Argh. The 20% off coupon can't be used for Disney Giftcards afterall. :(

[undertheradar]

The truth of the matter is everyone else will pay for this. By that I mean higher prices to account for the projected losses. For all of those defending the "poor consumers," check into how much your local Target donates to your community. Multiply it by all of the locations and you have quite a large sum. That money is generated by our collective purchases and will be reduced if there is lower sales income or higher losses. The result is fewer scheduled hours for Target team members and less disposable income in local economies. All so that a few consumers could get the discount they were "entitled" to.

 

[Eastern]

Someone posted on Target's fb -

Why are some stores allowing the discount and not others?

-along with link to Disboards

3 hours ago no answer yet.

 

[rrali33tt]

I went out of my way to spend $75 on Friday to get the 20% off coupon because I had already shopped online Thursday at Target AND went there at 8pm to get some instore items (Monsters U for $10 )

I bought some items that were not even on sale that I needed for my house to justify getting the coupon on Friday in hopes of being able to use the 20%.

I signed up for a red card online on Thursday because I would love the 5% discount on Disney cards in the future. I am new to all these Target/Disney card discounts. How do you get the pharmacy discount? I assume you need to fill an rx to get it?

IMHO - A layperson who does not know that Target classifes some gift cards as "entertainment" cards would assume they could not use the coupon for any type of gift card. I think we all need to be honest with ourselves and understand we are getting off on a technicality because Target classifies Disney cards as "entertainment" cards.

The coupon flat out says "no gift cards". it is funny that it says no "gift cards" and "no itunes cards". You would think the purpose of saying no "gift cards" is to prevent people from buying hundreds of dollars worth of TARGET gift cards, essentially spending 20% less on more than just one future purchase.

ITunes cards are probably very popular, so they exclude them from the promotion. (Just like Xbox One stuff was excluded from most BF sales).

I don't know how ITunes cards ring up in their system ( or any gift card for that matter). If the Disney card (or any card) is, according to target, an "entertainment card" then I do think the 20% coupon should apply, ONLY because that is what Target calls it. Otherwise, common sense would tell you that it is just a gift card.

But I agree with a previous poster, I have a feeling you will no longer get the 5% off on "entertainment" cards once the dust settles on this issue. I hope my card arrives in time so I can pick up a few for christmas gifts.

 

[mightyexplorers]

So how many stores did you go to looking for a manager who sees the truth? Based on many reports, the truth is corporate never intended for these to be used on Disney Gift Cards. Unless you want to discredit the comment a few pages back, the recorded message for managers who called in is pretty solid proof of the truth. For some time, corporate has not been allowing $ off or % off coupons on these Disney cards. There are many reports of the system not allowing them to go through leading up to BF. I too was hopeful the 20% would not be treated the same, but I knew it was a long shot. What exactly is the mistake corporate made here that needs correcting? Honestly, the only mistake they made was not informing managers a long time ago that they were no longer allowing coupon use on these types of gift cards. Yes, they could have been more clear about the exclusions in the BF ad, but that is simply a gripe and not something that will alter their policy. Your dream of corporate penance allowing this coupon to work for one week has about a 0% chance of happening. The most likely scenario is if they haven't already, corporate will most likely send out a memo to all store managers instructing them to not accept (override) the 20% off coupon for any pre-paid card, including the Disney Cards. If by chance I'm wrong and they change their policy, I'll be right with you buying a stack of them, but I think we both know that is not going to happen.

Hypothetical question....

If the Target 20% coupon said "Gift cards included. Entertainment cards excluded," would you all be arguing that it's a gift card????? After all, it says gift card right on it. I want my discount now!!!!

Seems like an easy way to twist something for your own gain.

Have you ever gone to Disney Store and asked to buy an "entertainment card"? They'd look at you like you had two heads. But ask for a "gift card" and you'll get the exact same one Target is selling.

I can't believe people are arguing about this to this extent. Wow, nothing better to do at Christmas time?

Also can't believe I got sucked in to posting again....

Hypothetical, If the sky was brown would dirt be blue?

Disney Stores do not use the term entertainment card so that would be dumb. Target uses the term so I might go to target and ask to buy an entertainment card.

It's highly likely that this will happen as Target has probably lost thousands overriding these transactions. So, the 5% Red Card and Rx Rewards will likely be gone after this fiasco.

If the cards were supposed to have been discounted then they would have been. Period. There would not have required management intervention of any kind.

