When did Target start charging a fee for returning an item without a receipt?

[Dr.Girlfriend]

Yes, they have that, and they can also look it up if you paid by check or debit. If you paid cash they cannot look it up.

Correct. And I nearly always pay via credit/debit card. One transaction I paid via cash, one transaction was because they were toys my son already had (and his uncle said he purchased them at Target).

At the end of the day, the lesson is - either make sure you get a gift receipt/keep your cash receipt, or use a credit card.

 

[eliza61]

The other day on the news they had a report stating that retailers lost billions last year in merchandise returned without a receipt for cash refund. Something like 30% was for after Christmas returns. Turns out the merchandise had been stolen and then returned during the after Christmas rush for cash refunds.

(Note: I'm not saying OP stole anything, just commenting on the news report)

I saw this on world news tonight right after Christmas. Seems some retailers are really cracking down on return abuse and it is a problem.

I was asked at every store I returned things to for a photo id and an address and most of the time I was simply exchanging for size.

LOL, a long time ago I worked at Macys on 34st in Manhattan and this was a running joke. You could go outside on the sidewalk and see a guy selling the very merchandise he had stolen from inside the store.

 

[Lewisc]

One store (Home Depot?) asks for your phone number if you pay with cash. The store can then look up your receipt by phone number if you need to return the item and can't find your receipt. Giving your phone number is optional.

I'm not thinking of Radio Shack, they ask for your phone number but AFAIK don't use it for this purpose.

Receipt look up makes it easier for legitimate returns.

Eliza61 The guy who used to steal from Macy's and sell the merchandise for a "deep" discount on a street corner is is now returning the item. Cash refund works for them. A store credit on a gift card works. They can be sold probably at a lower "discount" then selling gloves on a street corner. Can also be used to buy merchandise which has a better sale value such as iPods.

 

[SKTiger]

I'm not sure if you're on twitter, but you can get a quick response by tweeting @asktarget. I've never heard of the $5 fee for returns, and I just recently stopped working there.

 

[caribear]

I was at Target sometime before Christmas...and all the Imaginext toys were BOGO 50% off....so that might by why the amount seemed off to you??

 

[Callie]

One store (Home Depot?) asks for your phone number if you pay with cash. The store can then look up your receipt by phone number if you need to return the item and can't find your receipt. Giving your phone number is optional.

I'm not thinking of Radio Shack, they ask for your phone number but AFAIK don't use it for this purpose.

Receipt look up makes it easier for legitimate returns.

Eliza61 The guy who used to steal from Macy's and sell the merchandise for a "deep" discount on a street corner is is now returning the item. Cash refund works for them. A store credit on a gift card works. They can be sold probably at a lower "discount" then selling gloves on a street corner. Can also be used to buy merchandise which has a better sale value such as iPods.

That is why the store I work at gives store credit via mail for returns without them. Lets us track them, and only they can redeem them with a valid ID

 

[ValpoCory]

The other day on the news they had a report stating that retailers lost billions last year in merchandise returned without a receipt for cash refund. Something like 30% was for after Christmas returns. Turns out the merchandise had been stolen and then returned during the after Christmas rush for cash refunds.

(Note: I'm not saying OP stole anything, just commenting on the news report)

I am not aware of any store that gives cash refunds for returns. Maybe for returns under $5 or $10, but every major store gives out gift cards if they do accept merchandise returns without receipts. And most stores have a limit to how many one drivers license can return ($75 per year @Target, 3 returns @ Walmart, etc.).

 

[pixiewings71]

When I worked at Target we had employees who worked the early shift as stockers who would steal items and then return them saying "my boyfriend bought me the wrong face cream but I don't have the receipt". Employees were able to return without a receipt for cash. They couldn't prove they had stolen the items so they had to give them the refund in cash. Also when I worked there anything over $25 was given as store credit, but with $2000 in store credit I could pay for a lot for our family. :/
I think stores have the right to refuse returns without a receipt and to limit them as well, I think it stinks that we have to pay more to cover people who steal items and then return them for store credit/cash.
I also know a lot of people who returned items were stealing them from other stores and then returning them to Target and there were also a few "regulars" who used stolen credit card numbers or stolen checks.

 

[JB2K]

OP - you could've also been "shorted" if any of those items went on Clearance after the Christmas holiday -- certain clothing and about 1/3 of the entire Toys department tends to be downsized immediatey after the holidays.

For those wanting a true no-hassle experience at the service desk, I suggest the Budget Board (and Clark Howard)-recommended Target Debit Card.

 

[kristenrice]

It's not just "stolen" merchandise that gets "returned". Many years ago, I worked at a retail store and their policy was to issue a cash refund if the pre-tax amount was under $20 without a receipt. People would come in, take something off the shelf and then walk up to the counter saying they'd like to return it but don't have a receipt. Of course, we knew they were doing it, but with only 2-3 employees on the floor at a time, it was hard to prove it. Plus, we were not allowed to confront them. If we saw it, we had to call mall security and let them handle it...but we had to see it happen.

There was one lady in particular who'd come in 2-3 time A WEEK. I guess it was easier to "shop" with us than use the ATM. She was always returning the items that were $19.99. I finally started addressing her by name and asking her which one of our items "just wasn't going to work out for her today". (...and that's the reason I no longer work in customer service)

 

[Ava]

The other day on the news they had a report stating that retailers lost billions last year in merchandise returned without a receipt for cash refund. Something like 30% was for after Christmas returns. Turns out the merchandise had been stolen and then returned during the after Christmas rush for cash refunds.

(Note: I'm not saying OP stole anything, just commenting on the news report)

What stores still give cash refunds for returns without a receipt? Every store I can think of where I've returned something without a receipt (which I don't do very often but have done on occasion) I've only been able to get a store credit/gift card for the value of the item. It seems like stores are asking for fraud if they'll give cash back for an item without a receipt or CC look-up available.

 

[letsgoreds]

Target doesn't charge $5 for a return...that was a mistaken person. The price was just different...and it can be different from store to store as well (clearance).

Hate the scammers not the store. There was a known ring of ladies (with kids) who would hit one mall (Macys, PBK, Sephora) and then drive North to the next mall and return hundreds of $$$ in stolen mech, steal some more, and then head North to the next store. I witnessed the PBK employees chasing some of them out of my local store. They pitch huge fits and make big scenes (I went back into my car and waited for them to leave). This is partly why stores give in. Not worth the hastle...sad.