Target is not just a store for teachers, itâs retail therapy magic. Whether we are scanning the sales in person with our Starbucks, or scrolling the new arrivals on our smartphones, itâs amazing how Target just gets what we teachers needâŠand what we didnât know we needed, until we saw it at Target. ? But we bet you could be shopping even more shrewdly at the âold bullseye, or even applying for a grant for your classroom! Here are our 11 must-know Target discounts and deals for teachers.
1. Hit The Dollar Spot on weekdays
Target tends to mark items down and move them to the Dollar Spotâthe beloved bargain binsâon Mondays through Fridays. By 3 p.m. on a Saturday, other shoppers will have already pawed through for the good stuff. So if you are looking for prize box items or sale priced seasonal decorations, hit your Target on the way home after school. However, Target has created an online version of their fan favorite front-of-store sale section, called the Bullseye Playground. Check in periodically to see whatâs up for grabs.
2. Donât miss the endcaps for special clearance items
If you are a clearance sale hunter, keep your eyes peeled for the red âclearanceâ signs posted at the end of aisles. There on the endcap of an aisle, usually facing a wall rather than a high-trafficked aisle, you will find the items on the deepest discount. Clearance priced items at Target in-store always have red sticker. You can also shop Target clearance items online and even check to see if you can pick-up that same day at your local store.
3. Apply for a Target Field Trip Grant
Target launched their Field Trip grant program in 2007, and since then has made it possible for millions of student to experience exciting learning outside of the classroom. K-12 schools in the United States can apply for these grants valued up to $700, and grant applications are accepted at this link between August 1st and October 1st. (Add a calendar alert for yourself right now!) And if youâre interested in having a Target-funded soccer program at your school, check out the Target youth soccer grant application, too!
4. Shop online for orders over $35
If you are going to be spending more than $35, place your Target order online. Not only will you get free shipping and save yourself the time of running an errand, you will save yourself the risk of purchasing a whole slew of items you didnât know you needed! You can either wait and get your purchase at your door in 3-5 days, or you can check to see if you can pick up your order in-store via Target Order Pickup in just a few hours.
5. Get a Target REDcard and save on every purchase
When you use a Target REDcard âeither the debit or the credit card versionâfor payment, you always save an additional 5% atop any other savings. (Yes, the discount is good at the in-store Starbucks, too.) You will also have first crack at all savings events before non-card holders and get exclusive extras and bonuses. And each year on the anniversary of your REDcard membership, youâll receive a 10% coupon to use any time throughout the rest of the year.
6. Add the Target Cartwheel App to your computer and phone
Friends donât let friends shop at Target without logging in to the Target Cartwheel app first (the Target app and the Cartwheel app used to be separate but are now one and the same). To skip this step would be like checking out of the grocery store without scanning your club card or entering your phone numberâyou would be leaving money on the table.
When you want to shop Target online, login to Cartwheel first and you will see all the items that are 5-50% off. For example, the app keeps you from purchasing one brand of paper towels when another one is on deeper discount. When you are shopping Target in-store, use the app on your phone to scan barcodes of products. If there is a better deal on the item you are considering, or there is a coupon for the item that ran online or in a print ad, you will immediately have that savings added to you purchase!
7. Consider Target subscriptions for items you always buy
If you know there are items you are constantly buying at Target (coffee pods, paper towels, pencils), use Target Subscriptions to have them delivered on a schedule that you set. Youâll score free shipping and 5% off every Target Subscription purchase (and if you use your REDcard, thatâs 10% off).
8. Sign up for the weekly ad email
Who has time to paw through the newspaper for the weekly ad? Get the Target weekly ad via email instead. Youâll receive all of the big deals sent right to your email, which means that theyâll be searchable right there on your phone when you make a Target run.
9. Follow @TargetDeals on Twitter
If youâre a fan of both Target and Twitter, bring your passions together and follow @TargetDeals, Targetâs official account announcing its best deals. We also love the @TargetTeachers page on Facebook, ran by two classroom teachers who regularly post their best finds.
10. Look at your in-store Target receipts
Although not as prolific in the receipt coupon game as say, CVS, Target often provides coupons or $X off certificates printed directly on in-store receipts. Always look at those white rectangles before you throw away or file!
11. Bring manufacturerâs coupons (or use a coupon app)
If youâre up for couponing, Target will take âem! Unlike some retailers, Target will accept manufacturersâ coupons. Save your hard copy coupons clipped from the newspaper and bring them with you for your Target runs, and head to Coupons.com and RedPlum.com to print coupons. Expert couponers swear by coupon apps such as The CouponsApp and SnipSnap for tracking them down for you so you can show them from your phone when you check out at Target.
Did we miss any Target discounts, deals, or tips you think we should know about? Share your ideas in our WeAreTeachers Chat group on Facebook.Â
P.SâŠyou also might like our 9 Surprising Amazon Perks for Teachers.
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