Anywhere I have ever purchased gift cards, I ALWAYS ask for printed copy of the activation receipt. There has always been a separate printed activation receipt which is different from the receipt that shows a list of all of the items I purchased. When using them as Christmas gifts, I also provide the person that same receipt in the event of any sort of activation error, so I don't have to be the 3rd party trying to resolve their issue. I can't speak to what Target does/doesn't do and perhaps it was a new employee who did something incorrectly. Any store/chain that claims they have a policy of NOT providing activation receipts is one I would NEVER buy gift cards from.