I HATE TARGET (but I love Target...)

[ajmom]

I just returned from Target tonight where I wanted to return some gifts the kids received from DH's family for Christmas... the inventory included
*a game that we already own,
*a Hot Wheels track (they're getting a wooden set from Santa),
*some FP roll-arounds (no toy to go with it), and
*2 tubes of Spongebob toothpaste.

ALL items sold at Target and at the exxact Target where I'm positive my SIL bought the items.

The girl in CS told me that you can only return 2 ITEMS per year with no gift receipt. 2 ITEMS???? Per YEAR?????? What kind of lousy excuse for a return policy is that???

So I choose 2 items (already fuming at this point) and she rings up the Hot Wheels track. Then she goes to ring up the game and informs me that apparently I've already returned one other item at some point during the year and I can't return ANYTHING else. Then I tell her that I want to return the game instead b/c we already own it, instead of the HW track, but she informs me that's impossible b/c I already returned the track so I can't have it back and trade it out for the game.

So why does Target feel they be so high and mighty with their return policy? It's not like I'm trying to pull one over on them- I would have been perfectly happy with store credit. Perfectly happy! They wouldn't have been out any money. But NO, instead they've made me so furious that I ..... still spent $80 there tonight. I LOVE Target, but I'm SO MAD about thie return policy thing. I'm def. writing a letter!!

[LarsMal]

That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! Do they distinguish between "returning" and "exchanging"? I've always thought that their policy about returning w/o a receipt was stupid...you have to go and pick something else out from the same department to replace what you are returning. For example- my SIL/BIL got DH and I a dart board for Christmas a couple years ago. Since we didn't have the receipt we had to go pick something else out from the games/toys section. So stupid!

But, just like you - I continue to shop there and spend lots of money!!

Just save the other items until after Jan. 1 and go return them then- it's a new year!

[SnuggleBuggles]

I hear ya on their return policy. Luckily they have that credit card look up so if you bought it you can have them find the reciept. They are tough on their return policy and I guess I understand why. My friend was in HR there and said before their crack down on returns people would return things like used underwear. Eww...

Too many bad apples ruin it for honest people.

Their return policy has been like this for about 2 years. I never buy anything there that I think I may need to open and check since returns have to be new and unopened. Usually not a problem but there are times that I don't buy there because I can't return it if it just doesn't work for my needs. Ah well. I too still shop there. Just careful about what I buy and hang on to my reciepts.

I would personally try a dif't store for returns but you may run into the same policy at Kmart, TRU etc.. Could you just ask your SIL for the reciept?

Good luck!

Beth

[bcky2]

this is so bad, but can your dh take them back? different name and i dont know if they ask for a dl # but if they do then that will be different also. heck if it is an address thing give a work or old address. maybe someone else in your family would be willing to exchange it? what about the gift givers? do they have a receipt that they would be willing to give you? their return policy does stink, i was so scared to return a damaged item i sent dh with the receipt to exchage it because i was so worried of being told no. that is sad that i am scared off by a return policy x(

[tchrmom13]

Oooooooooohhhhhhh, I am getting red just thinking about your situation. I HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT TTTTTTEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Target's return policy. Early this year I returned some things I had recieved as baby shower gifts (no was not registered there, everyone knows I love the store), needless to say I received MULTIPLE items that were duplicates. Example, a set of onesies that was super cute and matched our "theme" for our little guy were given to us 6 times, yes that's right 6 times! There I was at Target hoping to retun them and get something else for our little one and the 16 year old sales clerk SHUT ME DOWN! Not just a sorry, let me get my manager, that little girl was so nasty I went home and called the manager immediately. (Naturally when I asked to speak with the manager he/she was "busy") No satisfaction with the manager, then I called the district manager, same BS. I was so fired up (did I meantion that I was 9 months pregnant at the time) that I wrote corporate a letter. My response back - a form letter that thanked me for my concern and explained the return policy!

Ugh, but I still manage to spend ~$100 there about every week. Maybe I'm just really mad at myself....

So sorry to hijack your post......... reading it got me all worked up again.

Heather
Mommy to William 3/20/06

[C99]

Is it calendar year or within a 12-month period? If the former, at least you can try to return 2 of the other 3 items in 3 weeks...

[elaineandmichaelsmommy]

i know the return policy is a real pia. I was working at target when they changed the return policy. What a mess. It's unfortunate that you can't return w/o the recipt. but you could still exchange and since they were gifts for the kids what's the harm? but still it's lousy.
could you possibly take the gifts back to walmart if they carry the same items. They tend to be more lenient with their policy. My ds got a duplicate little people bus at the dinner with santa we went to last weekend and w/ no recipt it's gonna be tricky. The cs gal at wal mart told me to bring in the toy but couldn't make any promises. I know wal mart is the devil in a lot of ways but their return policy is definatly better.
If worse comes to worse you could always sell the stuff on craigslist.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I found a sneaky way to deal with their registry/ duplicate issues. Whenever we got something we didn't want (like a wipes' warmer) we would add that to our registry then return it. They would give store credit only to be used in the dept. that item could be purchased in (so baby gear not baby food, baby care or clothes) but it still helped since we didn't have a reciept. No idea if that strategy still works.

Beth

[KentuckyRK]

> If worse comes to worse you could always sell the stuff on
>craigslist.

