Ship Ambush came up saying "Limited stock", scanned it in store, came up full price. I tried different scanners just in case and it still rang up the original retail; no sale to be had here. :wacko:

[kenchu2000]

I felt like I cheated the system or something with all of the money I saved on Saturday.  I still have a few more Ships and Black Gates that I could try to get the price adjustment on, but I feel like I shouldn't push my luck.  Did someone here on brickpicker actually do that barcode thing?  I can see taking advantage of sales and clearances as they are the decision of those businesses, but changing the barcodes to cheat the price is very underhanded. 

 

I might have missed the conversation about the barcode thing, what exactly is it about?  Did you mean remove a red clearance price tag from another item and stick it onto the Lego set that you want to buy, and hope the cashier will give you that red price?   This is a crime and if you get caught on security cameras, you'd get handcuff.

[Soadfan4ever]

Quickly gliding over with the map function, the only black gates I see showing limited availability is 3310 S. Meridan in Puyallup.  Pirate Ship at 405 SE Everett in Everett.  Again it was just a quick glide, so I could have missed something.  Seems to be pretty cleared out though.  Hope that helps.

[kenchu2000]

Er, I did that limited availability check with my Target, the Pirate Ship Ambush came up saying "Limited stock", scanned it in store, came up full price. I tried different scanners just in case and it still rang up the original retail; no sale to be had here.

 

Don't feel bad.  Out of 15 Target stores I've been to, only 2 had clearance sales on Black Gate and Pirate Ship Ambush.

[Soadfan4ever]

Er, I did that limited availability check with my Target, the Pirate Ship Ambush came up saying "Limited stock", scanned it in store, came up full price. I tried different scanners just in case and it still rang up the original retail; no sale to be had here.

That sucks. I did have one store that did this too, but it dropped a few days later than the rest.  I've cleared literally all of the limited availabilites within 30 miles of me, 5 stores total.  Not one of the instock stores clearanced anything.

[justafrog]

I might have missed the conversation about the barcode thing, what exactly is it about?  Did you mean remove a red clearance price tag from another item and stick it onto the Lego set that you want to buy, and hope the cashier will give you that red price?   This is a crime and if you get caught on security cameras, you'd get handcuff.

 

http://www.mercurynews.com/year-in-review/ci_20675946/silicon-valley-tech-executive-lego-theft-barcode-scheme-charged-sap-toys

 

I'm sure he's not the only one to do this with a variety of merchandise.

[Soadfan4ever]

http://www.mercurynews.com/year-in-review/ci_20675946/silicon-valley-tech-executive-lego-theft-barcode-scheme-charged-sap-toys

 

I'm sure he's not the only one to do this with a variety of merchandise.

Wow!  Just...wow. How could someone that tech savy be that stupid.  Did he think those little those little black balls on the ceiling are for decoration?  Thank you for sharing that.

[TheOrcKing]

http://www.mercurynews.com/year-in-review/ci_20675946/silicon-valley-tech-executive-lego-theft-barcode-scheme-charged-sap-toys

I'm sure he's not the only one to do this with a variety of merchandise.

I remember reading that breaking news last year. How absurd, a guy living in Silicon Valley needed discounts on Lego....

I know it was theft and making a quick buck by flipping but the whole thing for whatever the reason is still asinine all the same.

[rcdb1984]

I remember reading that breaking news last year. How absurd, a guy living in Silicon Valley needed discounts on Lego....

I know it was theft and making a quick buck by flipping but the whole thing for whatever the reason is still asinine all the same.

I like one of the fb comments......."i hope they make him walk barefoot over legos until the end of time"

[terrymc4677]

I was able to acquire 4 ships and 3 gates at the first clearance price over the past 2 1/2 weeks. I am going to try the adjustment tomorrow. If they don't adjust I will just return them and hope they go back to the shelf where I can re-buy them. Getting them at the first clearance price doesn't seem like such a good deal anymore after hearing about this second wave of clearance prices. If it goes through that will put $262 back into my pocket, which would be huge. Worst case scenario, I return and don't re-buy, which I would be fine with too since the first wave of clearance prices are nothing to get excited about anymore. The sets are boxed up and the receipts are in hand! Wish me luck!

Success! I just returned from target and everything went very smooth. I made a point NOT to be there right at open because I didn't want to be "that guy" who gets the service desk employee's day off to a bad start. I was very polite, brought in all 7 sets, and had both of my receipts and red card ready to go. I politely explained my intentions and the service lady could not have been more nice. She explained targets policy and that they don't normally do adjustments on clearance, but without me even asking she called her supervisor and asked for an exception. Beautiful!

I came away with 4 pirate ships and 3 black gates for the grand sum of $174.25, after tax and red card discount! Retail cost after tax and red card discount on these is $581.31. That's a savings of $407.06 on popular sets that are barely a few months old! Incredible!

Now, do I flip at Xmas this year or hold longer to see how they will do? What are others planning on doing with their sets? I am thinking of flipping the gates but holding the ships.

If anyone else has purchased these sets at the first clearance prices then you really need to at least try to get an adjustment. You are leaving a lot of money on the table if you don't. Good luck!

[Coneil21]

If a Target sold out of the 2 sets at the 30% discount, is there any reason to try for the price adjustment? In other words, would the store bother to further mark down a set if they no longer had that set in stock?