Update: Target $99 DS a typo, but they may still honor it

by Ross Miller { Nov 25th 2005 at 3:30PM }

Today is the supposed start date of the Target sales catalog, which erroneously (yet delectably) listed the Nintendo DS price at $99. Many of you have given us stories about Target both honoring and distancing itself from the price (one reader even got Circuit City to match the price - rock on!). Pixelantes Anonymous e-mailed Target Guest Relations for the official word. In their reply, it claims Target will honor the advertised price ($99), but cautions that the catalog's prices are effective only until December 12th.

So there you have it; if you want a cheap Nintendo DS, now is the perfect time to pick it up (thank you, Gods of typographical errors who usually scorn us). The letter says to bring a copy of the catalog (you should be able to use a screen capture of the online catalog - just go here and type in "DS" in the left-most search box) and remember to call (800) 440-0680 if the Target managers need any further verification. Enjoy!

Here is the original letter:

Thanks for your e-mail about The Nintenedo Dual Screen in the 2005 Holiday Catalog. The ad is a misprint, as the price in the system should be $129.99. However, Target is honoring the ad price of $99.99 if you are able to bring in a copy of the catalog. If you have any trouble at the store, have them call us at (800) 440-0680 and we will be able to assist you then. Keep in mind the catalog price expires on December 12th, 2005.

We always welcome your questions, so if we can assist you in the future, please contact our Target Guest Relations team at (800) 440-0680. You can also speak with a team member at the Guest Services Desk at your local Target store, or visit us on Target.com. Either way, we�re here to help!

Thanks for shopping with us. I hope we�ll see you again soon at Target.

[Thanks to everyone who helped us with this!]

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Einhanderkiller @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

How does "$129.99" become "$99.99" from a typo?

Rare Hare @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

i can't find it on the site... can someone please link me to it?

gozer @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

they maybe put the micro's price up with the ds?

David @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

Einhanderkiller, perhaps the typo was caused because their is another Nintendo handheld (GB Micro) currently selling at that pricepoint? That's the only explanation I can come up with.

The only question I have about this is, does Target end up losing money because of the typo, or do they recoup it somehow?

Ross Miller @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

Rare Hare - follow the link either via "read" or click on the post's picture. You will be taken to a flash website. There are two search fields - one in the middle top of the screen,a nd another just to the left of the main flash square in a green column that says "search catalog" above it.

Use THAT search field and type in "DS" (no quotation marks) - do not type in "Nintendo DS" as it will not come up. You will find probably around 3 entires. The first one, the one picture, is what you want. Click on "view details" and then screen capture that.

Oshi @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

#2 - Click the "Read" link on the bottom of the article, then type in "DS" in the flash search engine.

Mercutio @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

Does anyone know how to score a PHYSICAL copy of their catalog, so we can walk into their store with a bright glossy clearly official piece of Target advetisement, as opposed to shitty black-and-white computer printouts? they seem to only have the weekly ads available in-store.

Ryan @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

I am wondering the same thing as the dude above; any answers out there?

bob @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

i dont theres a hard copy. the add in the sunday paper didnt even show a picture of ds in it so i think the best bet is to do a print screen.

Dakara @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

I just called my Target, and they said that $99.00 was the price, that no it was not on sale, thats just what the price is. I was shocked. I might get one for an early christmas gif fo myself.

Abhinav Kumar @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

Hey they used my picture cool, ok then this is a great deal!

D @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

Well, I tried it, lugging in my laptop with the pages in question saved since it'd probably look more official than a black and white printout. Amusingly, the salespeople accused me of accessing an old version, so a lot of time was wasted trying to find a computer with an address bar. After half an hour with a supervisor-ish person, I was denied, since apparently, out here in San Diego, they don't have the catalog yet. The interesting bit is that the supervisor even called the number, and they advised her to hold the price at $129, at least until they get the December catalog, which is, I guess, in December.

