Okay, I’m just going to say it. Clearance chasing in the rumpus is weiiiiiird, y’all.

I have no issue with the post its. No system is perfect, but I appreciate that this new system makes finding clearance items easier and enables me to not have to pick the item up. I was initially worried about how discounts would work with the new post it system. Would things be marked down less regularly? That doesn’t seem to be the case, since several items I saw had a layers of clearance post its, indicating price changes. So I was worried for nothing. I’m good with the post its.

The larger issue seems to be supply and demand. With the clearance prices so clearly labeled, the savings amount prominently displayed, more people are taking advantage of the sales. Supply and demand. They are getting supplied and I am demanding more discounts! With more people buying the clearanced merchandise at 30% and 50% off, there is less cause for the stores to discount further. And more people do seem to be buying the merchandise thanks to the new post it system. I was at my fancy Target and there were plenty of bare shelves. But don’t worry, there were still a few deals to be found!

There were some great 50% discounts on baby toys. A good time to stock up for baby showers or 1st birthdays.

This Little People School is down to $14.99. I debated heavily, but decided to see if it hits 70% off.

$39.98 for this HUGE TRANSFORMING SPACESHIP and your very own Buzz Lightyear Action Figure. Big items like this usually make it to 70% off, specially if there are a lot in stock. At my store, there were a lot on stock.

As we are navigating this new clearance system, there are a few things to watch out for with the post its. As you can see, this Marshall is down to $7.48. Next to him, Chase is also down to $7.48, with a sticker. But next to them is Skye, who is not discounted. I wonder how many people have seen the first two stickers and assumed Syke was also on sale, only to be surprised at the register…

…Because at my fancy store, the Scanners are a touch system and they are obviously down. So you can’t scan things before you get to the register. As someone who has spent years telling you to Always Be Scanning, this was a huge adjustment on my part.

Another post it thing to watch for! See this tag? It states that Marvel Titans are 50% off, down to $4.98. Great. Oh, and there is a toy there! Hurrah. But wait. That toy is a Transformer. Who put this here? Are the Transformers also on sale? Should I scan this? Oh wait, I can’t scan this. So if you are clearance shopping, be sure that the item you want matches the tag you see.

This is also a great time to grab gifts for your organization’s holiday toy drive. I imagine donations will mean even more this year, because of the rumpus.

Blocks AND learning for $7.49. Great deal!

$34.99 for this Magnext Building Set. Remember, the rumor (this is not confirmed in any way) is if an item items in a 9, ie $34.99, it won’t be discounted further. So if you see something you need ending in a 9, now might be the time to grab it.

The boys from BTS are only $9.98. How many dudes are in this band? How much would it cost for the full set?

Stocking stuffers!

Don’t forget to checkout games and crafts. They’re 50% off, too!

Kids love games and kids love slime. And parents love $7.48 price tags.

Worried about your kids being sedentary during the rumpus? Grab one of these vert active looking Torch Run games for $9.98.

For $24.98, yes he Canada!

Bo’s staff is only $9.98! Another one I am hoping will go down to 70% off.

There was a TON of Hexbug stuff for 50% off.

This Hot Wheels storage playlet is down to $9.98. I will say, normally it feels like girl toys are discounted more than boy toys, but not today! Lots of boy options.

I have never heard of Foodie Roos, but if you have, good news! They’re only $4.98.

Supply and demand. :)

Normally, I would look for next Friday to be 70% off. I’m not sure this year. The rumpus is keeping me on my toes. I’ll still head to the store to see what there is to see and report back. If you are not ready for being in the store, you could check out the clearance selection online. It’s small, but there are a few good things in there.

Have you been clearance toy shopping yet? What do you think about the new system? Any good finds? Share in the comments!

Kristen B. is wife to the best Prince around, mama to the spunkiest little princesses, and lover of all things Disney. She started her savings journey five years ago and is now dedicated to making her family’s wishes come true one coupon at a time. She is so excited to take her love of saving to the next level and share her journey with you! Click here to catch up on Kristen’s Savings and join in on your own savings adventure!

As promised, I hit up the first Friday of Target’s July Target Toy Clearance!

Like we expected, Toy Clearance looks a little different during the rumpus. Everything that was clearanced had a special tab on the shelf as well as a giant sticker that looked like a post it. At my store, things were not moved to endcaps or their own section. They were left in their regular spots, which I think accounts for the giant clearance sticky note thing. Trying to make the items stand out on the shelves.

