Target bashing in 4...3...2...

(well deserved in my opinion)

I love it when they ask me if I would like to open a Target credit card and save 10% when I buy a 20oz Diet Mountain Dew. One of these days I'll take them up on it and save . . . 12 cents

I was always under the impression that those offers were to "save 10% today" not giving you 10% towards a future purchase. But since I've never applied for one, I don't know that for certain. Did the OP say how got the coupon in the first place?

Or maybe there's an unscrupulous cashier using the coupons for those "friends and family" discounts."

Regardless, Target's managers should have sucked it up and offered the 10% off.

Lowes did the same thing to me with a $20 off of $50 purchase coupon last spring. New coupon they said I already used it.

@TideGuy: What is even worse is if the person in front of you says "yes". Then the cashier whips out the credit card app. and the person starts filling it out AT THE REGISTER.

If Target really wants to play some hanky panky with their coupons, they could just do like Office Depot and Office Max and have 7 lines of fine print excluding practically everything in the store except water and staplers.

@bohemian:

Well where else would they fill it out at? They can't save money "today" if they don't fill it out in the store. When my father applied for one in line, they closed down the lane and opened up another one.

@timmus:Excuse me, I believe you have my stapler...

Jeez, like 10% would have been such a big deal. That's the employee discount everyday, I think they could have spared it.

I didn't realize target's profit margins were so thin that they couldn't afford a 10% discount!

@Antediluvian: I have a Target Visa that I never use. The day I got it, I received a 10% off coupon for that day. However, if you use it enough, you build up points and receive 10% off coupons every so often - I suppose more frequently if you use it a lot. Those are also only good for one day.

Well, IIRC, Target can pull up your last 30 days receipts if you use a CC. Couldn't they do the exact same thing w/your TARGET credit card, and verify that you did not redeem a coupon on a order?

@Antediluvian: If you have a Target credit card, then for every $2000 you spend on it ($1k if it's all at Target), you get a coupon good for 10% off all your Target purchases in a given day. She's saying that she tried to use the coupon, but it didn't go through.

It sounds like she bought the stuff anyway -- I would have said "Fine. you're not giving me 10%? I'm not buying any of this stuff" and walked out.

I has a Target card that I used maybe once. Went into a Target went to use my Target Card and it was rejected, no explanation no anything. Got home and called them, they canceled my card because I never used it. It would have been nice to give me a heads up.

I still rarely go into one, most of the things they sell aren't of a very good quality.

I agree with the above comments. When my wife and I signed up for a target card it was solely for the same day 10% off (what is up HD tv?) and then we paid it off immediately. Nobody mentioned a coupon that would be valid on a future purchase.

As a former Target credit-card pusher, I can verify kmiles and cf27 are correct. The day you apply (and you must be APPROVED, using fake info won't get you anything) you get a coupon good for that day's purchases.
You also must use your Target Card to make the purchases, even though you can turn right around and pay it off at Guest Services. Maybe the 10% off coupon was rejected because she was trying to use a different card? Although a cashier should have known that.
The other possibility is that she was trying to use the "online" version. When you earn a new discount from using your card they send you both an in-store and an exclusively online 10% off coupon. I've gotten then mixed up in the past.
Either way, if she was buying a bunch of stuff and had a coupon Target should have just grabbed an extra one and let the lady have her discount.

The post said the coupon was not expired...but don't stores usually take the coupon from you when you use it anyway?

I've been avoiding Wal-Mart because it's always dirty, crowded, and miserable and I've been told Target is a better choice. But I find the bright red decor unsettling and it seems their customer service is even worse.

If you are prompted while checking out for a Target card, you would save 10% on that purchase, and get a coupon for 10% off anything else you buy at Target that day. The coupon will already have printed on it the day the coupon is first used.

If you just walk up to a cashier and apply, then you get a coupon for 10% off a future shopping day. Also, you get a shopping rewards coupon, which is 10% off one day's purchases when you earn 1000 points/10 prescriptions from the pharmacy paid on you're card.

Simply put, the OP doesn't provide enough information to determine which 10% coupon was rejected. Furthermore, the cashier has no clue as to when the coupon was first used unless it has been dated.

And finally, I can take a Target card or gift cards with rewards coupons, but not cash. That isn't even a payment tender option.