But, congrats to anyone that got it to work. Savings are savings!

No doubt that the cards were not intended to be discounted. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Target just should have been 1. clear and 2. consistent. iTunes cards are gift cards too. So why list those separately on the coupon if they already excluded gift cards.

Because they are different programs. They were used in conjunction with a red card. This promotion was based on sales on one day and coupon with the terms and conditions was provided. Stores run promotions with different terms and conditions often. That's why you have to read the terms and conditions for the individual promotion. I receive coupons all the time for other stores and sometimes certain items are included in one promotion that aren't included in the next.

Target also ran an ad for a 50" lcd TV. If you bought it and they switched it for a 40" lcd TV with a disclaimer on the TV saying the purchase was only good for the 40" then it would be my (the consumers) fault for not buying the TV and not reading the terms and conditions that were not provided until after the sale?

I essentially bought that coupon as part of the $75 in goods I purchased. I only purchased at target to receive the coupon. and only after the sale did target offer any restrictions. those restrictions were similar to a similar promotion from last year and people expected they would behave similarly.
Target did offer some legal ease in their black friday ad, it would not have overwhelmed the ad to be upfront about the coupon that they were selling.

Anyone??????? Can any of you who are arguing for the "entertainment card" ridiculousness, please answer?

I honestly can't remember why I quoted this or what I should answer, imagine something clever here.

my 2 cents....which with a 20% off coupon is really more like 1.6 cents!

These are gift cards...call them what you will (or what Target may call them) but at the end of the day I'd say we all know what a gift card is and that these are gift cards. To say they aren't actually giftcards is just silly. Hopefully this mess wont cause Target to remove the 5% that you get with red cards & pharmacy rewards.

I am glad you got your discount on your $0.02. As previously mentioned, Target is pretty specific in their wording about the 5% discount. That indicates they are probably well aware and it is profitable for them to offer the 5% on other gift cards. Target screwed this one up but I don't think they are so stupid or ignorant. to not know that people are using that to buy gift cards.

I would be curious if stating a 20% coupon (without listing any restrictions in the ad) falls under the bait and switch laws in most states?

The legality that the coupon is not valid for gift cards is ok. The problem is that they did not state the 20% coupon would have any restrictions in newspapers millions received.

YUP

The truth of the matter is everyone else will pay for this. By that I mean higher prices to account for the projected losses. For all of those defending the "poor consumers," check into how much your local Target donates to your community. Multiply it by all of the locations and you have quite a large sum. That money is generated by our collective purchases and will be reduced if there is lower sales income or higher losses. The result is fewer scheduled hours for Target team members and less disposable income in local economies. All so that a few consumers could get the discount they were "entitled" to.

Wow, Target has filed for non-profit status? Should we call the pope nominate them for sainthood?

Somehow, I don't think they are going to go out of business over this. And I seriously doubt that their prices will go much higher than they already are either.

 

[nydancemom]

Wow lots of discussion here! Just wanted to say that I just returned from my Target shopping trip and saved almost $1000 on 80 Disney cards ($4000). I had no problem, asked before I got in the check out line so I wouldn't hold up a line, was told yes, not a problem, that they had several people yesterday who got the discounted 20% with the coupon. They called over a manager. She took me to customer service desk, told me she had done the same thing the day before for her own upcoming trip, that she had called regional headquarters and was told yes, the Disney cards were perfectly ok to discount. She verified it again later in the day when another customer came in to buy several thousand dollars worth and again was told it was not a problem! So for my purchase today, she did not need to verify again, she just knew exactly what to do. It took awhile to ring up 80 cards (because my Red debit card wouldn't go through, too much money compared to my usual Target spending habits according to phone call I made while there) so the manager then told me to go ahead and use my Disney credit card after she took off the 5% I would have gotten with my Red card. So end result, $4000 became $3040. And I'll earn $30 in Disney dollars too.

 

[kaytieeldr]

No doubt that the cards were not intended to be discounted. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Target just should have been 1. clear and 2. consistent. iTunes cards are gift cards too. So why list those separately on the coupon if they already excluded gift cards.

Most iTunes Cards don't include the word 'gift' on the card. All the other cards in question do.

Target also ran an ad for a 50" lcd TV. If you bought it and they switched it for a 40" lcd TV with a disclaimer on the TV saying the purchase was only good for the 40" then it would be my (the consumers) fault for not buying the TV and not reading the terms and conditions that were not provided until after the sale?

