You heard it here first and now shoppers in the Slickdeals forum confirm that it’s gone into effect: as of yesterday, Target won’t accept any returns without a receipt. Even if you can present the debit or credit card used to buy the item, you will still need a receipt. Previously, items under $20 could be returned sans receipt. Before that, it was items under $40. So, make sure to save your Target receipts and include them when you give gifts. I understand about trying to mitigate fraud (a commenter on the previous post talked about his “friend” in college who would swap tags on a $40 item with a $10 item, buy it, and then return it later without receipt to make $30 in beer money for the weekend), but they should allow people to use the card they bought the item with as a way to look up the receipt information.
(Photo: imasuperhero)
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Things I buy at Target (and WalMart) aren’t usually things that need to be returned for cash value. If that $10 extension cord doesn’t work right and I’ve lost the receipt, I’m fine eating the money. And I’m a poor college student.
Americans have this self-entitled attitude now. Yes, Target can look up the transaction by your debit/credit card and that’s a convenient time saver…but you’re given a receipt. The purpose of a receipt is to show proof of purchase and if you discard or lose it, tough shit. Target has been gracious enough to accept returns without a receipt and now that they aren’t (unless credit/debit card) and now that they want to help keep prices lower by inconveniencing you, ask yourself this: Are you shopping at Target because of their great customer service or because they’re cheap?
People want Target to be able to pull up their transaction by the purchase card, but whine about corporations invading their privacy by asking for too much personal information (name, address, phone number). You can’t have it both ways.
So wait, you’d rather take the risk of them having to securely store your credit card number to look up the transactions than actually take some personal responsibility for keeping track of a paper receipt? Yeah, no thanks.
Target is off my list. Like I am going to keep track of their receipts!!!…. Why can’t they keep track of them? Oh, right, loss prevention. Has nothing to do with screwing their customers, of course not… This is an obvious short for all those stock pickers out there. Target stuff is getting poorer quality anyway so might as well go to WalMart.
@ Copper I agree with your rant on people getting upset about saving credit card data, etc… and then expecting to get anything they want at stores. However, I have no problem with them keeping my purchase history as they have been doing. The heck if I am going to keep an envelope with 1000 receipts a month just for stores when they already have this stored electronically. Glad you are wasteful enough to eat $10. Doesn’t sound like you are that poor of a college student.
@aristan: I agree that there is confusion–but the Consumerist article is adding to it–and I’m not sure why since the article it uses as it’s “source” is clear that if you used a debit/credit/check/or gift card to purchase the item, you do not need the receipt. It’s only if you pay cash that you’re screwed if you have no receipt.
Yet the article on this site says you need a receipt even if you purchase with a credit/debit card, which isn’t true and since the source article never says this, I’m not sure where the Consumerist is basing this claim on.
@aristan: I see…that usually doesn’t happen for a few years, if ever.
About Target gift receipts, one is always printed out when an item costs $10 or more before taxes. If you need extras, just ask. They can also print them up after the sale.
“If you pay with cash, keep the receipt, if you don’t – its your fault, slap your own forhead for it. “
That’s all well and good until you’re talking about someone who received the item as a gift…or someone who registered at Target for their wedding and when Target screwed up they ended up with 16 blenders that they now cannot return.
I have not done a registry with Target, but as of last year, I know you can return an item without a receipt (for gift card) if the item was on your registry.
For all you whining about this for big electronics purchases.. Cripes, that’s the kind of purchase anyone intelligent absolutely positively always keeps the receipt for.
I’ve shopped at target for 15 years or so, and I think once I didn’t have a receipt. It’s simply not that hard. I toss those receipts for consumables, and keep them for anything else. It’s really not that difficult.
As a Guest Services employee at Target, I haven’t heard a single thing about this policy change.
When I first heard about this change, I internally groaned. I enjoy my job and I try hard to make things right for each and every guest who walks in, but this will be hell. People already get very upset at the “under 20 dollars” rule, and I can’t imagine what they’ll do now.
As for the lookup system, I sincerely hope that is just a rumor. That system has saved a lot of people with bad luck from losing hundreds of dollars.
Not all Target Guest Services employees like to sit around and eat instead of helping people. I’m sorry some people have had that negative experience, but I for one try to help the guest as much as I can, and I have no problem calling LODs and GSTLs [basically, managers] over to help if I feel something more can be done than what is in my power. However, I am empowered enough that there isn’t really anything they can do that I can’t.
I also had a friend who did the tag switch scam thing, but at walmart. So I think its a good idea, but I guess I could see its a problem with gifts, but really you should be getting gift receipts anyways.
@MChasteen: Thanks for the input. I have this sneaking suspicion that there might be some stores that are cracking down on returns due to return fraud, misguided actions, etc…and going against policy but that by and large the policy hasn’t really changed, that lookup still works.
