Getting wiser to it?  Why don't they encourage using it so they can increase their sales and help people find what they are looking for? 

I guess I don't understand Target's philosophy on customer service.

Selling stuff out of the backroom before the item is planned to have a home on the sales floor is a problem. Anybody with a list of DPCIs could clean out a store of everything before the endcap is even scheduled to go up. The stuff has set dates for a reason, usually so the merchandise is held to be used for an upcoming Ad...and who isn't pissed off when they see something in the Sunday paper, only to find out Joe Collector or Scalper Bob cleaned out the store before the promo even started? Sure, it would increase sales, for THAT day that everything sold, but come Sunday, or even later in the week of the Ad, you'll be dealing with OTHER pissed off collectors and parents that can't by them because they're gone already. Exclusives don't usually get replenished like regular stocked items do, since there are limited amounts produced. Stores get allocated a certain amount, and that's usually where it ends. There are occasions where the DC holds stuff, and trickles it out during the week, but for the most part, the amount the store gets before the due date, is it. I can't speak for ALL Target's, but MY store likes to make as many people as possible happy, and if that means not letting one guy buy everything, then so be it.

Example: My store received 24 of the Littlest Pet Shop WoN gift set. The 1st Granny looking lady that walked in at 8am put 16 in her cart. I told her there was a limit of 2 per Guest. She ignored me and went to checkout. The cashiers already knew we were limiting, so they would only let her buy 2. She left with 2, and came back in through Garden, and started stashing more around the store so she could come back later. I found them behind bedding, Lego's, in automotive, and tucked between Christmas trees. In the meantime, we had several other Guests looking for them, and were happy because we actually had some to sell. By the time I rounded up all the ones Granny hid around the store, I still had some to sell later in the afternoon, making alot of people happy, and they bought other things in the store since they found what they came for. They could have left and went to any other Target (we have 6 in a 20 mile radius), and shopped there instead.

Now, if I would have sold those last week, when someone came in with the DPCI, I would have pissed off more than that one old lady, I would have pissed off everyone else that came in after the fact, and they may not want to come shopping at my store for Toys, because I'm always sold out when the Ad starts, so why bother.
The same situation happens with the Wii's. We may get 48, but if there is an Ad coming with them featured, we HAVE to hold them, otherwise we have a line of people bitching about it Sunday morning at 8:01am. Sure, we could have sold all 48 earlier in the week, but when people see something advertised, they expect to see it in the store. So, the first 48 people that come in looking for them got them, and everyone else that didn't think it was that urgent to show up early misses out.

Target stopped looking in the backroom for "unique items" years ago. Collectors and parents made enough fuss about not being able to find certain toys, because scalpers were having Team Members bring out sealed cases, and cherry picking them for the HTF stuff. People got sick of it and complained to Corporate, so they started the policy that everyone hates so much. If the store has enough room to fit a full case on the pegs, they are supposed to pull a case to fill the pegs/shelf up, but they are supposed to dig through cases looking for that ONE thing, that people are looking for. It's more fair to everyone, that one person doesn't get everything HTF by pilfering the backroom stock.

If the pegs are low, they SHOULD bring stuff out to fill it to capacity. We have a computer system that creates batches that is supposed to request the right amount to fill the floor, but sometimes it's off. New cases won't come in until stores hit a minimum ON HAND count, that is determined before the store even opens its doors for the first time. If the minimum ON HAND is 6, then stores may not get another case until that 7th pegwarmer sells. It sucks, but that's the way it has been for years. Stores typically get more before an Ad is coming up, but those cases may have a date on the tag, so stores may hold them until the Ad breaks, even though they are regular stocked items, that are almost out of the floor.

You sure seem like a nice humble fellow. What a great way to introduce yourself here. Welcome to JediDefender!

Didn't mean to sound crass or rude there, just jumping in with both feet I suppose. Seems like a lot of folks here are familiar to me from RS, GH, SSG or Yak, so I just came in like I already knew everyone (which I don't).

Anyway, thanks for the welcome. I would be glad to answer questions if anyone had any now or in the future. I'm sure you have your own source for Target info, but I'm always glad to help folks out when I can.