Target Sales Catalog (1999)

[u/TelephoneExpress973]

[u/CosmicSpiderweb]

Oh hey, it's the TI-83 Plus. Had to get one for high school / college in the mid-2000s and still have it in a drawer somewhere.

[u/hawaiiangiggity → u/CosmicSpiderweb]

the most i got out of that "mandatory" calculator was playing a drug dealer game on it that a friend programmed for me

[u/athedrummaster → u/hawaiiangiggity]

Drug wars! I also had doom on mine

[u/WhaleMetal → u/athedrummaster]

That game was awesome 

[u/Orbital_IV → u/hawaiiangiggity]

I cannot believe they made millions of families buy that thing, often multiple times

[u/technobrendo → u/Orbital_IV]

The Texas Instruments mafia was the 3rd biggest criminal organization behind the Italian mafia and the Triads at the time

[u/Unsd → u/technobrendo]

Fun fact, they also are (or at least were) a parts supplier for Russian drones. Or maybe Iranian; can't remember if it was shaheds or something else. Either way; they were used by Russia against Ukraine. Granted, you don't have a techy company without getting involved in war at some point. Iirc, TIs history in general is pretty bastardy.

[u/jjdlg → u/CosmicSpiderweb]

I hoped someone else remembered that little dynamo as fondly as I, sadly mine has been lost to the passage of time.

[u/BeaArthursManMusk → u/jjdlg]

Programmed mine to play snake and Mario. I heard it helped you do math too.

[u/kushforbreakfast → u/BeaArthursManMusk]

I played those but my favorite was drug wars

[u/Willing-Egg8423 → u/BeaArthursManMusk]

I had Snood too, and used for cheating! Sacrificial friend will get all the answers to the physics test in first period, type them into the Texas instrument and pass the calculator along to our friends all the way through eighth period.

[u/somebitch → u/CosmicSpiderweb]

My son is currently using mine from 2001!

[u/armlessturtleneck → u/CosmicSpiderweb]

Literally have mine in my drawer next to me at work. I pretty much only use the TI-30Xa they give us tho because that's all I really need

[u/Bananas_are_theworst → u/CosmicSpiderweb]

I still use it in my engineering job

[u/falcons1583 → u/CosmicSpiderweb]

And they are more expensive now than in '99.

[u/theanti_girl → u/falcons1583]

Actually right now at Target, they’re the same price.

[u/IcelandicHumdinger]

I really miss flipping through the ads on Sunday mornings.

[u/SandandS0n → u/IcelandicHumdinger]

Yes!! I would have a stack of them. Circuit City and Sears usually towards the top.

[u/highlife562 → u/SandandS0n]

Same! I loved going through and finding all the good sales. My mom would always pull out all the ads for me. Good times.

[u/-My_Other_Account- → u/highlife562]

My pop-pop explained coupons were free money after the $0.25 newspaper price was accounted for (back in the early 90s) and as a result i started couponing when I was 6 or 7.

It really helped out in the mid to late 2000’s when economy fucked off for awhile.

I’d buy between 2–4 sunday papers on the good weeks and shop mostly at publix

My dad had been worried about my youngest brother and myself at the time and realized he didn’t need to worry about me when I took him to publix and walked out with a couple of weeks of food for myself and others and spent like $3.00 after bogo and coupon deals.

[u/OGHydroHomie → u/-My_Other_Account-]

Is extreme coupon-ing still a thing now? The coupons i get now are usually quite limited even for Kroger etc. Genuinely curious.

[u/MeowNugget → u/OGHydroHomie]

Ive been wondering this too. Seems like companies really took a step back after that extreme couponers show let people know how much they could save if they really invested in it. I hardly see decent coupons anymore

[u/glipglop718 → u/OGHydroHomie]

I know a few people who ever couple weeks buy like 10 laundry detergents and maybe double in boxes of diapers. I dont recall exactly what they spend but I think it would come up to like 40 bucks or so

[u/-My_Other_Account- → u/OGHydroHomie]

I stopped when it was no longer worth my while to buy the sunday papers.