You could do that... you could just keep the gifts and not worry about it...
Or better yet, why don't you donate it to a child who won't be getting many gifts this year. Not trying to be rude so please don't take it that way, but it's the same way at our house and I finally realized it last year. No duplicate or unwanted gifts get returned anymore and the only things that get exchanged are those that do not fit and even then it's iffy... any of those gifts go directly to the salvation army or to the giving tree at church and you get to feel good about doing it rather than crappy about standing in line for a return you couldn't make. I saw it too often working in retail the past four Christmases... people irate because grandma only spent 5.00 on their "tacky" (their words not mine) Christmas sweater, or yelling at me because I wouldn't give them cash back with a gift receipt or the full price back with no receipt at all. I personally would rather pitch myself off a roof then ever venture to return a gift after Christmas.

And sure, you may be out $30 on that game, or $40 on that race track, but ask yourself... is your child REALLY going to know the difference come Christmas morning?

[DrSally]

Yeah, I know. It went from the most lenient return police--used to be able to return unlimited without a receipt and cs was specifically told to be generous in returns, to this...

It's really bad. Then, if you don't have the receipt and the item rings up on sale, you get a really bad price to boot.

ETA: Must have been a Freudian slip, I meant "return policy", not police!

[DrSally]

Supposedly if you're registered at Target, they have an exception to the 2 item, no receipt return policy. I returned baby items that weren't on my registry and just had to prove I had a registry there. Got store credit.

[babyready]

I used to work at the Customer Service desk at Target and we got the nastiest things returned. Used bras was VERY common. If they came in a package a lot of the time you couldn't tell and then they would get put back out to the floor. Oh, and used carseats with crumbs and stuff in them that people didn't want anymore. Seriously, it was unbelievable. Also, they used to not let you return ANYTHING without a receipt. The two a year is a newer policy and is actually more lenient.

I hear you, though, it is a HUGE pain for honest people. If there are things you can find at Wal-Mart, the return policy there is much more lenient.

[babyready]

I used to do this too!!!

But now they have changed it so it is easier to return things if you're registered there, even if you didn't register for those items.

[KBecks]

Good perspective, Rachel.

[sdoyle]

I feel your Target pain- reading this post gets me all worked up thinking about the stress of returning there. I mean, really, I'm there all the time- let me exchange the $5 blue onsies for the pink ones! They are obviously your brand!

I wish I could quit them.........

[ajmom]

>I wish I could quit them.........

OMG! LOL!!!!

[ajmom]

>It's really bad. Then, if you don't have the receipt and the
>item rings up on sale, you get a really bad price to boot.

I don't mind taking the bad price b/c it would be for store credit anyway, and I didn't pay for the item...

[DrSally]

I know too funny, reminds me of the line in Brokeback Mountain.

[boys2enough]

Yup. Feel your pain. Was "blacklisted" by Target 2 years ago...

If YOU bought the items with your own credit card though, it's very easy for them to look it up even without the receipts.

Ok, please don't flame me, but for toys, I just go straight to TRU now. They take everything back. And really, the manufacturer will refund them for the money. Or so I was told. The irony is, I do understand this kind of behavior is what propelled Target to change their return policy in the first place...

Or you can always regift the game.

BTW, totally OT, but I vowed not to have another HotWheel toys in my house any more. So good for you. And they are not cheap in price! (though imo they are so cheaply made).

Cheers, Lin

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[HHCs Mom]

After DS was born, I had about 15 packages of diapers that I did not want. We'd found our brand and were sticking with it. I started taking some back every so often and when once when I was in there, I found a cashier at the returns desk who told me when I mentioned that I had a bunch of diapers at home to return to bring them on in and he'd give me store credit for them. I asked him how long he'd be at the returns desk and promptly hauled my butt home and grabbed up the rest of the dipes! Returned them all at once and got a nice store credit. I have NO CLUE what prompted him to do that for me because I had been given the same load of crap y'all have gotten when trying to return baby gifts prior to that. Maybe it was because I was registered there? From then on, I told all of my pregnant friends that whether or not they wanted to, they needed to register at Target just so they can make returns since surely someone would buy them a gift from that store.

LOVE Target but their return policy is the worst! For items that I couldn't return at Target, I always tried Wal-Mart and they usually took them back. I had also considered having DH or MIL do my returns for me but it never got to that point.

Kim
~ mama to a sweet boy named Harrison ~ 4.6.04
...and #2 due 5.24.07!

[ett]

>Ok, please don't flame me, but for toys, I just go straight to
>TRU now. They take everything back. And really, the
>manufacturer will refund them for the money. Or so I was
>told. The irony is, I do understand this kind of behavior is
>what propelled Target to change their return policy in the
>first place...
>

Can you still do this at TRU? I thought they changed their return policy over the summer that you have to have an original or gift receipt to do any returns.

[boys2enough]

>
>>Ok, please don't flame me, but for toys, I just go straight
>to
>>TRU now. They take everything back. And really, the
>>manufacturer will refund them for the money. Or so I was
>>told. The irony is, I do understand this kind of behavior
>is
>>what propelled Target to change their return policy in the
>>first place...
>>
>
>Can you still do this at TRU? I thought they changed their
>return policy over the summer that you have to have an
>original or gift receipt to do any returns.

Not sure. But I just returned a couple of toys without a receipt to TRU in November. Maybe it's because I walked in with an apologetic smile and said, "Birthday party...." ;-)

Cheers, Lin

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