What is the purpose of a gift receipt? Does it not show the price of the item? Because if they go into the store and get credit they will know the price anyways. Just give them the real receipt.

I don't know if they can reprint gift receipts for you, unless maybe you paid with a credit card and they somehow can find that in the system. From my experience at wal mart, the only way to get a gift receipt printed was during the transaction itself, or immediately after the sale was rung up on that particular register before the next transaction was rung through. Otherwise, you'd be SOL.

You can always get it reprinted or just ask before the transaction is finished. If anything its to save money on wasted paper.

Target is in cost cutting mode now, there are doing alot of things internally to save money as well.

@Corporate_guy: point is that if they really dont need/want that item, then they'll return it and see the price...otherwise, the price will stay secret forever.... (muhahahaha)...

it prevents people from comparing gifts with each other and returning the most expensive ones just to get money..

Target drives me insane. We always get the gift receipt, but we tell them beforehand it's on a registry. Their response is we have to tell the people who registered to mark it as bought, because their computer won't connect and automatically do it. Kind of defeats the purpose of wrapping a gift if you have to tell them to mark it off their registry manually :P

I wouldn't be so quick to jump to the conclusion that Target is secretly trying to discourage returns. I'd be more likely to believe that it was a cost-cutting measure (albeit small) in reducing the amount of receipt paper used. I'd be willing to bet that a relatively small amount of what Target sells is given as a gift, and that a relatively small number of those gifts were given with the gift receipt. Why automatically print a gift receipt -- and waste that paper -- when, statistically, it's more likely it'll just get thrown away? I could be talking out of my ass here, but the logic makes sense to me.

That said, it wouldn't be too hard for cashiers to simply ask if you'd like a gift receipt when you check out.

They will do an store credit is my experience. It happened to me and I just immediately asked for a gift receipt and she gladly printed it out. They do track everything by the credit card you used so if you return something it is not a problem. I think they also allow 2 returns a year without a receipt

Or it could just be that store or that district or whatever. Really, much adieu...

Ironically I was just there buying a case of Diet Pepsi and a few other boring items and the lady at the register asked me if I wanted a gift receipt, it makes sense considering I do not really need one when I'm buying a stick of deodorant and some socks. Think about all of the transactions in every target store every day and suddenly they're saving more than a few bucks on expensive thermal receipt paper.

I just went to a Target yesterday and was asked if I wanted a gift receipt. My significant other was with me and he was given gift receipts for his two purchases without being asked. We assumed that since his purchases looked like presents, the cashier automatically printed out them for him. Hopefully it's just an isolated problem and it gets fixed soon!

Depends on the Target.

The one closest to my house recently started printing gift receipts on request only, the one by my office still prints them out per normal course.

One tidbit re returns: If you paid with a credit card and want your card credited, a receipt is not necessary. With your CC number, Target's system can match up the product with your purchase history and issue the credit directly.

i never noticed at target but I know I always have to ask for a gift receipt at macy's, express, banana republic etc. I just finished all my christmas shopping and asked each time for a gift receipt. actually I forgot at Banana republic and realized after the transaction was done. She was still able to print it out. Either way, I don't see why the person should automtically expect a gift receipt on every purchase. that doesn't really make a lot of sense.

I bought a gift the other night at Target and forgot to get a gift receipt. They were still able to print one for me after the next person in line's transaction finished.

Our Target quit printing them or offering them about the time holiday shopping geared up.

I work at Target and I have noticed that sometimes gift receipts are printed and sometimes they are not. I believe that certain items are tagged as "hot" items for the holidays and those are the ones that automatically get gift receipts.

We are able to print out gift receipts for the full purchase or individual items, it's your choice. You can also bring your full receipt in and have a gift receipt printed for any item on it. Just go to the guest service counter and they will do it for you.

I really don't think this has anything to do with discouraging returns.

I was shopping at Target last week and my cashier specifically asked me what items, if any, I needed a gift receipt for. So I don't think not providing gift receipts is the company's official policy so much as it is lazy employees.

@Corporate_guy:

Prices are not list on the gift receipt. The purpose of the gift receipt is to show proof of purchase and includes the appropriate sales data so that proper credit could be received.

I would say it's more likely to be a cost cutting measure associated with paper and ink. It reminds me of how stores are all about the environment, doing things like selling reusable bags and offering a small discount for bringing your own. Do I think they REALLY care about the environment? No. I think they like the good PR and the fact that it saves them money overall.