(Statements are personal and do not reflect the Target Corporation nor are expected to be policy positions. Legal stuff about posting online, blah.)

Put on your negotiating pants and calmly tell Target that you're going to cancel your account, transfer your balance, and buy everything at Walmart from now on if they don't send you another coupon

Does this really work? I'm always tempted to tell the store manager that I'm going to take my business elsewhere, but do they really care? And, am I really never going to shop again at Target, Best Buy, Circuit City, Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart, Costco, Genuardis, Acme, ... and all the countless other stores that pissed me off at some point in the past?

Target doesn't take the coupon because it's good for a whole day's worth of purchases...once you use it, if you say forget something and go back later that day you can still use the coupon.

@Scoobatz: They don't, big box stores have so many customers they could really give a shit less if one leaves.

This applies to most big operations.

A mom and pop shop might take you more seriously since every potential customer loss could be damaging.

However for the most part the "I'm shopping/going to take my business elsewhere" is an empty threat.

Scoobatz- The manager could probably care less about you shopping there, but from what I know about store credit cards, you bet your ass they care if you threaten to close that card and transfer the balance. Since many of these employees face disciplinary action if they don't offer every single customer a credit card, I'm sure corporate wouldn't take too kindly to an email from the OP saying "I'm cancelling my card because manager X at store Y was a douchebag"

I guess that should say MOST big box stores have so many customers...forgot about K-mart. :P

@Zulujines: The 10% off coupon is good all day. So, if you make multiple trips in a single day, you can use it each time.

This is bad for the Op but there is a bigger story that is flying under the radar with the Target Visa,and that is the "sign up under this set of terms and conditions and as soon as we can,you will get a new,disadvantageous set of terms and conditions". I signed up for the card once and got my 10% off a large purchase. Paid it off immediately. So far,so good. Then the completely new terms and conditions contract rolls in. I read it and it was a shabby way to treat a customer. Just a word to the wise : That 10 %off is like cheese in a mousetrap. Beware.

@kmiles & @cf27: Thanks for the clarification -- good to know. I still probably won't be getting a Target card any time soon (I'm happy enough w/ my LLBean card for the free shipping, and Costco-Amex for the rebates), but now I'm more interested in considering it. Gotta figure if 10% off at Target is better than 1-5% back on AMEX stuff. Although the AMEX travel discounts are pretty impressive and I was not expecting them.

So you get 10% off that day in return for signing up for a credit card with 20%+ interest? Ouch.

last time i was there, they said i was pre-approved to open a target charge account. i'm 15 years old.

@mythago: yeah, I agree. As a student, I was happy to have store cards, you know, to build credit. But seriously, why does anyone even buy into this anymore? So you save 10%, but then you pay 24% interest -- 22% if you've been a good customer. It's not worth it.

For the last two years Target has been my summer job. I cannot stress enough how miserable that store really is. The whole store revolves around one thing, signing people up for Target credit cards.
The Cashiers are being yelled at by the GSTLS (a worthless semi-management position) who are being yelled at by store Execs who are being yelled at by the store manager who is being yelled at by corporate and district to get people to apply for red cards. I would always say how sad of an existence it was for the managers, some were recent college grads, to have to go to work everyday with the main priority being signing people up for red cards. One manager told me I should try to be a Target intern and then Management and I laughed in his face. In my years at Target I signed up one customer Target credit card and the person asked me, I never asked because I felt it was just a terrible feeling to be screwing someone over like that.

Thank god I am in College.

I bought a $1200 TV at target and opened a card to save $120. The credit limit they gave me was $500 so I put the rest on my bank card.

With the opening of a new account they also gave me a coupon for 10% off my purchases for the rest of the day. The salesman told me that I could use a debit card at the front of the store to pay off my balance and then charge it up again, getting the 10% off.

Later that day I went into the store and paid off my balance on a debit card (instant funds transfer, right?). When I got to the register with my $200 worth of stuff, they told me my card was at the limit and I couldn't charge anything to it. The cashier actually put me on the phone with someone at their corporate office (or call center) who proceeded to tell me that they changed their policy so that transactions will not clear until the next day.

This combination of circumstances means it is impossible to use the "10% off for the rest of the day" coupon that they printed off when I opened my account... I bent over and took the beating, but I have shopped at target a lot less since that event.

