‘Corporate made a big change’: Maryland man goes to Target for post-holiday clearance sales. Then he discovers something shocking
Target’s post-holiday clearance is usually a free-for-all by January 1–carts flying, shelves stripped, and shoppers sprinting for 90%-off tags. But this year, a Maryland man says corporate quietly hit pause, pushing the real markdowns back a full week. Now, bargain hunters are clutching their carts in disbelief, while Target boycotters keep boasting, “I don’t shop there anyway.”
What does David’s Intel and Intuition Say?
Bearing predictions and foretelling, David’s (@davidcdeguzman) clip has gained popularity from frequent Target shoppers and staunch Target boycotters. His video on TikTok now has 470,000 views and 1500 comments with a mixed bag of opinions. Why? He’s talking about why the clearance sale at Target hasn’t dropped from 50 to 70 or 90 percent off like it usually does on January 1st.
While walking around Target, he says, “Target corporate told its stores that instead of salvaging on January 1st like they normally do, they’re gonna salvage on January 9th this year. Heard that straight from the manager’s mouth.”
But what is Salvaging?
Now back in his car, David explains the concept of salvaging and how Target has done it in the past. “It’s basically when the store, at the end of the holiday clearance event, packs up everything into boxes and either sends it back to corporate, or they sell it at a much lower price to a liquidator or one of those bin stores that can basically try to turn a profit. It’s the store trying to recoup any losses from not being able to sell the merchandise.”
This is not a new concept for Target. Ten years ago, someone asked on the r/Target subreddit about salvaged items.
A Redditor who works at Target replied, “It means the item is no longer sold in our stores and Target has taken it out of the system. Once an item goes salvage it is processed through pricing and reverse logistics and sent to a company where it is resold by the pound to places like the dollar store and the like. If a guest is wanting to buy that item and you are physically holding it in your hand. I’ve been told to sell it at the last price it as shown at in our system. If a guest is wanting to buy the item and you don’t physically have it in your hand. Apologize and say that we no longer carry that item and do not have that item in stock.”
What Does this Mean for Target Shoppers?
Well, now that clearance is pushed off, this means shoppers have to wait even longer to get items they have been eyeing for a while. David says, “We’re gonna be waiting for longer to Christmas to go down to 70% off, and then eventually to 90%. They’re holding off on putting any Valentine’s Day stuff yet because they’re gonna try to squeeze out every single dollar they can by elongating this clearance event.”
David’s advice? Wait: “Be patient. If there’s something you really want, it’s probably worth grabbing right now at 50. Otherwise, wait until it drops to 70 and then eventually 90% off.”
@davidcdeguzman Why is #Target taking forever to drop their Christmas merchandise to further discounts? #targetclearance #clearanceshopping #xmasshopping #christmasclearance ♬ original sound – DavidDeGuzman
What Do Viewers Think?
One viewer says, “Target is doing everything possible to minimize losses and protect profit, we did not make anything near our sales goal this year due to boycotts, etc, so cost cutting measures like this is going to be extremely prevalent this upcoming year.”
Another shares, “I think Kohl’s is doing the same bc their sales weren’t sale-ing.”
A viewer shares about a similar instance in October. “Halloween candy never dropped below 30% and tell me why that same week they gave it all to goodwill 2/$0.99.”
Some simply condemn Target as a whole. One viewer writes, “Why are people still shopping at Target!” Another says, “In other words, they continue to give people reasons not to shop there. Got it.”
Lastly, a comment with thousands of likes reads, “We don’t shop at Target anymore.”
The Mary Sue reached out to David via TikTok direct message and Target via email.
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