What is the point of a gift receipt anyway. If someone uses one to return an item they will know what you paid for the item anyway. I see this as a good way to save paper

@Yurei: I work in retail and there is an option on the register to scan the bar code on an old receipt to print out a gift receipt. I don't know if all POS systems have this option and employees just don't know about it, or if it's just Gap Inc.

@parad0x360: That's what I was thinking. I always hated getting gift receipts for rubbers and cough drops. Really? I killed a tree for gift receipts for that?

I'm so glad they stopped printing them automatically as a rule - I always hated the extra bits of paper. So wasteful and annoying.

I can vouch for this at my local target in Oregon... I had to ask for gift receipts when I bought some Christmas gifts there last week. Sadly, the clerk looked like I asked her to give me her left hand, and begrudgingly printed them with an incredulous look on her face. I asked for 4 receipts - cuz, you know, I bought 4 gifts for 4 different people, shock! - so maybe that was her beef, she had to hit a key 4 times?

I do have to say this is the WORST time of year to implement that policy. I used to work at Target in high school, and back then (this was like 10 years ago or so) gift receipts only printed automatically during the Christmas season, and only if you spent at least $50.

I really hope they give those "Take a Survey and Enter to Win A Gift Card" receipt clingons next. I really hate those. And who actually bothers to go take the stupid survey!?

maybe it's my suspicion of ALL stores in this economy, but what if they aren't printing gift receipts as a way to say they'll be no store to return the item to anyway so what's the point? in the meantime, i'll put my tinfoil hat back on and continue searching the skies...

This is quite a coincidence. I was just shopping at Target this past Saturday, and I was actually surprised that the cashier ASKED me whether I needed a gift receipt or not.

As has been noted, Target always used to print those out...guess they need to save paper, as others have said. What it's definitely not, however, is a "scheme" to somehow curb returns to the store. Maybe the CIA, FBI, and the feds are in on the conspiracy too...

In all seriousness, though, what I find odd is that of all the times to implement a policy like this, the holiday season is certainly the WORST possible time. They should have waited until the new year to implement this no-gift-receipt-unless-you-ask policy.

So they print out gift receipts automatically, and it's bad. Then, they stop automatically printing out gift receipts, and it's bad.

What does it take to please you?

Same here in Fort Collins, Colorado. I had to specifically ask for one today (12/15).

@DrWebster: I wouldn't be so quick to jump to the conclusion that Target is secretly trying to discourage returns...

I would. Fuck Target and their scummy return policy. Last year they changed their returns policy 6 days after Christmas. Think this was just a coincidence?

Their whole excuse was that gift items automatically printed out with a gift receipt so you should already have one. The problem with this logic is that if you buy gifts for more than one person at the same time. Do each of them get part of a receipt?

Also, who defines gift items? The coffe maker I received for Christmas did not. That was 'housewares' not a gift.

Furthermore, I have never known any Target cashier competent enough to print out a gift receipt after an order has been totaled. If they had I am sure they would immediately have escaped to a better employer. I have even had their seasonal help deny that such a thing as a gift receipt even existed.

You know, I noticed that the other day too.. but I figured what I was getting wasn't gift receipt worthy or something.

My Target in Boulder, CO as well as the Longmont and Superior, CO ones always ask about a gift receipt. I prefer that, since most of what I buy a Target is for my household. I always use my debit card to purchase at Target because they can look those items up with the card. Which is really nice if a receipt is lost and I need to return an item.

@loueloui:

I have worked seasonal at target, and all that needs to be done is press the gift receipt button and scan the original receipt.

There are many good target employees, the one near me has a great crew, far better than the warm bodies at walfart.

@Yurei: I worked at Target years ago, so it could've changed, but when I worked there, as long as you had the original receipt, you could print a gift receipt after the sale.

i've been to Target a few times recently & noticed that they aren't automatically printing gift receipts and i rejoiced! no more needless paper! the cashier always asks me if i want one now & i say no. i think it's ridiculous that they automatically printed gift receipts. they're probably just trying to save on receipt paper.

It's a waste of paper to print them if you don't need them, so it makes sense to have removed that. Besides, if you go out to buy a bunch of random things (example: shampoo, toothpaste, socks, dog food) wouldn't it have previously printed a gift receipt for every one of those items, despite the fact that it wouldn't always make sense? I'm glad they aren't doing this anymore, we can't complain when companies ship in giant boxes with a lot of packing materials but also complain about attempts to save paper.

@downwithmonstercable: That cashier was wrong. If you bring up the registry print out to the checkout, they can scan the barcode when they scan the item (or have guest services do it) and it will mark the item for you. Although, all the registries are online so it only takes two seconds for the receiver to see which items have been purchased. I enjoy watching items on my baby registry move to the "purchased" category as we get closer and closer to Christmas.