I essentially bought that coupon as part of the $75 in goods I purchased. I only purchased at target to receive the coupon. and only after the sale did target offer any restrictions. those restrictions were similar to a similar promotion from last year and people expected they would behave similarly.
Target did offer some legal ease in their black friday ad, it would not have overwhelmed the ad to be upfront about the coupon that they were selling.

You didn't buy the coupon, essentially or otherwise. And similar isn't identical.

I am glad you got your discount on your $0.02. As previously mentioned, Target is pretty specific in their wording about the 5% discount. That indicates they are probably well aware and it is profitable for them to offer the 5% on other gift cards. Target screwed this one up but I don't think they are so stupid or ignorant. to not know that people are using that to buy gift cards.

WebMasterKathy has explained a couple of times that it's not profitable (earn 1-3% but sell at a 5% discount). Target assumes that reasonable cost of doing business, aka loss. Expecting them to lose 15-19%, not so much. Target didn't screw up just because some shoppers refuse to agree that gift card means gift card.

 

[SUSIEQ]

Wow lots of discussion here! Just wanted to say that I just returned from my Target shopping trip and saved almost $1000 on 80 Disney cards ($4000). I had no problem, asked before I got in the check out line so I wouldn't hold up a line, was told yes, not a problem, that they had several people yesterday who got the discounted 20% with the coupon. They called over a manager. She took me to customer service desk, told me she had done the same thing the day before for her own upcoming trip, that she had called regional headquarters and was told yes, the Disney cards were perfectly ok to discount. She verified it again later in the day when another customer came in to buy several thousand dollars worth and again was told it was not a problem! So for my purchase today, she did not need to verify again, she just knew exactly what to do. It took awhile to ring up 80 cards (because my Red debit card wouldn't go through, too much money compared to my usual Target spending habits according to phone call I made while there) so the manager then told me to go ahead and use my Disney credit card after she took off the 5% I would have gotten with my Red card. So end result, $4000 became $3040. And I'll earn $30 in Disney dollars too.

So, she didn't get reprimanded for what she did yesterday. Good for her..... and good for you!

 

[gretchenohar@hotmail]

Wow lots of discussion here! Just wanted to say that I just returned from my Target shopping trip and saved almost $1000 on 80 Disney cards ($4000). I had no problem, asked before I got in the check out line so I wouldn't hold up a line, was told yes, not a problem, that they had several people yesterday who got the discounted 20% with the coupon. They called over a manager. She took me to customer service desk, told me she had done the same thing the day before for her own upcoming trip, that she had called regional headquarters and was told yes, the Disney cards were perfectly ok to discount. She verified it again later in the day when another customer came in to buy several thousand dollars worth and again was told it was not a problem! So for my purchase today, she did not need to verify again, she just knew exactly what to do. It took awhile to ring up 80 cards (because my Red debit card wouldn't go through, too much money compared to my usual Target spending habits according to phone call I made while there) so the manager then told me to go ahead and use my Disney credit card after she took off the 5% I would have gotten with my Red card. So end result, $4000 became $3040. And I'll earn $30 in Disney dollars too.

Congrats! Way to go!
Whereabouts in NY are you?

 

[sweetdana]

Someone posted on Target's fb -

Why are some stores allowing the discount and not others?

-along with link to Disboards

3 hours ago no answer yet.

WOW I have never looked at their page, but the one for 52 mins ago from Bloomington, IL is pretty well straight to the point. I suspect they will honor them individually and pull most of them off the racks to run out..

That seems the best of both worlds. Sell some, and not so many thousands of $$ of them that you BK the company.

Those posters are right, even if it is somewhat entitlement, and it really is a gift card, the fact that they gave it to some and not others, would/should cause unfair/un needed grief. They should fix it. I really think they will.

 

[dpswift]

The truth of the matter is everyone else will pay for this. By that I mean higher prices to account for the projected losses. For all of those defending the "poor consumers," check into how much your local Target donates to your community. Multiply it by all of the locations and you have quite a large sum. That money is generated by our collective purchases and will be reduced if there is lower sales income or higher losses. The result is fewer scheduled hours for Target team members and less disposable income in local economies. All so that a few consumers could get the discount they were "entitled" to.

Excellant point. I still think that if people had been purchasing reasonable amounts they might not have been excluded. Target team members love Disney and many read this board. They most likely got concerned when they were reading everyones plans.