I called 7 Targets today to check (needed to test the new corporate cell phone, right?) and all of them replied that they had no problem looking up information via a credit or debit card “or a Target GiftCard or Store Credit card if you still have the card. Hold onto those!” (-Lynn, Federal Way, WA)
Let’s hope this remains an isolated incident, and thanks for the view from inside.
I work in a Wisconsin Target store at Guest Service. I did not work today but yesterday I was able to return several items without a receipt, and was also able to look up receipts.
It looks like this might be a phased roll-out.
Please don’t get made at the Team Member telling you no. We would really love to return your item. Honestly we would. You look like a decent person.
If we tell you no, it’s because the computer won’t let us, and most of the time a manager can’t override anything.
Write a letter to Target Corporate, we don’t make these sorts of rules.
Read all these posts this afternoon and went to Target to make a return this evening with fear and trepidation in my heart. Fortunately, I had receipts for $48 worth of merchandise which I returned without a hitch. Then I asked to return the webcam and microphone that I got for Christmas with no gift receipt. (duh-dun, duh-DUN, DUH-DUN) The cashier at the customer service counter looked up the price–currently $25 instead of the $30 my brother claimed he paid–and offered it to me on a gift card. She said I could do 2 no-receipt returns a year. So I guess that’s how Target is playing in South Carolina. I wasn’t as disapppinted as I had expected to be.
I used to like Target until I got a gift exchange item this year with a Target tag. Didn’t know who of the 27 colleagues participating gave it and certainly didn’t know what credit card they bought it on or the personal phone number. Didn’t like it so I thought I’d return it for something I liked. No dice. The CS rep said I wasn’t the only one with that circumstance and could only give me the number to call corporate and bitch. Frankly, the item was so small it’s not worth my time (I’ll regift) but I’ll think twice before I return to Target.
Bad move, Target. I thought you were the “good guys” for customer service but maybe not.
Recently my youngest of five children was having their first child. They registered at Target for their baby registry. I always appreciated the fact when someone registered at Target because it made shopping for them so easy. I understand why Target wants a receipt for items being returned but sometimes they put their return policy before their customers. My son and his wife got an item on their registry that they changed their mind about and wanted to return it. But the store would not give them credit for it without a receipt because it was over $20.00. Their registry shows the item as being purchased. I called Target’s Guest Relations number and spoke to four different people. They told me when it was purchased at Target and told me it was purchased within the 90 days return period, but told me I could not get store credit for it because we did not have the receipt. So they know it was purchased at Target, they know when it was purchased at Target and they even know it was purchased in the store and not online, but they still would not allow the item to be exchange for something they actually needed. It looks to me like Target cares more about their return policy than they care about their customers.
@Optimistic Prime:
You need to realize that without the DPCI # Target can not do a receipt lookup. It just doesn’t work that way. The way it works is they swipe your card then they scan or type in the DPCI or UPC number and then the card history is searched for that item and only that item. Swiping your card will not yield a list of everything you have bought from Target.
DPCI # is the preferred number Target uses for their merchandise. It stands for Department (DP) Class (C) Item (I) number and is in the following format 000 00 0000, it looks just like a social security number.
If an item is manufactured by Target or for Target, it will have this number on the packaging, or in the case of clothing it will be sewn into the garment on a small tag.
Unfortunately many employees don’t know about these sewn in numbers, but if you know about them it will help you next time you don’t have the tags for clothes items you want to return.
@jesuismoi:
All gift receipts for a transaction are the same. You can share them with family members if you have multiple gifts to return. For example all your children could share one gift receipt as long as the items they received as gifts were all bought on the same transaction. If you can’t share them, then just make a photocopy; all guest service needs is the barcode on the gift receipt.
@turkeybacon76:
If the robe was over $20 that would be why they did not allow you to return it without a receipt.
-Target allows TWO no receipt returns in a TWELVE month period (it doesn’t start over each new year).
-Each no receipt return can have as many items in it as long as the total of each transaction is under $20.
-With a no receipt return, the guest gets the lowest sale price within the last 90 days.
-If the item was on clearance there is a good chance it has been clearanced down to $0, in which case the item could not be returned without a receipt.
-Target tracks your two no receipt return limit by swiping your drivers license number
-and finally the value of the goods being returned without a receipt will be given to the guest in gift card form
@gingerCE:
Target does offer debit/credit card look ups as well as gift card and check look ups.
Their receipt look up does not show a list of items bought and does not reprint a receipt. You will need the items DPCI or UPC number to do a receipt lookup.
@DanGarion:
The only reason target will only issue you store credit is if you are returning an item without a receipt or if the item you are returning was paid for with a gift card.
- If you paid for the item with a debit card you have the option of store credit, cash or returning the money back to your debit card. Keep in mind you will need to have the debit card with you for the third option.