The interest rates on the card are extreme. I wouldn't think of actually using this thing, but I guess the $120 I got off my TV was nice...

@Major-General:
Major General, you CAN NOT pay with gift cards if using a Target Visa Rewards coupon. I have tried and have been declined every time! I can ONLY use my Target Visa card with a Target Rewards coupon.

By the way, your coupon is good for a whole shopping day. So, if you have to go to another store to get something not in stock at the store you are currently at, you can still use your discount. (Or, what I used to do, search the clearance at 5 stores in one day for the best discounts.)

I used to be a big Target shopper getting a rewards card every month, but once corporate shipped my hubby's job to India (IT job, not a call center one) I have barely used my Target card or even shopped at their store. Want to know why sales are down Target? You let go perfectly good people and now none of their families will shop with you!!! In my family alone, that is 37 people that changed their shopping habits to other stores.

@mythago: Actually, the Target credit card (at least the one we have) carries a 9.9% interest rate. I would consider it one of the best store credit cards around. Regardless, you should only buy what you can afford and pay off the balance each month.

Personnally, I hate credit cards, but my wife convinced me this one was necessary -- and I agree. As a homeowner with two kids under 4, we do a lot of shopping at Target. As a result of using the card, we get tons of coupons in the mail. We also use their pharmacy. Every ten presciptions filled (and, that's pretty easy with kids) awards us a coupon for 10% off everything the next time we shop.

@PeanutButter: That's happened to me once when I was 15 (26 now). I got asked to sign up for a credit card. Possibly because I looked older. *shrugs*

Quick note, Walmart owns target.

"I love it when they ask me if I would like to open a Target credit card and save 10% when I buy a 20oz Diet Mountain Dew. One of these days I'll take them up on it and save . . . 12 cents"

I worked at Barnes and Noble for a few years and I asked a guy who was buying a 50 cent newspaper if he wanted to purchase a membership card for $25 to save 10%...and he did!

@lilspooky:

"Quick note, Walmart owns target. "

Quicker note, no they don't.

Target (Formerly Dayton- Hudson Corporation,name changed in 2001 ) Trades under the ticket symbol TGT and reports no shareholdings by WalMart Corp. (The U. S. Justice Department would probably never allow this).

WalMart trades under WMT,has a market capitalization of $230 Billion and doesn't have enough cashiers.

Glad to set the record straight.

The 10% coupon you get for opening the card is suppose to be valid only the day you open the card. The whole point of it is to get people to get a card and put whatever their purchase is on the card right that moment.

Ahh who knows, complain enough and you should get your 10% just fine.

@TexMan89: That's unfortunate. I have worked at Target for 3 years to get through school and I love it. Maybe it is just at the store you work for. At my Target, we are not yelled at to get red cards. We are given positive incentives and rewards for when we do get people signed up for one. Some examples are getting to choose out videos or cd's from the store, candy or snacks, getting to pie our LODs and Team Leads in the faces with whip cream pies, things like that. Maybe you should switch stores if there is one closer to you.

The rewards cards can get annoying, but if you sign up for a credit card without researching it first you might be getting what is coming to you. In this case though, there is no telling what actually happened at the store or with the discount, but it would have been nice for the people working that day to give her the discount. I don't know what it is like at the store she shopped at, but one thing I am noticing with all of these Target posts lately is that every Target is different based on who is working that day or who the management is.

Did the coupon perhaps look like

Exhibit A
10% off
toy purchase

or

Exhibit B
10% off
      purchase

There are signs at my Target showing a that they're no longer accepting a online toy coupon that people edited to make into an anything coupon. It's possible that this is that coupon.

@Scoobatz: Does telling the manager you will never shop there again work?

As someone who has worked at both corporate and mom and pop places I can tell you, depends on the customer.

If you are being a big pain in my ass and making a big stink about something I can't do anything about or are just being a big bitch then good riddance. I don't want you in my store.

If you are truly getting screwed over and are trying to be nice (but still upset) I will bend over backwards to help you. Especially if you threaten that because I don't want to lose a good customer.

Of course I've run into more of the first then the second.

@roguemarvel: Agree on both of your main points.

