Target offers a more shopper-friendly return policy
Target has been hit with a slew of negative reports recently, and now the retailer is trying to do something positive for its image by making its return policy more shopper-friendly.
Target Corp. announced an enhanced return policy Wednesday covering all of the retailer’s 32 owned and exclusive brands, which extends the return window to one year from the date of purchase. The retailer also rolled out a one-year return guarantee for guests using Target’s baby, college or wedding gift registry.
Also Wednesday, Dow Jones reported that Target Corp. will be increasing its minimum wage to $9 an hour for all of its workers.
“At Target, we’re putting our guests first and are committed to offering a shopping experience that’s inspiring and rooted in ease,” said Kathee Tesija, chief merchandising and supply chain officer, Target. “Our enhanced return policy offers our guests convenience we think they’ll appreciate, while providing additional assurance of the quality of owned and exclusive brands found only at Target.”
The surprising policy change comes after Target recently announced store closures in Canada, layoffs at its corporate headquarters and data breach fixes. In February Target extended free shipping on all online orders over $25.
Effective immediately, Target guests can bring back owned and exclusive-brand items with their receipt to a Target store to receive a full refund within one year of the item’s purchase date. This is an adjustment from the previous 90-day limit.
As an added benefit for customers who make purchases using Target’s REDcard, an additional 30 days will be provided to make returns or exchanges. Guests are guaranteed satisfaction when they purchase any of the thousands of items from the retailer’s portfolio of owned and exclusive brands, including Archer Farms, AVA & VIV, Boots & Barkley, C9 Champion, Chefmate, Cherokee, Circo, Durabuilt, Designed/Distributed by Target (Holiday, Easter, Halloween, etc. seasonal products), Embark, Fieldcrest, Gilligan & O’Malley, Kid Made Modern, Liz Lange, Merona, Mossimo, Mossimo Supply Co., Nate Berkus, ProSpirit, Pure Energy, Room Essentials, Shaun White, Simply Balanced, Smith & Hawken, Sonia Kashuk, Spritz, Sutton & Dodge, Threshold, up & up, Wine Cube, Xhilaration and Yoobi.
To further simplify customers’ registry experience, Target has extended the return period for all Gift Registry items from 90 days to one year from the guest-designated event date. Guests can return most new, unopened items at any Target store using a gift receipt or their Gifts Purchased List, which can be printed in store or accessed online.
Minneapolis-based Target serves guests at 1,795 stores and at Target.com.