12 Secrets To Saving Money at Target

Try a few of these savings strategies to score great deals on your holiday list and beyond!

Shop the right day

Target sticks to a markdown schedule that Christy Palmer of All Things Target has discovered and shared with all of us Target enthusiasts:

• Monday: electronics, accessories, kids clothing, books, baby, stationery
• Tuesday: domestic, women’s clothing, pets, market food items
• Wednesday: men’s clothing, health & beauty, diapers, lawn & garden, furniture
• Thursday: housewares, lingerie, shoes, toys, sporting goods, decor & luggage
• Friday: auto, cosmetics, hardware, jewelry

Shop these days for maximum savings!

Check the ad

Target’s weekly ad comes out on Sunday for specials beginning that week. And while these prices might seem great, sale items tend to run out towards the end of the week, so shop early to get the best deals.

Learn the clearance codes

Just because an item is on clearance, that doesn’t mean that the price you see is as low as the price will get. Target wants to sell items at the highest price they can, so they start by marking them down to 15% or 30%, then down to 50% off, and finally down to 70% off.

Look for items with a red Clearance sticker, then you’ll see the price and the percentage off in the upper right hand corner, in very small print. A 30 represents a 30% off, 50 represents 50% off, and so on.

Print your coupons

Target allows you to stack coupons (more on that in a minute) but you’ll need to print yours before you go. You can use a Target coupon, manufacturer coupon, and even a Cartwheel discount coupon all on the same item.

Cartwheel

Target’s Cartwheel app might be one of the greatest inventions of all time. Download the app to your phone, then put coupons for the items you’ll be buying on your list. When you checkout at Target, simply present the barcode the app gives you, and the discounts for all the items on your list will be applies.

Discounts vary by item, but you can expect at least 5% savings, or as much as 50%. Plus, the app makes it easy to add discounts on the fly – just scan the item’s barcode to see if there are any discounts available.

Download The Target App

Manufacturer’s coupons have to be presented in print form, but Target coupons can be found on the fly through the Target App.

In addition, you can view the target ad, and you can present mobile coupons for scanning at checkout.

Get a Red Card

For a long time, I stayed away from the Target Red Card because I didn’t want another credit card, but then I discovered 2 things that made me an instant convert: 5% off + the ability to use it as a debit card.

The Red Card is free, offers 5% off of everything at checkout, gives you an additional 30 days to return items, as well as free shipping at Target.com.

Get the Target Red Card here.

If you shop at Target a lot, you can get $6 in gift cards (paid out in SB points) when you get approved for the Target REDCard. When you use that card, you also get 5% off, free shipping & 30 extra days for returns when you shop with your REDCard. The 600 SB points will credit immediately!

Get the Red Card here.

Buy discounted gift cards

You could save up to an additional 10% off your purchase by planning ahead and purchasing discounted gift cards through Raise.com. Plus, save $5 off a $25purchase with code SAVE5 at checkout.

Use price adjustments

Target has an incredible price adjustment policy: If you buy an item and the next week it goes on sale, you can get the difference refunded to you, so long as the price drops within 14 days of your purchase.

Price Match

Target will match lower prices from other online and physical retailers, including Best Buy, Walmart, and Amazon.

To receive the lower price, simply bring in evidence of the lower price and Target will lower the price for you at the register!

Scope out the clearance

Target puts it’s clearance merchandise on endcaps facing away from the main aisles, towards the outside walls. They mark down departments according to the schedule I gave you before, and then most of the items make their way towards these “hidden” gems of clearance.

Check for rebates

To score additional savings, check the following apps for after-the-fact rebates:

• Ibotta
• Checkout 51
• Berrycart
• MobiSave

How many of these have you tried?