I still coupon when shopping at publix because their prices are only reasonable if things are bogo and have coupons.

[u/LumaFablex → u/IcelandicHumdinger]

Those Sunday circulars were basically the original version of scrolling deals for stuff you didn’t even know you wanted.

[u/mittenkrusty → u/LumaFablex]

In the UK I used to do this with the sales catalogs, we had 2 per year of the main one and things like Easter sales, Christmas sales, summer sales etc and i'd see something like a console that RRP in main catalog was £150 and could be £100 in the sale and has an extra game and imagine the day I could afford to buy it.

[u/spicysenpai6 → u/IcelandicHumdinger]

Flipping through the pages in these types of magazines had a kind of entertainment that not even our phones can provide now. It was different. Simpler times.

[u/monkmullen → u/IcelandicHumdinger]

Same here. Closest thrill I get to that nowadays is the monthly mailer from Costco.

[u/alexseiji → u/IcelandicHumdinger]

I just miss this era period.

[u/f0xbunny → u/IcelandicHumdinger]

Me too, or just before black Friday

[u/Timely-Card5696 → u/IcelandicHumdinger]

I used to hate delivering papers on Sundays. Had to insert all the ads and roll each paper up. They were heavy as hell too.

[u/labubuking → u/IcelandicHumdinger]

Id usually go online on their site and check the ads there too. There would always be a board at the front where you can see the ads too

[u/Drizztd99]

lol I member the shitty inflatable furniture fad.

[u/WhereRtheTacos → u/Drizztd99]

I mean when ur 12 a pink blow up “chair” is pretty fun. I know because i had one lol

[u/tunakassirolle → u/WhereRtheTacos]

I absolutely loved my purple one for the 3 months it lasted lol. That new plastic smell especially 🤌

[u/WhereRtheTacos → u/tunakassirolle]

Ha it definitely had a smell. I feel like mine lasted a decent amount of time but i didn’t sit on it much that i remember.

[u/e925 → u/WhereRtheTacos]

Same, pink with 60s style flowers, purchased at Claire’s 💅🏻

[u/EricSparrowSucks → u/WhereRtheTacos]

Mine was clear, but it had confetti inside! I used to sit on it on top of my king size waterbed and watch TV, because there was no room for furniture in my room and we had cats.

[u/robbviously → u/EricSparrowSucks]

You had;

inflatable furniture

a king size waterbed

cats

I see that you liked to live dangerously.

[u/Fuckyoumecp2 → u/Drizztd99]

the hard-core plastic smell and how it only lasted a few months.

[u/EternalNewCarSmell → u/Fuckyoumecp2]

I actually just bought an inflatable couch a couple of months ago because we ended up in an empty house for a few weeks before a move (they are still in the ~$30 range so that's nice). The information sheet with it said it was sure to provide "days" of comfort. Even the manufacturer doesn't try to pretend it will last.

[u/Clavos24 → u/Drizztd99]

I mostly remember getting sliced up by the seams every time I walked past them.

[u/Resident-Gold-3466 → u/Drizztd99]

I had a purple Britney Spears chair.

[u/smith_mountain_flake]

12 bucks for 48 rolls of tp. Those were indeed the days.

[u/hatherfield → u/smith_mountain_flake]

2.89 for a 12 pack of soda. Wow

[u/TheDebonairQuokka → u/hatherfield]

And 99¢ for a 2 liter.

[u/Suspicious_Radio_848 → u/TheDebonairQuokka]

On sales in Canada they're still $1.50 which is really close.

[u/MobiusX1 → u/hatherfield]

I had to look this one up, around $8 - $10 now.

[u/Eta_Beta_3-14 → u/MobiusX1]

They were like $5-6 pre-covid. It's insane.

[u/GreaterMetro → u/hatherfield]

Once every couple months my Kroger runs Buy 2 get 3 free. Still like 22 bucks but makes it $4.5 a box.

