I must say I’m pretty disappointed with Target at this point. Instead of taking the time to present a well thought out price matching policy, they seem to be in a reactionary mode and updating it on a whim.
After just presenting a new version of their Low Price Promise last weekend, Target has already updated it again. Going forward Target coupons will be deducted before price matching. If the price in the competitor ad is still lower, then that price will be applied and any manufacturer’s coupons will be deducted. So basically Target store coupons can no longer be deducted after the price match is made.
It seems to me that if Target really wants to provide excellent customer service and give customers an incentive to shop their store over a competitor, they would offer us a true low price guarantee, including honoring store coupons. As far as I’m concerned, price matching at Target is already difficult enough. I’ll just take my business elsewhere.
Thanks for the info, KC Penny Pinchin’ Mama!
Angela
I agree….I love Target but they are being greedy right now!!
MoneyMateKate
I’m thinking they got killed by the Skippy and Kellogg’s last month…wait a week, maybe it’ll change back.
Erica Copeland
I already DON’T shop at Target and this certainl adds to my deterrence.
laura
AGREED, will be taking my business elsewhere too…it’s just getting to be ridiculous and CONFUSING at this point…not even sure I understand what their new policy is, and at this point, it’s not worth it to me to figure it out :(
Jeni
Just when I was getting excited about shopping and hunting for the good deals they start cutting it off grrrr
heather m
This defeats the purpose of COUPON!!! So stupid in their part!
DJ
Exact reason why I stopped shopping there months ago!
Jennifer
I agree. I never write emails to companies, and today I’m writing them telling them I’ll take my business elsewhere. I loved that they put a limit on the number of target coupons you can print, but the rest just seems really unnecessary and ,yes, reactionary. I used to love target but this has really changed my opinion of their brand and what they are supposed to offer their loyal customers. I encourage anyone else to do the same.
Jen
I used to love Target! Not anymore. As a one income family I am shopping for the best deal. The last few times I tried to price match I was treated like a criminal the entire time. This “low price guarantee” is just a marketing ploy, not anything that is in practice at any of the 7 Target’s in my town. Walmart will always get my price matching now…along with all my other purchases. I’m so disappointed in Target.
Tania
I feel the same as everyone else on this one. If only the company showed real loyalty to its shopper’s by not changing te policy every single week. I used to be able to get good deals–not the case anymore. Wal*mart might basically be the sun of Satan but at least they provide lower prices without the annoying fuss.
Denise
I AGREE! The Target where I live NEVER has the sale items, and they never restock. The cashiers are nice, but there is no point for me to drive across town when I can simply go to the Walmart supercenter nearby. I recently read an article about Target trying to woo customers from Walmart. Attention Target: this is not the way to achieve your goal.
Andrea
This last week was the first time in MONTHS that I was thrilled about shopping at Target. They have surely burst my bubble. Figures they would start backing out!
Misty
Well, for awhile I was much more happy with Target, than Walmart. But this is just a little more than ridiculous. I guess I’ll stop shopping there now, on sheer principle, and go back to walmart who does the exact same thing already.
Heather
While this is highly annoying, I would rather eat glass than shop at Walmart. So, this is frustrating me, but I will likely still shop there out of necessity. Or shop my local Kroger affliate (Fred Meyer). I won’t, won’t, won’t give that heinous Walmart one penny of my family’s hard earned money.
However, Target needs to slow down, take a deep breath, & focus on what they want to achieve. Perhaps just eliminating their PM’ing policy would be easier (it certainly seems like it at this point). Or come up with a consistent, well thought out, well documented policy. But changing it every week on a whim is beyond insulting to the customer.
mallory
I agree! Target is a bunch of wanna be hard asses. They think they make more money by being to tight on their ability to cut prices and price match without a million things to go thru first. And then on top of it, their return policy sucks! I personally love walmart over target, and only reason I go to target is if theres a special deal on something, or clearance items. other than that, they lose a lot of business to walmart!
Jen
I love Target and I love shopping there but this new policy is frustrating! I agree that it is almost hard to understand which is what I think they are aiming for. I think Target wants to say they are in the price matching game to keep up with Walmart but in reality they want no part of it. Up until recently I have been intimated to use coupons at Target because the cashiers seem to get so angry about it. It finally seemed like that part was getting better than Target does this. I hate Walmart but if it is less hassle I may have to check them out.
kailntyzmom
I agree, I am sick and tired of Target changing their policy whenever they feel like it. In my town I have to drive clear across town to go there, and when I was getting great deals it was worth it, but I think I will be sticking to the Walmart and local HyVee to shop. I really only like the clearance sections at Target anyways, in the baby section. Unless it is a deal of a lifetime, no more Target.
Heather
I’ve never been a fan of Target because they’ve always had a horrible return policy and I also don’t like being stalked by their “security people.” I was at customer service one time when the woman ahead of me was trying to return a baby car seat/carrier/stroller combo. She didn’t have a receipt because it was a gift, but she had her Target baby registry and it showed she had asked for 1 and received 2 and she was at the counter sobbing because they were going to make her keep it. I pretty much only go there now to check out the dollar spot for birthday party favors or little stocking stuffers for my kids.
Steph
I’m a new couponer and I love the deals I’m able to score but I think some may be overreacting to this policy change. I think Target has changed their policy due to the abuse of some coupon users. I see a store coupon as a store “sale”. From this perspective, I understand why they would deduct their store coupon before doing a price match.
