What To Know About Target Markdowns On Unsold Furniture

There's nothing like walking into Target and seeing yellow stickers all along the home decor aisles. Yellow labels typically mean the item is on clearance, ready to leave the shelves and get replaced with new and festive items should the season call for it. While most shoppers look at the big number on the markdown sticker — typically showing 30, 50, or 70% off the original price — there are other discreet Target tag numbers that you should look for to confirm whether or not you're getting the best deal possible. If you look beyond the clearance sticker, you'll find a date that can reveal if the item will be marked down again if it remains unsold.

You can find this tell-all date in the bottom left corner of the shelf label. For the date, look to the right on the lowest row of numbers. The date is displayed in a "MM/DD" format and indicates the day the item was first marked down. If the date falls within the last week, there's a good chance that the price will be further reduced should the item remain on store shelves. The percentage shown on the sticker and label will also determine how much more the home decor piece can be further reduced. If you see the item has a 70% off yellow label on it, that's the lowest the item will be marked down until it's completely removed from the system. Any discounts greater than this are typically only seen on seasonal or holiday items.

While you can't get any lower than 70% off an item on evergreen home decor and furniture at Target, there are ways to amass a greater discount. The simplest way to save money at Target every time you shop is to sign up for Target Circle. Formerly known as Cartwheel, the free program unlocks coupons and user-exclusive deals that can be stacked on top of clearance markdowns. Target Circle deals include special "For You" coupons and shopping bonuses where you can earn varying dollar amounts of Target Circle Rewards or free Target gift cards that can be used to purchase already discounted home goods and furniture.

Don't want to sign up? No worries — there are non-committal ways to buy unsold furniture, decor items, and highly-rated home essentials at lower prices. To score the deals, you simply have to know where to look for them. For home decor items and furniture, the best place to look for clearance items is obviously within the home goods section, but you may find other discounted items throughout the store. End caps, which are the shelves placed on the ends of every aisle, can house greatly discounted items as well.

Additionally, looking at the clearance price listed on the shelf tag and sticker can indicate whether or not the item is at its lowest marked down price. For the best markdowns, look for items that have prices ending in ".08, ".06", and ".04". If you find a furniture piece that ends in the latter, now's the time to buy it, as that will be the lowest price it will sell for at Target.