With this method, it’s hard to tell if there are the same amount of sales or slightly less. But honestly, I’m just happy there was any clearance at all. It was a total toss up if there would even be Toy Clearance sales this summer. On the one hand, I imagine stores moved slightly less toys in the big Easter season than they normally do, so maybe there would be the need to move older inventory. On the other hand, I’m not sure if new items are coming out in the Fall to prepare for the big Christmas season because of the development and factory situations. It’s a puzzlement.

*Just a quick note: I wore a mask during this trip, brought hand sanitizer with me, and did not handle any toys up for pictures. Clearance shopping is usually a high touch game (lots of people glad handling those popular items) so please be safe out there!

Tons of Toy Story on clearance!

Notice the bright yellow sticky note has the percentage off, and then the item label has the former price and the current price. This seems like a lot of work for toy clearance. I wonder if it will continue in this vein as prices drop…if prices drop…

Pokemon Megaconstrux for $13.99.There were several Megaconstrux sets for sale, but no Legos yet.

Look at this! If your store has the old school scanners, they might be available still!

Hatchimals for $5.58. I’ll tell you, Toy Clearance went a lot quicker without me having to do mental math every few steps.

Only $8.98 for a craft and a cute accessory!

Great stocking stuffers for $2.49.

One specific Our Generation Doll at $17.48. These yellow tabs as part of the display also make the finding the of clearance items easier. No hunting around for little stickers that were put on the bottom of the box.

I got all excited because I saw that 30% off and thought it was for the TOTS set below. It was not. But hey, good news for you Shopkins fans, $10.48 for that set.

Fancy Nancy Dress-Up and figurines 30% off.

These Muppet Babies were the only items I saw with an actual clearance sticker. $10.48 for the set.

Ryan’s World blind…containers? $2.78. Loads of Ryan’s World stuff for 30% off.

Big Imaginext sets were $20.98.

50% off this awesome Cars set. I should have grabbed it for gift closets but I was a little off my game. But $9.98 is a decent price for those cars!

Some Thomas stuff was 30% off. Are kids still into Thomas?

Loads of baby toys! I love this Light Up Llama for $10.49.

I have to give it to them. This is smart. These Baby Shark Blind Fishbowls come with a surprise shark AND surprise slime. Kids love baby sharks and slime. Brilliant. Down to $2.99.

$24.49 for Buzz, Jessie, and the camper! This is one of those toys I will snatch at 50% off.

Okay, I VERY seriously considered this. I have a STEM loving little who has asked for a Barbie and a microscope for her birthday. I thought about getting her one of these science inclined type dolls. And $7.48 is not a price to sneeze at. Anyone have these dolls or your kids watch this show? Gimme your thoughts!

Boxy Girls running the gamut from 30% to 70% off.

I wonder if they will keep doing Equestria Girls stuff now that they’re re-booting My Little Pony.  $13.98 for this 40 piece set.

Lots of cars, from all kinds of brands, at 30% to 50% off.

These little robots are down to $12.48. Though, I don’t know, the way 2020 is going, you might not want to get them, in case we’re due for a robot uprising next…

Oh man, look at this cool erector set for $9.98! Why didn’t I grab this either? I was so off my game!

Games were also on sale! A very Olaf version of Trouble was $13.98.

This active looking fishing game is only $9.98.

All things considered, it’s a pretty good selection! I didn’t grab anything this trip because I was still testing the clearance waters. I’ll head over to the fancy store on Friday to see if there are more discounts and a different inventory.

Are you going toy clearance shopping this year? What great scores did you find so far? Let’s see ‘em in the comments!

Kristen B. is wife to the best Prince around, mama to the spunkiest little princesses, and lover of all things Disney. She started her savings journey five years ago and is now dedicated to making her family’s wishes come true one coupon at a time. She is so excited to take her love of saving to the next level and share her journey with you! Click here to catch up on Kristen’s Savings and join in on your own savings adventure

It’s my favorite time of the year!  Target Toy Clearance time!

For those of you who are new to Target Toy Clearance, here’s the sitch: a few times a year, stores clearance specific lines of merchandise to make way for new product. Target does this with their toys twice a year. Once in January, to get rid of all toys from last Christmas, and once in July right before all the new product lines appear in stores.

And bam! It is July! Which means the clearance has begun!