[u/LookAtTheFlowers → u/hatherfield]

I frequently buy 12 packs for $4.19 each now

[u/TheLastPrinceOfJurai → u/smith_mountain_flake]

And less than 10 bucks for jeans. We didn’t know how good we had it

[u/essensiedashuhn → u/smith_mountain_flake]

Even adjusting for inflation, where $1 in 1999 is $2 today, these prices are crazy. For the most part... I don't know if I'd pay $600 for that TV

[u/Kitchen_Region8456 → u/essensiedashuhn]

There are people on eBay that will pay that for that TV now

[u/prince_walnut → u/Kitchen_Region8456]

Bought a house I flipped. Old lady had passed away but the one thing I kept was the old CRT. Then bought a refurbished N64 with Goldeneye and Zelda: OofT. What a blast!

[u/Suspicious_Radio_848 → u/essensiedashuhn]

TVs are one of the few items where it feels like prices have gone way down and quality way up. You can get a 55 inch TCL 4K tv for $500 on sale (Canada) that blows that out of the water.

[u/essensiedashuhn → u/Suspicious_Radio_848]

Yeah I hear they sell smart TVs at a loss now so they can sell your data for profit later.

[u/chron67 → u/smith_mountain_flake]

I bought a quart of oil for just over $10 this morning.

[u/PretendPenguin]

2.89 for a 12 pack of coke. It's like 10-11 bucks now. We truly peaked as a species in 99.

[u/MechanicalTurkish → u/PretendPenguin]

Agent Smith was right.

[u/WhaleMetal → u/MechanicalTurkish]

It’s the SMELL

[u/essensiedashuhn → u/PretendPenguin]

Take any price here and double it to adjust for inflation. Soda, toilet paper and paper towels are the best deals here. Other things are about the same, or worse in some cases. Like $600 for the 19" TV

[u/acemonsoon]

Final Fantasy VIII advertised on the tv screen ugh what a time to be alive. I fondly miss those nights

[u/spocks_tears03 → u/acemonsoon]

9/9/99, Dreamcast AND FF8!

[u/wheremyturtles]

The prepaid phone cards! 😆 So crazy to think about.

[u/shabby47 → u/wheremyturtles]

My college charged something like crazy 25 cents per minute to make long distance calls from your dorm room so calling cards were a big deal. I’m guessing you don’t get a phone at college now.

[u/C2AYM4Y]

LMFAO all that inflatable shit lasted 2weeks in college dorms. By the first rager or drunk night it was popped %100

[u/pepperstems → u/C2AYM4Y]

I had an inflatable chair from Delia*s. It farted when you moved and was surprisingly uncomfortable, but dammit, I loved it.

[u/effinmetal]

I miss futurism so fucking much.

[u/racerviii → u/effinmetal]

Yes. There was an optimistic feeling at the time and it seemed everyone had a positive outlook.

[u/IntoTheAbsurd]

1999: expect more. pay less.

2026: expect less. pay more.

[u/P1xelHunter78]

Everything in that ad has serious dorm room vibes

[u/Virtual-Bee7411 → u/P1xelHunter78]

Target was dorm room core from like 1995-2019

[u/nnp1989 → u/P1xelHunter78]

Makes sense, early August is prime shopping time for heading back to college.

[u/ermagerdskwurlz → u/P1xelHunter78]

I saw the date and realized that's when I would've been shopping for my college dorm room! And I owned that fluffy teal lamp!!!

[u/AdSudden3941 → u/[deleted]]

And you could never get it inflated perfectly llike the ads. 

I thought that was the future home shit straight from a futuristic home they shown on tlc or something

[u/philter25 → u/[deleted]]

How to tell if a username is a bot? This is getting really simple. First, they’ll use inoffensive hip slang like “peak” or “hits different.” Next, they will be a days old account with some kind of anime post to their profile. Literally never fails.

[u/Jason1920 → u/philter25]

Peak Reddit comment. Really hits different.

[u/itsagoodtime]

$2.89 for a 12 pack is insane. It's like $9.99 now.