...and while I wonder whether it was smart to show them the entire joystiq article (which kinda peeved a few of the lesser employees), I knew I was exploiting a loophole, which bugged me. Whether they fix it or not by next thursday is just how my luck turns out.

jojo @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

http://catalog.target.com/december/default.aspx?action=browsepageflash&storeid=2413636&promotioncode=target-051121-DECEMB&pagenumber=1&swfdir=%2fkidscatalog%2fflash%2ftoycatalog%2f&versionnum=1.4
just in case you couldn't find it (comment #2)

Hope(less) @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

I called the store in Racine WI. They said they had 'em....for $129.99. (The $99 one was supposed to be for the "micro".) That was that. The End. Goodby.

Don't bother trying to call Target Guest Relations tonight....they closed at 6PM.

Nesmercal @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

I was just to my local Target tonight. I took the article found here. After going through a couple of lower level employes, an individual I am assuming was a manager was sent to speak with me. It was like he wasn't even listening to me and only took a cursory glance at the print out. I did not want to argue, but insisted he just try calling the 800 number given. He would not. He said that he knew nothing of a catalog and anything online (even Target's site!) did not apply to the stores. I shouldn't have, but I finally gave up. I turned my back on them and walked out. Target has made my sh*t list...

Nesmercal

heat @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

im hoping best buy will match it tomorrow

Hallway Giant @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

That's strange... I went to my local Target and they just called that number, ok'd it, and I put down my $99.

heat @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

here's a screenshot for those who dont want to bother:

http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/154/ds1ca.png -- i recommend opening it in imageready and hitting "preview in browser" to print

if you want to doctor it to say "59.99" please upload that too. :)

Ross Miller @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

Near the customer service desk there should be a kiosk that allows access to the Target website - I just got back from picking mine up, and what the manager was told to do was have the lesser employee find it himself online (via this kiosk - go to catalogs, december catalog, and follow the above instructions), and print it out, and then they overrided the system to make it so.

It took awhile, but I kept a smile the entire time - if you're going to abuse a loophole, might as well be friendly about it, right? In reality, it is no sweat off their back (maybe the managers, but not the other employees)

Chad @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

Printed out the screen shot and took it to Target. The manager was unsure of what to do at first, but they went ahead and gave it to me for 99.99 plus tax without much adieu at all.

Seraph Wing @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

Thanks a bunch, Joystiq! See, my cousin wanted the GBASP bundle that was on sale today somewhere, but it was sold out before we could find it. I convinced my uncle that the DS was a better machine anyway, and with this article, we managed to get the DS for 99.99! It took a while, yeah, but it really worked! My cousin's really happy, and I feel good being able to help out.

Ryan @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

Yeah, I had no problem with the $99 price tag, just showed them the ad (the "In Stores Only" part was key) and picked up three Blue DS's like that. I might go back and get a couple more tomorrow; at this price they make a terrific holiday gift! ;)

Josh @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

I printed it off, brought it in and only had to say "Online it says it is 99" and no questions asked a low level employee forked it over :)

ZeroCorpse @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

In Michigan, a company named Meijer has been advertising the Sony PSP at $199.99 which is, as you may know, abotu $50 less than the Sony-locked price point. This has been a pain for the other retailers, as we're being asked to match this price and can not do it without risking a fine and penalties from Sony. Besides, upon checking, it seems no Meijer had any PSPs to sell at this price point, or at least had very few to work with.

Supposedly, this wasn't a typo, either. It seems like a gamble to intentionally skirt the Sony price lock on a game console. All the hardware manfacturers take their price locks very seriously. I've seen threatening letters for advertising at whatever dollars and .97 cents instead of the company's .99 cents, let alone changing the price by $50 without authorization.

The other possibility is that this was a bait & switch. They didn't have any to begin with (thus they technically didn't sell any at that price point, and didn't violate the terms of their agreement with Sony) and just advertised them that low so they'd get people in the door and then sell them a DS or something else.