@cf27: Exactly. I would of come back later on in the day, loaded up 5 different carts and tried again -- once again, to be refused, then leave 5 carts of crap for them to return to the shelves LOL.

@dorastandpipe: Yes, you can. Most of the cashiers just don't know how to finsih the transaction correctly, mostly because it's a hidden option and requires doing some subtraction in your head. It's one of the few occasions where the POS doesn't "know all" in the store.
If you desire to use a Gift Card with your rewards discount, present it to the cashier first and tell them to find out how much is on the card. Then tell them to subtract that from the total by paying with it *first* with the gift card. After that, your new total will have the amount of the gift card subtracted, ready to be put on a Red Card. After all, the only stipulation for paying for a transaction with a rewards discount is that it must be a "Target Tender". As far as I know, a gift card is a "Target Tender".

@Michael Belisle: That's $5, not 10%. And for those that did legitimately receive the coupons through the mail directly from Target, those same individuals were sent another letter letting them know that the previous coupon should be discarded and to kindly use the included $5 Gift Card instead.

And to the OP: Simply call Target Credit Services (number on the back of your card) and explain to them. They are based in Minneapolis and competent. With my experience with them they are able to apply the 10% discounts to past Target purchases- and do so very liberally.

Correct me if I am wrong. But normally when you use a coupon dosn't the retailer keep the coupon? Most keep the coupon so it can be redeemed by the retailer. So obvioulsy the coupon could not have been previoulsy used or it would not be in hand.

I've had a Target credit card for some time; this is really the only discount-type department store convenient to me, and so I shop there a lot. Always use the card, since they contribute a small percentage of your sales to the school of your choice. I always pay the card off every month in full...not sure exactly what the interest rate is, but am assuming it's like virtually all department store cards...the kind of number you see in those types of transactions where "Big Louie" will come around to break your thumbs if you don't pay up.

Every time you spend a grand, Target sends you a coupon card for 10% off purchases on any single day -- e.g., you can use it all day long, but it expires after that day. Never had a problem using these.

I say cancel the card anyways and shop at Walmart. I don't hate Target cuz I work at Walmart, which I do, work at Walmart I mean, I just hate Target for its fake bourgeois and also their customer service desk is evil too. . OMG I actually spelled bourgeois correctly LOL

After wasting a year and a half of my life in the electronics department of target there are a couple things I can say to target red cards:

1. The employees understand how annoying it must be to be asked about
that stupid credit card every time someone bought something. My
electronics department used to joke about how annoying it probably is.

2. It is shoved so far down the employees throats to ask about a red
card (credit card) every darn time. I know when I was working there,
there was actually a screen on the computer that you had to clear
before finalizing a transaction reminding you of the 'red card'.

3. The computers don't give a reason for it being rejected, so how
would the average employee know why it was rejected? In my own
personal experience working for target, 9 times out of 10 it turned
out that the customers significant other had used it already ( mind
you this is after a 20 minute ordeal ). The other 1 time the 10% was
almost always just taken off the bill by the LOD (manager).

4. The interest rate is sky-high, so I would never suggest anyone to
get one of these cards even if it means saving that extra $30 on the
P.O.S. Target T.V. you are purchasing.

@scoutermac: "Correct me if I am wrong. But normally when you use a coupon dosn't the retailer keep the coupon? Most keep the coupon so it can be redeemed by the retailer. So obvioulsy the coupon could not have been previoulsy used or it would not be in hand."

Most of the time, yes, but not for the Target 10% coupon. It's good all day, and you can use it for separate transactions, so they give it back to you.

I was offred the 10% off at Christmas a few years back, and had about $300 worth of purchases. They transfered the transaction to customer service where I applied for the card, and was approved (to my surprise) saving me $30.

Since then, I use that card for most of my daily expenses, and pay it off each month, and I usually get a new 10% off coupon every couple of months. When it comes in, I make a big shopping trip to my local Super Target - I stock up on groceries, buy a pre-paid phone card, and even get my prescription for 10% off.

@PeanutButter: why would you give them your social security number if you're only 15, and seem to know you shouldn't have credit cards at your age? Target doesn't "pre-approve" you simply by being in their store.

I wonder if they didn't accept it because of the recent target coupon scam that went round and they wouldn't accept a certain type of coupon? Maybe ALL 10% coupons got blocked.