"Salvage" items at Target

[torinsmom]

I was so upset today. I saw a bunch of the stuffed animal gift card holders on an endcap in the Target toy aisle. I knew they should be 90% off, so I put them all in my cart. I was thinking I could use them for our Operation Christmas Child boxes at church next Christmas. THe little elephany puppets were really cute. Anyway, they rang up item not found and the cashier said they were salvage, so they wouldn't sell them to me. I even spoke with a manager, but no go. It was very disappointing.

Marsha

 

[livndisney]

I was so upset today. I saw a bunch of the stuffed animal gift card holders on an endcap in the Target toy aisle. I knew they should be 90% off, so I put them all in my cart. I was thinking I could use them for our Operation Christmas Child boxes at church next Christmas. THe little elephany puppets were really cute. Anyway, they rang up item not found and the cashier said they were salvage, so they wouldn't sell them to me. I even spoke with a manager, but no go. It was very disappointing.

Marsha

This is Target policy. Once it is marked salvage in the computer- they are not supposed to sell it.

 

[Rootskate]

What is salvage?

 

[Ilovemylife]

What is salvage?

That's what I was wondering. If it was something that they couldn't sell, why was it on a shelf??

 

[delmar411]

go to the nearest Goodwill in a few days. That's where most of their salvage ends up around here.

 

[momxx5]

I ran into this situation early last week.

I am aware of their policies and procedures but it still kinda caught me off guard.

Target has their markdowns set on a schedule.
Seasonal markdowns are handled in a certain schedule.

50% off (sometimes occur right before the holiday)
75% off shortly after holiday
and then if anything is left 90% off.

The 90% off has a short shelf time, sometimes being only one day.
Immediately after the 90% off the items are pulled and listed as salvage.
Target then donates the items to Goodwill, and uses the writeoff for the items at full price, thus giving them a good writeoff.

Goodwill then sells the items, new with tags for a reduced price. I have seen items at Goodwill marked to 50% of the Target original shown price on the tag. So to me this is not really a good deal because within the past few days the items were deeply discounted at the store. I kinda feel that Goodwill is taking advantage (that totaly is not worded right) or that Target is playing some sort of game.

So, back to early last week. I returned a pair of jammies that were not the correct size for DD. I misplaced the reciept but thankfully with the Target system they were able to refund what I paid for the item because I had the correct card with me. They did oblige me and put the refund on a gift card since I was planning on getting DD jammies in the correct size.
So after the return I kindly ask the customer service out of curiousity if the jammies were greatly reduced. Sorry but they have been put into salvage and are taken out of our computer system.
This sucked one time when I found a cute My Little Pony Easter set in a tube. Knowing that it was well past the holiday I was hoping to get it at 75% or more likely 90% off. Instead, the customer service lady quickly snatched it from my hands and said it was no longer available for sale. ???

So I know first hand how frustrating it can be, especially if you are holding the item in your hand and yet cannot buy it because the "computer says so".

 

[Rootskate]

Wow, I have never heard of this!

 

[livndisney]

Not that this helps- but I was told years ago....
Target marks an item salvage and "donates" it goes to the Salvation Army or other agency. (Target is "giving" to the community.)
Why sell it to you for 90% when they can claim a donation at a higher amount?

In years past Target has a had a set schedule for markdowns. I think we all saw that vary greatly this year. Target does an across the board markdown on seasonal to "clear it out". What doesn't get sold in X amount of days gets marked back up in the system and then salvaged.

 

[torinsmom]

Yep, they told me I could go and buy them from Goodwill, but I knew that instead of 39cents, they will probably be $2. Seems to me, if they leave it on the shelf, they should have to sell it.

Marsha

 

[sorcerormickey]

We've found several items over the years at Target waaaayyy after they went 90% off and were gone - usually XMas stuff in the housewares section. They have always sold it to us at the 90% off price.

 

[Local_Girl]

I get the whole donation/salvage thing, but it seems ridiculous to literally snatch the item out of a customer's hand. If it's a salvage item, it should be pulled off the sales floor--if not, and a customer gets a hold of it, a manager should have the ability to make a sale. Perhaps there is a greater benefit to Target to donate the item to Goodwill than to sell it at 90% off...? Otherwise, why risk the customer goodwill (pardon the pun)?

 

[Ennazus8810]

I had a huge issue with Target this week too. I tried to buy a crib that they had displayed and advertised on clearance. I was told that they were out of stock, and that no other Target had them either. When I asked why it was still advertised and on display, they told me I could order it on-line for full price still. (130.00 more than the price it was marked)

All of my baby supplies will come from Babies R Us due to the way that Target treated me. I will not register there, and will really think twice before ever setting foot in there again.

BTW, my sister was there today, and the crib is still on display.