-If you paid for the item via credit card or debit card used as credit you will have the option of store credit or putting the money back on the credit card.
-If you paid for the item with a check I believe you have to wait 10 days for the check to clear if you want to return something for cash, otherwise its store credit.
-If you paid cash you get cash back or store credit.
-For some low value returns the register will only allow you cash for the refund.
I hope this clears things up a bit.
@morganlh85:
Target has a great registry system. They give you a nice scanner, you scan items you want and they are on your registry list.
-Make sure you don’t scan items duplicate times if you only want one.
-Make sure you remember your password for the registry
-Make sure you tell the people buying gifts for you to print out your registry list and make sure to have them present the barcode on it to the cashier during checkout so that they can scan it and remove the bought items from your list so that others wont buy you the same gifts.
-If you need to return gifts given to you you can do so with the gift receipt, if the give it to you with the gift
-If they do not give you a gift receipt, then you can print out a gift registry log and Guest Service can scan that barcode and look up the receipt for the item you are returning. (you need your password to print out this log)
-The only time you run into problems is if you forget your password, you mistakenly scan things multiple times or people buying you gifts don’t have the cashier remove the item from your registry log.
@FitJulie:
TJX SHOULD have the register system on a separate subnet from the rest of the inventory equipment that uses the wifi signal. As well as using some sort of wireless security as you just mentioned.
@crypticgeek:
All of Targets systems, are on separate subnets, the register system, the inventory system, the price scanners, the wifi printers, the office computers, the gift registry scanners. It is not all bunched together one one network.
-That and they do not broadcast the SSID of their wifi network and have it locked down with security.
- To get hacked, the hacker would have to know the SSID the particular store uses, each stores is different, then they would need to break through the security on the signal, and even if they got that far, the wifi network isn’t on the same subnet as the servers that store your information.
-Target is not TJX, they don’t lump everything on one network and they do not broadcast the SSID of an unprotected wifi network.
@zeroaxs:
Target can do receipt look ups with a blank check.
@pinkbunnyslippers:
Yes you do need a receipt for straight exchanges. The inventory and defective merchandise system need to see the transaction/return so that item counts don’t get screwed up.
@crazyflanger:
You can’t return your game system to Target without a receipt since it exceeds the 20 dollar limit for no receipt returns.
@gingerCE:
“I have not done a registry with Target, but as of last year, I know you can return an item without a receipt (for gift card) if the item was on your registry.”
****-If the item was on the registry and the person who bought you the item remembered to have it removed from the registry list at the time of purchase.-****
I realize that you are upset because you were not able to return the item that you tried to return. That said, you should find out what the return policy is when you submit your opinion to this sight. I was at Target this week and I returned an item that I had lost my receipt for. The kind person working there scanned my debit card, then scanned my item. The receipt was linked to my item and I was able to receive a full refund. I asked her “Is this your normal policy to look up my receipt in this manner?” She indicated that they always try to do a receipt look up when possible with check, credit card, debit card, giftcard or product serial number. I asked her “since when?”. She indicated that she has worked for Target for 5 years and its always been possible during her time there. Anyways, before you shoot your mouth off about the policies at a store, take the time to investigate. And anyways, why should stores take the kit if you are not responsible enough to save a receipt?
Well, what about this situation. I purchase an item with my debit card. Two weeks later, I go to return it without a receipt, unopened, in perfect condition. I give them my debit card and they are unable to find the transaction. I was told to call the CS number. I go home and find the receipt and it confirms I paid for it using my debit card. The CS supervisor states that I am SOL if they can not find the transaction. Sounds like a scam as this has occurred numerous times (my wife’s debit card works fine..different number, but my card does not)…Killer is, the card works just fine for them to take my money!!
I just got married. We registered at Target, but not everyone gave us gift receipts. There are things that are obviously from Target, I saw them in person at the store and know that Target sells them. But I can’t return everything because I don’t have a receipt. The things we are returning are the random things people bought us that were not on our registry (that is why we are returning them after all). But we can’t. All they would let us do is make 2 returns up to $20 (between my wife and I that is a total of 4 items worth $20 or less. If it’s worth more than $20 you’re SOL. We are allowed this once a year, they scanned our drivers’ licenses just so we couldn’t go to another store and make more small returns. What am I supposed to do with my extra $50 crock pot? FYI: Don’t register at Target… their return policy sucks.
@taylorlightfoot:
For our wedding we invited 300 people, there is no way we could tell them all to make sure to bring the registry to the counter, and it’s a little tacky to put that on the invitation.
They also told us that we could not print off our registry to return the things that were on it. I can’t remember the reason offhand though.
As a very happy contributer to Consumerist.com I am now off on a Fact Finding mission to my local Target Store.
I will report back how they handle my return of 2 copies of 24 season 2 and 3.
If there are any problems I will be reporting back here and also calling their Media Relations department.