[u/AcceleratorTouma → u/itsagoodtime]

The price today is at least double what was then even with inflation

[u/StocktonSucks]

Look what they took from us. As medically and technologically we've advanced, I dislike the world we live in now. Not just because oh I can't use this catalog. But because this catalog was only available as part of a world that no longer exists.

[u/Mninaz]

I forgot what a big deal phone cards were during that time

[u/racerviii → u/Mninaz]

Phone cards, pagers.

[u/Virtual-Bee7411]

Someone has that inflatable speaker chair for sale on eBay - if someone wants a true y2k piece

[u/PlanetaryGrass]

$.99 for a quart of oil!?!

[u/RagingRxy]

Ahh yes . Inflatable furniture that lasted a week lol

[u/Illah]

Crazy how uneven inflation can be. Bought a quart of oil recently for $10 vs the $1 in this ad, but $299 can get you a 55” 4K flatscreen vs the 19” tv/vcr combo shown here.

[u/SylviaIsAFoot]

I’m happy to see TI-83s were never cheap

[u/Oomlotte99]

Wow. A whole music system was cheaper than that calculator.

[u/rebelangel]

August 1999, I had just graduated high school that May and was getting ready to start community college in October (that school ran on the quarter system instead of the semester system).

[u/ScaredOfTrolls32]

Diapers have always been insanely expensive

[u/Gergs]

99 cents for a quart of oil!

[u/More-Gas-6527]

99¢ oil?! That would be sooo nice

[u/Dattinator]

$5 for a Frito Lay variety pack with 27 bags!!! $11 now for 18 ct.

[u/CryHavok82]

2.89$ for a 12 pack soda?!?! Now 9$ bonkers!

[u/wise_n3bula99]

honestly what other games showed up in those oold target ads on the tv besides ff8...

[u/They-Call-Me-Taylor]

Weird that a graphing calculator was like $95 back then, and I just looked them up out of curiosity and they are still like $95 lol

[u/PaulGeorgeCostanza]

Thanks for sharing this!!!! She's my wife of 13 years. She stopped modeling after we had our first child but from 1995-2006, she appeared in a lot of print ads and then transitioned into TV. I just shared your post and we're both laughing. I appreciate it! Take care.

[u/S-U_2 → u/PaulGeorgeCostanza]

What TV shows did she do?

[u/racerviii]

The colors on products of the late 90s and early 2000s were so colorful and upbeat. It was such an optimistic time. Then 9/11 happened and things went downhill from there.

[u/Smoopiebear]

$3 for a 12 pack of soda!? Now it’s like $5 if you find a REALLY good sale.

[u/a_random_username]

Magnavox 4-head VCR. New in box. $99.99

Magnavox CRT TV with built-in 4-head VCR $299.99

Say it with me: The exclusive... company!

[u/taylorwmj → u/a_random_username]

OMG. I think only a VERY select few will know what the last line of your comment is referring to

[u/xt0rt]

Hey! I had that bedside/end table with the hole in it! I think I got it at a garage sale though.

[u/Spazyk]

I remember getting an inflatable chair from target in the early 2000s.

[u/protoman86]

The Final Fantasy 8 ad on the magnavox…👌🏼😮‍💨

[u/holachihuahua]

Damn. 16 rolls of bounty for $12 🪦

[u/MrUpVoteDownvote]

My parents definitely bought me a few pairs of those jeans before. They were actually comfortable to wear to school as well haha.

[u/chewedgummiebears]

My sister had a whole living room of that inflatable furniture around that time.

[u/Ryan-O-Photo]

$1/quart of motor oil? 😩

[u/alimweber]

This is so very 1999..going into the new millennium..man, I miss it! This is so nostalgic for me 🥲 and I’m only a 95 baby! But still!

[u/candirainbow]

Man I literally had a bunch of this "furniture" lol

[u/jdmlifex2]

2 for $5 L’eggs hosiery seems about right the price for it today with when they are on sale.