 

[stitchlovestink]

I get the whole donation/salvage thing, but it seems ridiculous to literally snatch the item out of a customer's hand. If it's a salvage item, it should be pulled off the sales floor--if not, and a customer gets a hold of it, a manager should have the ability to make a sale. Perhaps there is a greater benefit to Target to donate the item to Goodwill than to sell it at 90% off...? Otherwise, why risk the customer goodwill (pardon the pun)?

\

It's been awhile since I have been in the OP's situation, but I have. And more than once I might add... Thus far, the mgr has always sold it to me as I question if it's on the floor then it's for sale. Otherwise, pull it. They've always conceded, but it's usually for the 75% off. If it's something I really want, I decide if I am happy w/ it at 25% of the original cost. Usually, I am. I have had once or twice where they will sell it at the 90% off. Depends on which mgr person you talk to and the mood they're in at that moment. I can understand the OP's pain though. Nothing more frustrating than having something snatched directly from your hands.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

I found a Cranium game at Target last week that I had seen around Christmas in the area with the stocking stuffers. I scanned it and it said item not found. I asked one of the guys in the toy department, and he scanned it and said it was salvaged and it was now regular price of 8.99 if I wanted it. I took it to the cash register and said it was "item not found" and the toy dept. team member said it was salvage. The front-end manager scanned it, confirmed it was salvage, and said she would make a deal and I could buy it for 2.99. I bought it for next year. If I had seen it at 90% off, I probably could have had it for 90 cents, but it was stuck in another department and I just happened to notice it.

It's very strange, but I suppose it makes good business sense if they can donate it. It would have left a bad taste if they had taken it away from me and not offered to sell it since it was on the shelf. At least I had the choice to refuse it at the price she offered - it makes me a happier customer.

 

[torinsmom]

Well, I did ask if they could donate it to my church for the same write-off as Goodwill, but she said no to that too. I could have gotten my church's nonprofit ID number, no problem. It was not one item, it was about 20, and yes they took the items right out of my hands and put them in a Target bag right in front of me.

Marsha

 

[merekc]

I understand tax credits and all that but in these big corporations sometimes they forget about a little thing called customer service.

I once spoke with a Kohl's manager about reducing a toy since the packaging was majorly damaged. She said no, I pushed a little harder pointing out that they would never be able to sell it in the condition it was in. She told me it would be better for them to take it back and crush it than discount it anymore for me. Thanks lady. Just because it is true doesn't mean you have to say it to me.

This is why Kohls doesn't get much of my business anymore.

 

[Parkers_girl]

Oh yes, we get some of our best deals at goodwill from target salvage. Last week we got one of those huge three-shelf metal shelfs for the garage for about 6 bucks. A very large papasan chair for 10 bucks and a dark wood 3 shelf bookcase for 9 bucks. Everything was brand new in the box.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

I do despise their salvage policy.

I have to temper that with an interaction I saw at a Target in MA.

A woman was returning in several bags of random merchandise. All little things and there seemed to be no discernable pattern to it. She was chatting with the clerk working returns and they seemed to know one another. From what I heard, the jist of it was that this woman's mother was afflicted with some form of dementia and came in each morning and tottered around the store buying whatever grabbed her fancy. That afternoon, her daughter left her with the sitter and returned everything the mother bought. From the tone of the returns clerk, they all knew the mother and thought fondly of her. The existence of this woman would have meant quite a bit of extra work for the store each day, but everyone at that returns counter seemed to regard it with smiling patient good humor. It made this woman happy in her last months and they were fine with the daily routine of it.

And to be fair, the clerks and managers have been fairly nice about the salvage thing every time I've brought something up that wouldn't scan. Store policy, yeah it sucks. Sorry. We give it to charity so they can make money on it.

 

[dpratt68]

I was in Target yesterday shopping off my niece's baby registry.The carriage she registered for had been marked down on clearance as had the porta crib in the same pattern. All that was available however was the floor model. So I go to CS and ask them to check other stores and nobody has these in stock from central MA to the Cape. I ask to buy the floor models and they insist they can't sell them. I got 3 different stories why but they wouldn't budge. I finally called my niece from babies r us and asked if she was OK with a different carriage and spent my $$ there. Does Target not need the sales???

 

[luvmy3]

I was in Target yesterday shopping off my niece's baby registry.The carriage she registered for had been marked down on clearance as had the porta crib in the same pattern. All that was available however was the floor model. So I go to CS and ask them to check other stores and nobody has these in stock from central MA to the Cape. I ask to buy the floor models and they insist they can't sell them. I got 3 different stories why but they wouldn't budge. I finally called my niece from babies r us and asked if she was OK with a different carriage and spent my $$ there. Does Target not need the sales???

Target's policy is not to sell the floor model, I have asked one time to purchase a kitchen aid mixer that was on clearance and was told no. I don't ask anymore.
The floor models have no box, no instructions and may be missing some parts. I would think selling a floor model of a baby product is a liability. If it wasn't put together correctly and someone purchased it and their child was injured, you get the picture. I don't think they were doing it just to be mean.