Target shipping rip-off - ugh!

[ajh88]

So I'm being very pro-active this year and DD's Christmas shopping is almost done - just holding out for some Black Friday deals for a few little things. I went online today to Target (the only store where I can find the thing I'm looking for) to try and pre-order a couple of toys that we want to get her. They are slated for release in 2-4 weeks. My item total was $49.94 (for 3 items) and my shipping charge was $24.95 - WHAT?!? And I had selected "group into as few shipments as possible."

Apparently Target has "special delivery zones" where a surcharge is assessed for delivery - and of course I live in one of those zip codes. This has NEVER happened to me before, and I wonder if it is something they literally just started. My sister ordered a DS Lite and only paid $3.75 for shipping a couple of weeks ago (when they were on sale) and she lives in the same zip code region.

Anyway, I guess the moral of the story is to double check any shipping charges from Target, especially if you live in a rural area. Guess I'll just have to press my luck at finding the items in store once they are released or keep my eyes peeled for a free shipping coupon!

 

[msmayor]

The special delivery zones appear to be applicable when an oversized or heavy item is purchased.

You say it was three items...is one of them a large size?

It doesn't have to weigh a lot. My son orders his hockey sticks from the internet and they don't weigh much at all, but the size of the box makes them "oversized" and costs an extra $10-15 to ship.

 

[ajh88]

I thought that at first too - but none of the items have the "special distance fee" mentioned on the shipping page and when I checked the dimensions, the largest one is 11.8 x 11.8 x 2.8 inches and weighs less than a pound - hardly oversized or unusually shaped. The heaviest was 2.6 pounds and was 4.4 x 4.2 x 2.5 inches.

I'll give Target the benefit of the doubt though - perhaps they have these items "mis-coded" in their shipping system since they are new and are pre-orders, because I just can't imagine they are large enough to qualify for a surcharge.

I'm still not ordering them out of principle - it doesn't cost me $25 to drive to my nearest Target (even though its about 35 miles away!). Maybe I'll contact customer service and inquire.

 

[PinkRhombus]

Target may be the only place that has it now, but will other stores get it in? I wouldn't be paying that kind of shipping 4 months before Christmas. That would be a last ditch last minute only kind of thing for me.

ETA: Did you look it up through Amazon though? They list a lot of Target stuff and it says "fullfilled by Target" but the shipping may be listed correctly through that if it is wrong on Target.com.

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

Did you look at WalMart? On some items they do free 'site to store' shipping. Some other items they do .97 shipping, I saw that on a Graco Nautilus booster that comes in a huge box.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

Have you checked Amazon? I think they're affiliated with Target in some way, but you may be able to get the free shipping over $25, it's worth looking into anyway.

 

[jiminy14]

A few months ago I wanted to order some costume jewelry from the Target site for my daughter. The total cost was about $40 but the shipping was over $25 for 5 items. I ended up adding another bracelet to my order to get free shipping on a $50 order. Just this week I wanted to order a clutch and a canister, total cost less than $20. Target wanted to charge me over $10 to ship these two items.
I have noticed a significant increase in their shipping costs and I have stopped ordering from them unless there is a free shipping promo.

 

[mlclements]

Last night I was going to preorder the items that my daughter wants for Christmas. The shipping was $80.00. I deleted most of the items except the 3 items that I thought would be the hardest to find this holiday. Or I am hoping that Walmart or Toysrus will have them on their website and be cheaper to ship. The items still had a $25.00 shipping cost on them. I hate paying the shipping but I don't want to worry about finding the items later.

 

[java]

Wow I don't know anything on the kids list that will be "hard to find" maybe I'm just in a good age bracket with them? Boys 4. 6 and 15 and a 12 year old girl.

I'm not thinking about must haves at this point. I guess I should. And yes that shipping is nuts.