They price match, and their prices have lowered over the years. Most Targets have at least a small grocery section, which is very convenient when I need a few things and don't want to drive around to a few different stores. Also, there's a Target store 5 minutes from my house....which is dangerous. :)
Over the past few months, I've discovered a few ways to save money at Target. My past two shopping trips were $112 and $113 and I bought them down to $68 and $74, respectively, using these techniques.
1. Cartwheel-This app by Target is free and easy to use. There are usually a few hundred offers on the app at any given time on items throughout the store. The discount is usually 5-10%, but I've saved as much as 50%. You select the offers you want to use, then have the cashier scan the barcode in the app. Wa-la! You start out with 10 spots (so you can use 10 different offers), but the more you use it, the more spots you get. I have 20 right now after using it for about 5 months. I've saved $30 since I started using it. It all adds up! They almost always have deals on their generic products (up&up and Market Pantry). They added a new feature in the app where you can scan an item to see if there are any Cartwheel deals for it-this saves a lot of time so you don't have to type in every item! I will typically scan an item before I put it in my cart to make sure I don't miss out on any savings.
2. Manufacturer Coupons-Target accepts one manufacturer coupon per item. You can find manufacturer coupons in the newspaper, in fliers, and on websites like coupons.com, where you print them from your home printer (you do have to take ink and paper cost into account using this method). Manufacturer coupons say "Manufacturer Coupon" on the coupon itself, usually next to the expiration date.
3. Target Coupons-Target has coupons in a few different places including mailers, Sunday ads, Catalinas (the coupons that print from the machine while your receipt is printing), and at coupons.target.com. The coupons say "Target Coupon" or "Target Web Coupon" on them. You can also use Target Mobile Coupons, which are texted to you (http://m.target.com/sms/coupon-alrts/form). Target Mobile Coupons are stored in the Target app (this is a separate app from Cartwheel-I wish they'd combine them, but it's worth the time and money to download both apps). Just show the cashier the barcode and wa-la! You can't use a Target Mobile Coupon and a paper Target coupon on the same item, but I haven't run into this issue yet. Some of the mobile coupons are awesome, like $1 off a purchase of $1 or more on a fruit or vegetable purchase. I got carrots for $0.19! They had a coupon in the paper a couple of weeks ago for $15 off your up&up purchase of $40 or more. There are loads of up&up products that I'd buy anyway (like diapers, wipes, baby food, paper goods, toilet paper, etc.) so why not save extra money? If you don't get a Sunday paper you can have the in-ad coupons texted to you, and they will be a mobile coupon.
You can combine one manufacturer coupon, one Target coupon, and one cartwheel coupon per item. I bought three boxes of General Mills cereal for less than $0.50 a piece using this technique!
4. Red Card-You can get Target's credit card to save 5%, or get a Target Red Card Debit Card, which is linked to your checking account, and also save 5%. The only downside to the debit card is that it can take a few days to come out of your checking account. It's 5% off everything in the store. EVERYTHING!
5. Sales-Last but not least...SALES! Or clearance. That works too. You can find Target's ad online a day or two before it comes out in the paper.
To maximize your savings at Target, you have to plan. And this takes time, which I know not everyone has. I usually plan my shopping trip after James goes to bed when I have an hour or two of peace and quiet before it's my bedtime. There are websites like Totally Target and The Krazy Coupon Lady who do "coupon matchups," which is a great time saver. The match up coupons, sales, and Cartwheel deals for you so you know what the best deals are.
Happy shopping!
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