@Corporate_guy: Couldn't you just give them the real receipt and black out the prices and total? It might not be convenient for the store, but I don't think it would void the receipt.. at least it wouldn't where I work.

@rachaeljean: i do. somebody has to win, right?

@Corporate_guy: Gift receipts hide the prices. The refund can only come back as a gift card too.

@karlrove: I think it's just that store... I just bought a GPS this weekend and got an automatic gift receipt.

@t325: He and the wife bought a gift a month or so back and the gift receipt wasn't on it. Walked up to customer service and they printed one out with the regular receipt.

@MikeGrenade: Target gift receipts are a joke.

They will only give you a store credit for the LOWEST price they have had in the system for the past 90 days. So, even if mom paid full price for your gift, they are only giving you sale price credit. Absolutely crappy. How would you know how much someone spent if they do not list the price on the gift receipt? Pay cash and give the regular receipt.

In fact, I have been lobbying the company to END printing these things for every purchase over $15 for quite some time. Why waste the paper, ink, etc when I buy dog food? I never understood the practice of just handing out a gift receipt if you did not ask for one.

Target has even been so low as to try and cheat me out of my full refund for items I used a manufacturers coupon on. (NOT the special store coupons they issue or promtions where you buy something and get a gift card.)They get reimbursed from the company that issues those coupons and are trying to pocket more $$. So, when you buy crest for $2.99 and use a $1 off manufacturers coupon and end up returning the unopened box, you should still get $2.99 credit, not $1.99.

They are really slipping lower every day.

I'd have to say it saves paper. How stupid is it for me to go there, get groceries and then get a gift receipt? Yes, I'll be returning this banana as a lump of brown poo.

I support their decision not to automagically print out a gift receipt.

You know, it occurs to me that maybe what we need is an accessory for home computers that is part check/receipt scanner and part thermal printer. This could be a small unit that would scan nothing larger than one of those postcard-sized rebate checks. But if store and banking sites were able to interface with these things, they could handle all sorts of transactions without requiring the user to go to a store. For example, if a receipt has a barcode, you could scan it in at a store web site and then print a gift receipt or a rebate receipt or whatever you might need. For store that offered online rebates, they could print a rebate form with barcode, then you go to their site and fill in your name and address and scan the rebate form and you are done. And if your bank allowed it, you could go to your bank's web site and scan in checks and they would be deposited to your account (once confirmation is received from the bank's web site that the transaction has gone through, the check could be marked in some way, maybe by means of a hole punch or something, although for it to really work well bank computers would have to know when a check has already been cashed and not cash it twice!). There are so many ways such a device could be used, as long as there were a common standard for communicating with it via a web interface. Just a thought that occurred to me while reading this.

They stopped printing gift receipts automatically at my local Targets a while ago. They'll print if you ask though.

Gift receipts print out automatically if any of the items purchased are above a certain dollar amount. It used to be $10 but I think it may have been upped recently. You can always bring in the original receipt and they can print you gift receipts by scanning the barcode.

@Yurei: At my work, if someone forgets to ask for a gift receipt (or more often, the case is that they changed their mind right as we swipe their card) we just process a return/exchange, with the "exchanged" item having a gift receipt. The net total is zero so no exchange of money is needed, just their gift receipt.

@jessi5000: Do registers still use ink? I thought most places used thermal printers now. Either way, the less paper used in a higher volume store like a Target would certainly add up some savings in just a day, not to mention the whole season.

Why bother? Just keep the bloody receipt and if the person you gave the gift to wants to return it, give them the recipt. Or seal it in an envelope and give it to them only to open if they need it. Some people just like to whinge about anything. Try and find a way around the problem instead of asking others to do it for you.

I've always thought it was pointless at best to automatically include a gift receipt with EVERY purchase. It's dumb to print one out when someone is buying socks or toothpaste, and it makes more sense to simply ASK for one if you're actually buying a gift. It doesn't seem like much, but 6 inches of paper PER PURCHASE really adds up after a while. Company costs aside, it's wasteful plain & simple. Trees died just to print out those receipts, and most people just throw them away immediately. I say we do away with receipts altogether & start taking names for returns instead.

I seriously doubt that this new policy is to "discourage returns", and is simply a cost-cutting measure. The idea that stores try to sabotage returns is just stupid paranoid thinking. Sometimes the conspiracy theorists go too far.

When I go I get asked if I want a gift receipt, even when I am just grocery shopping. Sometimes though I also automatically get one. I just had a bunch of baby showers and all of the presents from Target had a gift receipt with it.