By the way- I have it on good authority that the shortages of consoles is due to the industry trying to cut down on mob scenes. They distribute very few on launch days so that there are no more than 75 people (give or take a few) waiting in line at launch, which is widely advertised. Small groups of people tend to get along. Larger groups (over 100 in a line, for example) can become a mob of angry customers pretty easily. If people get trampled or beaten in a huge opening-day launch of a console, it looks REALLY bad for the company (it doesn't help your image to have the TV news saying "12 people were killed in a mob at the Sony PS2 launch") so the PR people have started reducing the numbers at launch. It cuts down on mobs, builds hype, and allows them to "test the water" to see how sales trends will be later, when they dump the main supply into retail chains.

Or so I'm told...

Jay @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

Even if this is a typo, do you still think that other major retailers will price match the $99 if we bring the catalog into their stores? It seems as though all of the DS stock in my local Targets are gone. People are really taking advantage of this! Cool!

Mark B @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

Black Friday was very good to me and I am now the proud owner of a Nintendo DS. The first game I purchased for it was Mario Kart DS and it is awesome. I'm having a total blast with it.

I had been thinking about getting a DS for a few months. Now that there seems to be more and more good games available for the system, I could no longer resist.

The DS is the perfect compliment to my PS2 and Xbox. Who the hell needs a 360? Not this happy gamer. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow is next.

:-D

Pixelantes Anonymous @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

I went to a Circuit City store right next to a Target store yesterday and asked if they would pricematch. They didn't even blink when they said yes.

Charles Hwang @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

I e-mailed Target inquiring about this (I was hoping they'd give me a nice e-mail that authorizes the lowered price), and what I got back is an e-mail telling me to buy it online, then e-mail them to refund the difference:

"Greetings from Target.com.

If we nationally advertise a lower price in the week of, or the week
following your online purchase of the same item, we can adjust the
price of your online order to match the advertised price.

Once you have placed an order for the item, please e-mail us with the
name of the item, your order number, and the "good through" date
listed on the back of the circular.

Please note that products and prices for Target stores vary slightly
from region to region and occasionally between the stores and the Web
site. We are unable to change this pricing.

Thanks for shopping at Target.com. We hope you'll visit again soon."

So, basically, local stores aren't obligated to lower a price while the online website is, at least according to the e-mail I got.

Nevertheless, I'll try in-store first, then online. Hopefully, I can grab a DS or two.

Jody @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

I went and picked one up last night. had to go to 2 targeets, but ive got a sweet sweet electric blue ds with mario kart now.

Friend Code:
300707
779792

Jerel @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

I went to Target last night and was able to get two Nintendo DSs for $89.99 a piece thanks to the misprint and the "Get 10% off all your puchases today with a new Target Credit Card" promotion.

...Too bad I don't get to play it untill Christmas. :(

dmg @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

can i buy the bundles for 99?
or just the alone system?

Ross Miller @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

just the alone system - but hey, beggars can't be choosers, that's still $40 off

modkennylaine @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

129.99-99.99=30.
30 dollars off.
Still not shabby.

There were only a few blue DS left. Got one, had the salesperson call the manager, manager looked at the ad and had him lower the price.
All told, took me about 4 minutes.
Thank you, Joystiq! Thank you, whoever found this error!

Foof @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

I got two (blues) this morning at the Ithaca NY Target. Printed out the Joystiq page with the blockquote on it, and the manager called the Guest services number and spoke with them for 5 minutes.

$99 + $28 for Mario Kart = $127, which is a $23 savings over the DS/MK bundle I had on order with EBGames. Woot. I'll do without the cool red color and strap/stylus thing, and get another game for my money.

Thanks Joystiq!

Alkaiser @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

Well, you guys must all be hitting the jackpot, because everyone I dealt with was a bunch of jerks, and they didn't give it to me at this price.

They made me call Guest Services who said, "Give him the price." Then I had her talk to the people at the store and tell them to give me the price, and then they had supervisors get involved to basically say, "No."

So, if you don't have the Catalog (that they're saying you now MUST have) in order to get the DS, they'll deny you.