 

[TheLanes]

Excellant point. I still think that if people had been purchasing reasonable amounts they might not have been excluded. Target team members love Disney and many read this board. They most likely got concerned when they were reading everyones plans.

I'm not sure why the amount purchased by one person matters. A company is either making a profit or not

 

[kaytieeldr]

I'm not sure why the amount purchased by one person matters. A company is either making a profit or not

Target isn't making a profit on the sale of (any) gift cards sold at a 20% discount. They're losing 15% or more.

 

[califlorican]

I've been following this thread (I don't even have a coupon but was curious about the whole thing) and If you look now, there is a reply from Target on the Facebook page and it clearly states that ALL gift cards, including Disney and other 3rd party gift cards, are excluded from the 20% off. Target obviously never intended for this to be discounted.

 

[htmlkid]

I've been beaten up by a few of you and I feel it was unfair.

Let's preference this off with last year I had no problems purchasing gift cards with the discount cause I was told that Disney Cards were classified as entertainment cards. I learned about the discount through the disboards and waited to read posted reports on both the disboards and *********** to see it it was working again. As I read through the posts it was clear that some stores were processing it and some were not. It was obvious that the coupon was not only unclear to the consumer but to the employees also.

In every store I went to, the target tag above the gift card where it was hanging clearly stated Disney $50 Entertainment Card. When I was told at the store no the coupon was not accepted I mentioned that they are considered entertainment cards not gift cards.... I was always very polite and never once asked to call customer service or demand a refund, I just said thank you for your time. I felt that in my area there are 6 targets in a relative short drive and that I would eventually find a target to agree with me. Honestly I didn't expect to go to 5 targets and normally wouldn't have taken that much time to peruse a discount, but I recently had surgery and have lots of time on my hands during my recovery so it became an activity for me.

When I finally found a target who said yes your right they are entertainment cards and you should get the discount I purchased as many as I could, and why not the coupon clearly stated it applies to your entire purchase.

My intensions we're never to defraud target, just to get the discount I felt the coupon offered. If I was really looking to bang out target I would have applied for a red card for an additional 5%.... But I was happy enough with the 20% which I honestly felt included Disney Cards.

So before you judge me and convict me of tying to beat the system re-read my initial post and tank into consideration all the facts stated above.

 

[gretchenohar@hotmail]

I agree htmlkid - the morals police have been having a heyday...

 

[FrostedSteph]

I agree htmlkid - the morals police have been having a heyday...

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

I've been beaten up by a few of you and I feel it was unfair.

Let's preference this off with last year I had no problems purchasing gift cards with the discount cause I was told that Disney Cards were classified as entertainment cards. I learned about the discount through the disboards and waited to read posted reports on both the disboards and *********** to see it it was working again. As I read through the posts it was clear that some stores were processing it and some were not. It was obvious that the coupon was not only unclear to the consumer but to the employees also.

In every store I went to, the target tag above the gift card where it was hanging clearly stated Disney $50 Entertainment Card. When I was told at the store no the coupon was not accepted I mentioned that they are considered entertainment cards not gift cards.... I was always very polite and never once asked to call customer service or demand a refund, I just said thank you for your time. I felt that in my area there are 6 targets in a relative short drive and that I would eventually find a target to agree with me. Honestly I didn't expect to go to 5 targets and normally wouldn't have taken that much time to peruse a discount, but I recently had surgery and have lots of time on my hands during my recovery so it became an activity for me.

When I finally found a target who said yes your right they are entertainment cards and you should get the discount I purchased as many as I could, and why not the coupon clearly stated it applies to your entire purchase.

My intensions we're never to defraud target, just to get the discount I felt the coupon offered. If I was really looking to bang out target I would have applied for a red card for an additional 5%.... But I was happy enough with the 20% which I honestly felt included Disney Cards.

So before you judge me and convict me of tying to beat the system re-read my initial post and tank into consideration all the facts stated above.

Okay, I'll ask my question once again....

If the coupon said it excluded entertainment cards, but included gift cards, would you argue this exact same card is a gift card?

Come on, you know it's a gift card. It says gift card. It's the same thing everyone else sells as a gift card. You use it as a gift card. If you asked for a "Disney Entertainment Card" no one would have a clue what you're talking about.

And if you "honestly felt it included Disney cards," why did you mention benefiting from Target's mistake?