In my humble opinion, I think shopping at Target is not just about the good deals but also about the bigger picture. I am lucky to have a local Target that always provides excellent service (even with my stack of coupons everytime) and is involved in the community. They have donated money to my children’s school and they have never turned me down for any donations I’ve requested for the non-profit organization that I work for. They have donated lots of gift cards for our homeless women with children and for that alone I am willing to pay the sale price and not go elsewhere. I love Target and like Heather I refuse to support WalMart in any way.
Serena
I have actually had the opposite reaction to Target. I have not had a single problem here in Vegas with Target and using ANY coupons and getting the price match! I think perhaps some employees there are seasonal and not really taking the time to learn the policys of the store or don’t care. I don’t think that Target is a bad store at all. IT is ALWAYS clean, friendly service and great products with some really great sales. I wouldn’t dismiss one store just because someone had a problem at their store. Bring up your concerns to the store manager and voice your concerns, they would work with you!
Maria
Tara, I can not agree more with you and the other ladies, Target change of policy is insulting!!
Crissy S.
I’ve been lucky that they have accepted every coupon I have tried to use (they were always legit). On the other hand, my local Publix grocery store is no longer accepting computer printed free item coupons and they do consider Target a competitor so they do not accept their coupons. I’m thinking more and more that I will either go out of my way Target or Winn Dixie, return to Sweet Bay supermarket and only get my luncheon meat at Publix, or get up early on Saturdays to shop at Wal-mart.
BRBS
I agree that thi change of policy is maddening… Why would I go to Target if I can get the same price at the original store advirtising the sale.. The only benefit of Price Matching was to be able to use the Target coupon on top of the sale price… Now if they price matched like Staples with beating the price by 10% we’d be in business..
LuB'sMama
I’m STILL reeling over last week when a Target Manager told me that the $0.60 difference in ONE package of Up and Up brand baby wipes between 2 stores less than 10 miles apart was due to their policy of pricing items based on a locations median home price and customer income. This additional blow does NOT boost my confidence in them. BOO!
Kristin Milano
While I agree the new policy is “lame”, I do understand it to a point.
They offer a coupon as an incentive to give you a great price on an item above and beyond the normal everyday price.
Another store may offer “sale” prices instead of coupons. When an item at that store goes on sale, why should Target price match that and then give you their coupon on top of that? At that point, Target could be potentially taking a big loss (if you walk away with a .99 cent toy which normally is like 20 bucks)
Just saying.. I get their point, although it was more fun to be able to use coupons and price match.
I think their new policy is confusing: they should simply state, you cannot use a store coupon with price matching. Or, you can use a store coupon or price match, whichever is less. Then you can use your Man. Q on top of that.
It is worded VERY stupidly/confusing/complicated.
Tiffany
I agree with most here that is aggravating and insulting. I’m also not a fan of the new limit on target coupons. I admit I have used several at a time and over time but I don’t care for the limits imposed. In my area Target has the highest prices but with the tq and mq sometimes they would have a better price. I don’t care for Walmart but to be honest the service is usually better at Walmart since I don’t get looks or sighs when I hand over coupons. I think it’s time Target started thinking before they acted or just deal with it, a guaranteed way to lose customers is to change your policies from week to week or like some of my stores from shift to shift.
megryansmom
AGREED! I had a horrible experience with an asst manager at Target over the Leap From Alphabet Pal. I emailed corporate and have to date received NO RESPONSE. I’m taking my business elsewhere.
Jennifer
Target is a very frustrating place to shop. While I have not tried using the price matching at Target, I have had more problems than I care to think about over using coupons at Target. I have e-mailed corporate on three separate occassions explaining exactly what has happened and all they do is e-mail me back and say they are sorry I had a bad experience, blah, blah, blah. I have tried going back, but it is alway the same story. Target corporate does not seem to care. The only time I will go to Target is if there is a deal too good to pass up and I have to use minimal coupons to get it. The main problem is that the cashiers are not trained in the same way at all. While one cashier would have no problems accepting my coupons, the cashier at the next register won’t take them. They need consistency in their training programs!
Denise
I have never tried price matching at Target, but I have always had a great time with the cashiers taking my coupons. They have never given me a problem, ever. Now for the people in line behind me… that’s another story.
K10
I think that everyone who has already posted needs to take a step back and look at it from Target’s standpoint – two weeks ago, yes, there were rules. But it seemed as if they varied from store to store and that some of the employees would make up their own interpretations as well. Now everything is out there, and, quite litterally, is in black and white. HOPEFULLY this means that we can all have the same shopping experience across the country and things will get better.
Yes, it super sucks right now. As the times got harder, more people started “stocking up” and taking advantage of the system that we all came to know and love. I agree that the new price matching rule sucks, because you can’t use a target coupon on top of someone elses lower price – but its not as if you could have used the target coupon elsewhere; there have been plenty of times where I would have LOVED to have used a CVS coupon at Target to create a great deal, but it just doesn’t work that way. So I don’t blame target for restricting our shopping power; I’d rather them do this than have them completely go out of business. At least we still have the option to price match OR use a coupon.
Maybe after a few months there will be some huge shift in sales or mindsets and they’ll change the policy again, only more in our favor; but we shouldn’t accuse Target of not wanting to make us, the consumer, happy.
I think we all will be just fine in the end. We’ll all learn to shop with the new rules and will continue to find great deals and steals as well. If the target coupon price makes a better deal than the competitor ad price, then so be it – it’s just one less step in the deal seeking process.
And if you want to move your business elsewhere, that’s fine too – it won’t make the prices any lower at that other store – but it will leave stock on the shelves for the rest of us.