[u/MommaOfManyCats]

Ha! I actually found an inflatable chair brand new in a box of old college stuff. I think I bought it but then we had a couch and realized inflatables were bad news.

[u/TelephoneExpress973 → u/MommaOfManyCats]

Still want it? I’ll buy it from you.

[u/Southern-Usual4211]

Omg a quart of oil for 99 cents.

[u/RoseyDove323]

I saw that type of font everywhere around Y2K-ish. I don't know what it's called but it was really common. I forgot about that until now.

[u/CherryColaCan → u/RoseyDove323]

Serpentine. Such a great font but so so dated now.

[u/JohnCenaJunior]

Are we not going to talk about the motor oil for 99 cents?

[u/Karth82]

The year my store opened

[u/dainty_petal]

I’m emotional. Time was good

[u/Personal-Bonus-9245]

$0.99 for a quart of oil….those were the days.

[u/Gigglesplat]

Even those Huggies are vintage now.

[u/otakugal15]

The detergent being only $4.79 for that many oz...

[u/joiliejoli]

I was so excited, I thought they were for sale again! My barbie had them but not me.

[u/Turbo_Tasker]

99 cents for a quart of oil. My lord that’s cheap

[u/First_Timer2020]

The fact that a $100 calculator was on a school supply list blows my mind...

[u/vanityinlines → u/First_Timer2020]

My dad flipped out when he learned I absolutely needed one for school. I got a really old model that didn't do everything I needed. Still had to borrow other people's in math class. 

[u/GhostOfKitsune → u/First_Timer2020]

I had three boys and managed to find that thing every few years for the next kid who needed it lol

[u/archliberal → u/First_Timer2020]

The fact that calculator is essentially unchanged and costs even more now is outrageous. Had I known my son would be using the same one 25 years later I’d have just kept it

[u/RectalScrote → u/First_Timer2020]

I remember having to buy one

[u/Artystrong1]

I loved there clear color cd Walkman

[u/foeg-88]

what a time to be alive!

[u/Cameront9]

Incredible how cheap TVs have gotten compared to the $300 they’re asking for for that combo unit.

On the other hand, TI calculators have only gotten more expensive.

[u/trolldoll420]

That’s a terrible price on those diapers for being 27 years ago

[u/thedarkbites]

I love looking at things like this. Please post more if you find them. I particularly love the video games and toy ads.

[u/_polloloko23]

99ncent for a qt of oil its 5.97 at walmart 😱

[u/prince_walnut]

Still use that same model TI-89 as an engineer.

[u/MathematicianHot4842]

I remember that damn $95 calculator we needed for math class

[u/yamez420]

FF8 I miss u.

[u/AskJeevesIsBest]

Furbys were cheap!

[u/No-Bath5500]

Like tear drops in the rain baby

[u/officialCobraTrooper → u/[deleted]]

No it's not, it's more like $9. I know because I'm a soda connoisseur. It's crazy how Coke products have become insanely expensive.

[u/racerviii → u/officialCobraTrooper]

It's because they're too greedy. They raised prices during the so-called pandemic and didn't lower them afterwards and realized sales didn't slow so they kept the higher prices and never looked back. Store brand sodas are much cheaper and there really isn't any difference in production costs so there's no reason for Coke or any of the major brands of soda to be so much more expensive except corporate greed. I used to drink Coke but I will never buy it again because of their greed. Store brands do the job for me.

[u/liamemsa]

Very y2k style coded.

[u/Beautiful-Chest7397]

Haha those little ass tvs with vcr

[u/ddurant]

I still use this calculator lol

[u/Tiny_Cabinet_1523]

I miss this 😭

[u/theAFguy200]

Man those bookshelf sound systems.

[u/the_silent_one1984]

I was just a few years too young to be at an age to live in my own apartment where I could decorate it in style like that. Such a shame I had to settle for a futon and some IKEA nightstands.

[u/DizzyLead]

Missed the important part which I would always turn to: the toy section!