But before you get in your car and high tail it to Target, we should talk. Specifically, we need to have a chat about how the clearance will look different during the rumpus. As you can see in the pictures, there are a lot more tags and marking to make clearance items very obvious. I would imagine this is two fold: first, to minimize the times people pick things up to check prices, etc. Secondly, many stores have closed their scanners, since some were high tech iPad version which also included a lot of touching, a lot of potential germ spreading. So with Target adjusting how they’re doing Toy Clearance, maybe we need to adjust our strategies. Here are my tips for clearance chasing during the rumpus.

Go Straight to the Toys

During clearance season, I have been known to take two to three hours perusing Target. Just ask my husband. But now is not the time for leisurely shopping. Even if you have other shopping to do, go to the toys first. Toys will probably take the longest. You want to be energized and not mask fatigued because you’ve already been shopping for an hour and you’re very uncomfortable. Being tired and hot is not the best mind set to go into deal hunting. Give yourself the best advantage by going in fresh.

Check Online Prices First

You want to spend the least amount of time in the store, or at least I do. The best way to do that is to have a price reference. So before you go, check online. Because so many people are shopping from home these days, Target is offering more sales and discounts than usual, across all categories. If there are specific items or brands you have in mind (I’m always on the hunt for Legos), see what the going rates are online. Sometimes they’re better, sometimes they’re worse, but it will give you an idea of what a “base” price is for a toy. For example, if a Lego set is on Target’s website for $19.99, but on sale for $15.99, you might think that is a great deal. But in-store, the same set might be 30% off, so $14. A better deal. It also might not have any markdowns in store and be the same $19.99. Or my favorite, it might be marked up to $24.99 with a 30% off discount in store, making it $17.49…which is more expensive than the online version. I’ve encountered all of these scenarios. To avoid doing a ton of math in store, go with a base idea of reasonable prices and discounts by checking stock online.

Make a List. Check it Twice

This is an extension of checking online first, another way to keep yourself organized and on task. I’ve taken to making lists for each child of what I am keeping my eye out for. It not only keeps me from spending unnecessarily, but it helps narrow down the field of items, since there will be a lot on clearance. If you wanted to jot down some of the prices you found in the above step, so much the better.

Schedule Your Trips 

Okay, so summer toy clearance usually (usually) lasts the entire month of July. Items will start at 15% or 30% off, gradually move to 50% off around the middle of the month, and end at 70% off right before we hit August. I have never seen toy clearance go to 90% off. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen, I’m just saying I’ve never seen it. As such, 70% off is the one I wait for on most items. In my experience, prices won’t get any better than that. Some stores are already reporting 50%, so now is a great time to go.

I normally schedule one trip a week in the beginning to the middle of the month, and towards the end of the month, a trip every few days. Because of the rumpus, I will be limiting myself to one trip a week. The rumor is that Target clearances toys on Thursdays. I have seen it once with my own eyes, on a Thursday evening I shall never forget. Ah, magical. So I try to go on Friday mornings, when the clearance drops are fresh. Here is my tentative schedule for July 2020.

• Friday, July 3rd- Local Store
• Friday, July 10th-Fancy Store
• Friday, July 17th-Local Store
• Friday, July 24th-Fancy Store
• Friday, July 31st-Local Store

You’ll notice my two different store designations. You probably already know this because you’re an expert clearance chaser, but sales will vary from region to region, store to store.

I have one Target about 20 minutes away, my “local” store. They discount slower and less steeply than the store an extra 15 minutes away in the next town over, my “fancy” store. I visit multiple stores because they have different stock and different markdown schedules. This enables me to find more deals. You might not feel comfortable visiting multiple stores during these rumpusy times, and that’s perfectly fine.

Know What You Have vs What You Need

Toy clearance is a great opportunity to stock up for Christmas, as well as fill that gift closet. But sometimes, we fill the gift closet so much, we don’t know what we have. Before you go spend your hard earning cash, do an inventory of what you have: brands (Lego, Our Generation), type (board games, crafts), and purpose (Christmas or birthday presents, gifts for friends’ birthdays.) This will narrow down the spending field so you don’t get overwhelmed. Every time I see a well priced PJ Masks toys, I think back to the three PJ Masks things sitting in my gift closet, gathering dust.

I will be hitting Target on Friday and cannot wait. to show you what I found. Will you be checking out Target Toy clearance this year? What are you hoping to find?

Kristen B. is wife to the best Prince around, mama to the spunkiest little princesses, and lover of all things Disney. She started her savings journey five years ago and is now dedicated to making her family’s wishes come true one coupon at a time. She is so excited to take her love of saving to the next level and share her journey with you! Click here to catch up on Kristen’s Savings and join in on your own savings adventure