And how are you going to feel if that manager who finally said yes---after four others said no!!!!---gets in trouble for giving you the $2,000? That's a serious infraction they may be dealing with. I can't believe for a minute that any manager lets $2,000 walk out the door and no one is going to say anything to them. Even given that a thought?

 

[djmeredith]

Okay, I'll ask my question once again....

If the coupon said it excluded entertainment cards, but included gift cards, would you argue this exact same card is a gift card?

I can only speak for myself, but I would not argue the opposite because for a year now I have known that Target calls Disney cards "entertainment cards."

Come on, you know it's a gift card. It says gift card. It's the same thing everyone else sells as a gift card. You use it as a gift card. If you asked for a "Disney Entertainment Card" no one would have a clue what you're talking about.

If it's that simple, why did MANY of Target's own managers (including the one that honored HTMLKIDs purchase consider the Disney cards "entertainment cards."

And if you "honestly felt it included Disney cards," why did you mention benefiting from Target's mistake?

I'm not HTMLKID, but I thought the "mistake" she/he was referring to was Target's mistake of not clearly listing all exclusions on the coupon.

And how are you going to feel if that manager who finally said yes---after four others said no!!!!---gets in trouble for giving you the $2,000? That's a serious infraction they may be dealing with. I can't believe for a minute that any manager lets $2,000 walk out the door and no one is going to say anything to them. Even given that a thought?
Why should any consumer be expected to refuse a discount a manger is freely giving because the manager might get in trouble? The manager has ALL of the control in the situation, the manager that gave the discount to HTMLKID could have easily said no just like the others did. That manager told HTMLKID that the cards were considered "entertainment cards" and honored the discount.

My comments are in blue.

 

[htmlkid]

Okay, I'll ask my question once again....

If the coupon said it excluded entertainment cards, but included gift cards, would you argue this exact same card is a gift card?

Come on, you know it's a gift card. It says gift card. It's the same thing everyone else sells as a gift card. You use it as a gift card. If you asked for a "Disney Entertainment Card" no one would have a clue what you're talking about.

And if you "honestly felt it included Disney cards," why did you mention benefiting from Target's mistake?

And how are you going to feel if that manager who finally said yes---after four others said no!!!!---gets in trouble for giving you the $2,000? That's a serious infraction they may be dealing with. I can't believe for a minute that any manager lets $2,000 walk out the door and no one is going to say anything to them. Even given that a thought?

Your initial question is irrelevant cause it has always been considered an entertainment card from Targets point of view and is displayed as such in the store. And as for the manager, there was hundreds of managers across the country doing the same thing cause they believed that it was an entertainment card to and the coupon should discount it. The issue was so confusing that their was many reports of managers calling corporate and getting approval to honor the coupon. The fundamental problem lies not with me, the hundreds of other people who has done the same thing or the hundreds of managers that did what they thought was right... The fault is with targets marketing department not understanding how these cards were perceived by both the public and the employees and for that you think I am a bad person. All I did was use a coupon that was issued to me in the fashion I though it was intended for.

I have never taken a dollar from anyone in my life that wasn't given to me. I've returned wallets found with cash without asking for a thing and I've spent 3 years in the military serving my country and the last 30 years as a firefighter/paramedic saving lives....yet in your eyes I'm an evil person trying to beat the system. I really take offense to your accusations.

 

[djmeredith]

Your initial question is irrelevant cause it has always been considered an entertainment card from Targets point of view and is displayed as such in the store. And as for the manager, there was hundreds of managers across the country doing the same thing cause they believed that it was an entertainment card to and the coupon should discount it. The issue was so confusing that their was many reports of managers calling corporate and getting approval to honor the coupon. The fundamental problem lies not with me, the hundreds of other people who has done the same thing or the hundreds of managers that did what they thought was right... The fault is with targets marketing department not understanding how these cards were perceived by both the public and the employees and for that you think I am a bad person. All I did was use a coupon that was issued to me in the fashion I though it was intended for.

I have never taken a dollar from anyone in my life that wasn't given to me. I've returned wallets found with cash without asking for a thing and I've spent 3 years in the military serving my country and the last 30 years as a firefighter/paramedic saving lives....yet in your eyes I'm an evil person trying to beat the system. I really take offense to your accusations.

Try not to let these people get to you. You did absolutely nothing wrong!! If I had the extra cash on hand, I would've went to several stores just like you did. Thank you for your service to our country, and your continued civil service. Now go enjoy your discounted Disney vacation and don't give this thread another thought!