If you run into problems, leave a message here or over at Netjak.com and maybe we can get a large group together and show them what a large number of angry gamers can do.

mcgoo @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

it's funny but one of those catalogs came in the mail today so i pounced on it and found it. the catalog is great and says gatheround on the front. now it'll be easy for me to get one. i wasn't going to get this handheld but i can't pass up this deal. if i don't like i can sell it and make profit.

dave @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

Worked like a charm. Took in the catalog to Target and showed it to a salesperson. About 5 minutes later, a manager type person came over, apologized to me for their error and sold it to me the last one for 99.99. Then took the ad to Circuit City across the street and my brother showed them the ad, and got his for 99 + 10% extra off because of their price matching policy. thank you joystiq

[Jesse] @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

Oh my God! Thanks joystiq! I'm now the proud owner of a DS for $100! Electric blue DS is now charging and I have a Nintendog... his name is Waffles :P Yes, he is a husky!

Lee @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

I just came back and purchased 3 DS's (2 Blue, 1 Silver), each for $99.00. The Electronics Department refused to honor the price. I went to Guest Relations who then got an Assistant Manager and then a second one. I had the print out in my hand. The managers told me that I had to call the 800 number. I told them that I had (well, someone had at least), and was told that *the store* had to call the 800 number to verify. At that point, they gave up (either too tired or too busy to call themselves), and an Assistant Manager marched over to the Electronics Department and told them to honor the price.

I didn't bother to mention until after the manager walked away that I wanted 3. I figured that was better left unsaid. So, my 7 year old twins and their Dad now have DS's (well they will come the holidays).

Great Deal!!

[Jesse] @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

P.S. They just can't stop with the typos!!! Nintenedo? haha!

Nesmercal @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

As I stated last night in Post 15 above, the Target I went to denied giving it to me for $99 and refused to call the number. So today I went to Circuit City and attempted to have them match the price. I had with me the article above and a print out of the Target webpage. I also showed him Target's catalog online. The associate at CC was very helpful and did everything he could to give it to me for $99. He had to confirm with the local Target though that they were selling it for that price which they refused to do. They claimed "they didn't know anything about it." as they did last night. The CC associate really did his best and talked to a couple people at Target and also his manger there at CC. The CC manager though said that it couldn't be sold at $99 if Target would not confirm it... So once again no $99 DS for me. Congradulations to everybody here that got their's at that price. I'm not sure what to do next...pretty PO'ed over the whole thing now...

SomeRandomGuy @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

If they didn't honor it, you can always go online to the Better Business Bureau and file an official complaint. It usually doesn't do much, but it is a black mark on the manager's record.

Necrogeist @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

Is this holiday ad for this week or December? Also, anyone had any luck getting a hard copy?

Alkaiser @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

The last guy I talked to said that this was part of a mailer that was sent out to a select small group of people. It's not a Target Sunday paper-type ad. It's part of a mailer thing. I asked the guy to send me out a copy then and then we could resolve this amicably, and he said no.

thom @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

Talked with target.com about the december catalog. Apparently you can't get these catalogs in hardcopy. If a product is listed as an in-store only, it is up to the individual store to honor the price or not. I printed out the web pages and visited both targets in my area. They both said that they wouldn't honor this as they didn't know anything about the price change and that the discount may be a district/area thing.
I'm bummed about not being able to get the discount...Gook luck to the rest of ya

Foof @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

Wow, sounds like a lot of people aren't having much luck with this! I picked up 2 this morning with an absolute minimum of hassle, but I do live in hickville. To think they can just pull up target.com and do a search to get the discounted price :/

SenorWeird @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM

Worked wonderfully for me. Walked into Target, grabbed two DS machines (my friend was getting in on the deal too), showed it to the cashier in the electronics department. At first he looked at it funny, but then I was like "I called the Guest Relations phone number and they said Target would honor it." And he goes "We are? Okay" and rang it up just like that. Really nice and easy. Whomever discovered this, I owe you a kiss or something. Or to let you win a few times on Mario Kart to boost your ego a bit.