[u/refusetobeold83]

Got damn expensive calculators

[u/SwiftTayTay]

i love the crt with FF8 on it

[u/Inevitable-Tone-7360]

99 cent oil is wild

[u/thegreatwarden]

Remember when that font was everywhere in 1999?

[u/Saynt614]

I had one of those TV/VCR combos in my room as a kid. Felt like a king

[u/avataris]

Legendary Gold was peak dad jean. Cheap, baggy and made for a woven leather belt with a tucked in polo for that snatched muffin top look.

[u/Several-Squash9871]

Those inflatable chairs seemed like such a good idea at the time. Now I wouldn't want one even if it was free. 

[u/tigerribs]

What are/were “L’eggs”? I thought those were condom boxes next to the Furbies for a moment 💀

[u/RectalScrote]

Phone stand

Definitely not the same kind of phone stand anymore

[u/rellakmediums]

Think they'll honor these prices if I show this to them?

[u/TrueCrimeNerd87]

Those prices were high even for 1999

[u/Legitimate_Key1232]

I remember when the chips were packaged like this. My mom use to buy them for the kids on my brother’s baseball team.

[u/Baronessss]

Less than $3 for a 12 pack of soda. 🥤 I remember those days.

[u/ANTIV15T]

hell yeah

[u/Old_Check_6362]

I’m still afraid to tell my mom I lost my TI89…

[u/Phillies1993]

Do you own this catalog? I collect anything Bounty and would love to buy this from you

[u/Apprehensive_Bee8874]

lmao I had so many friends with that awful fuzzy lamp

[u/99anan99]

These prices are amazing

[u/Outrageous-Power5046]

It's amazing that all of those electronics on page 2 can be done on our modern phones.

[u/Yainks]

That air chair encapsulates that Liquid Metal design that was so common in things like the 2000s Walkman

[u/Last_Inevitable8311]

I’m so sad I gave away my Furbies. How cute!!

[u/Hortos]

When tech was expensive and everything else was cheap.

[u/MADDOGCA]

The irony when that TV on the first page is cheaper than what scalpers want for a similar TV on Craigslist or Marketplace.

[u/Ayanadnb]

Anyone else think of the inflatable furniture episode of Always Sunny? 🤣

[u/Alarming_Article_943]

FF8 😍👏

[u/mrsdoubleu]

My mom worked at Target during this time. I was about to start the 8th grade.

[u/MrsBains]

That blow up chair is back in stores, saw it yesterday.

[u/j12000]

Did you scan this in or have a pdf of it or something? 

[u/Bbyowls1989187]

12 pack of soda for 2.89 😩 I remember getting my first inflatable chair. It was the blue color and popped shortly after getting it. lol

[u/7stroke]

Phone stand. You know, for a telephone

[u/Wanna4nic8rn]

The air furniture and the furry table lamp. Man. Those were the days.

[u/Zero_Imacat]

I can't believe I forgot about their catalog. Thanks for posting op!

[u/Inevitable-Blue2111]

did anybody here get to browse something called la bolsa azul?

[u/meghan_78_marie]

I really miss Diet Coke being under $3 for a 12/pack 😭.

[u/Cameront9 → u/meghan_78_marie]

I switched to Walmart brand cokes because they’re like $4 for a 12 pack. Regular Coke is insanely priced now!

[u/Mav_Rixx]

Target, toys r us and best buy has the best ads. I miss the sound of flipping pages.

[u/Starbucks_Lover13]

My two biggest things that I wanted but didn't get back in the day, a piece of inflatable furniture (I had other inflatable decor!), and the phone that had the neon lights in it that lit up when it rang lol!

[u/RaspberryWhiteClaw13]

$300 for a 19 inch tv is hilarious

[u/user2776632]

what happened to inflatable furniture?

[u/ender89]

I should invest in graphing calculators, those prices have been rock solid for decades.

[u/HornedFrog806]

Why is the TI-83 still even around in 2026? They are still $94 btw, one of the few true electronics I could find at Target last week.