Well if you have had a copy of Target’s Coupon Policy in your binders, it is time to print another one. Target has updated its Coupon Policy and the most notable difference is now addressing the quantity of coupons that can be used. You can view and print off a copy of Target’s Coupon Policy HERE. The following is what I see new in the policy…
1. Limit of 4 identical coupons per household, per day (unless otherwise noted on coupon)
so in other words if your coupon has wording on it that limits you to using less, you cannot use 4
2. Returns of items purchased using Manufacturer coupons may receive coupon value returned in the form of a Target GiftCard. So for example, if you buy a Bottle of Pantene Shampoo for $3.49 and use a $1/1 Manufacturer’s Coupon on it and decide to return it. You may only get $2.49 refunded to you, and $1 will be put on a Target Gift Card. (Note- The value of a Target Coupon used is never refunded).
3. We reserve the right to accept, refuse or limit the use of any coupon.
4. We do not accept Canadian coupons in our US stores.
– Thanks for the heads up on the changes to Amy!
112 Comments
Hey Terri- it’s a ymmv. some will adjust the coupon down, some wll not
does anyone know if target has to reduce the mfq to the price of the product or can the overage be used to purchase other items. I understand they do not give cash back, but it says that a coupon “may” be reduced. so do they apply the overage to other purchases?
Hey Vanessa, next time ask for the manager. If the manager tells you that, call corporate from the store. That is not true.
I was just told by target cashier that he was informed by his manager that they do.no longer accept.coupons from coupons.com because they dont get refunded??!!!
Sarah, the 6 month after expiration for coupons use is strictly for overseas commissaries. Reason being is it takes a little longer for things to get over there and by the time they do get there, normal coupons have expired already.
Does Target allow army personal and their families to use expired coupons six months after the expiration? If so, could I get a link to where they say it? I work at a Target, and my managers had never heard of such a thing.
@Jennifer- yes you may stack coupons.
Does anyone know if Target allows you to use both a Target coupon as well as a manufacturer coupon on the same item?
The target that I go to told me that if the coupon does not scan with the hand held scanner they will not accept the coupon. The target coupons went through fine but I printed a angel soft coupon and they said they would not accept it becasue the hand hel scanner did not scan the coupon. I printed the coupon from coupons.com. Thank you
Please help I do not know what do do.
If you know Targe’ts policy but the cashiers and managers do not – call their customer service number. I had a similar experience. Target customer service was very apologetic and by the time I had returned to the store, the manager had been contacted about the mistake. The customer service person told me I should have called them before ever leaving the store and they would have straightened the problem out for me then.
yesterday I was in Target and the cashier told me they only allow 4 coupons per customer, period, I told her I was told by another cashier that it is 4 like coupons per item, she proceeded to again say per person, yet she allowed my handful of coupons, of course 4 like coupons per item, just quite a few items, she was getting so frazzled that another asked her if she was ok, she was trying to adjust price instead of allowing the amount on coupon, after quite a few she said oh screw it and let it take off whatever the coupons said, it was kind of funny she was pretty old, I was able to save over $36, it is weird when they put something like a 1.36 on a gift card instead of cash back, I try to stock upon things I need for my household and other family that need a helping hand, I will be out of commission for a few months after surgery so I need to stock up.
My cashier today inform me that Target (I am here in Southern California, Hesperia) are being more careful of the coupons. One cashier already got fired. Cashiers have to read each one to make sure it can be used. I had 2 coupons that were the same and it stated only 1 coupon per person per transaction. The ladies behind me were not very patience.while he checked them all.LOL Though I saved $46.97!
I was unaware of the 4 qs per day per house hold until i went shopping today. The manager refused to show me the new policy. Thank god it was on here!
I think the 4 like coupons is fine, but I’ve already had quite a few print that say “1 coupon per guest.” This is just annoying more than anything. I can understand limiting to 4 but 1 is just a bit ridiculous. Especially because a lot of the target gift card deals are “buy 2” or “buy 3” and get a $5 gift card…so I have to buy both of them in the same transaction to get the gift card, but only can use 1 coupon…well that’s just going to be frustrating. I’m not a crazy product stasher, but when I find a good deal on stuff I use a lot, I definitely will buy at least 2-3 of them and stock up. That’s not being rude, that’s being smart!
@Illume- your Washington store is correct. Target coupons are to be used BEFORE a price match is made. Aand then if the price is still higher (which it won’t be) they’ll price match. It’s really just a very nice way of saying no target coupons on a price match. It has been like this for almost 3 years now i think. I have a post covering the points of the Low Price Primise if you would like to see it here: https://www.totallytarget.com/2010/03/17/a-look-at-targets-low-price-promise/ hth
I have a different question than these changes.
I recently relocated from Florida to Washington state. At my former store in Florida, I was able to price match a competitor’s ad, say Publix, and use both a manufacturer coupon and a Target coupon on top of the price match. When I went to do this at the Target here in Washington, I was told I could not use the Target coupon on a price match.
Has this always been corporate policy, and my former store chose not to enforce it? Is this a new policy corporate wide? Or is the Washington store trying to enforce an additional caveat and it is something I should email corporate about to follow up on?
I appreciate that Target has added “4 like coupons” into their policy because my Target has only allowed “3 like coupons” in my store for the past year and this is such a pain when I end up with 1 leftover coupon so this is great for me. However, I am concerned with their new blanket statement about being able to accept coupons at their discretion since each cashier’s discretion can be pretty subjective depending on who they are, their position in the store, what kind of day they are having, and how much they like or dislike you as a customer.
I have on occasion bought 20 Monopoly games and not for a greedy purpose like one poster stated. I love to find toy and kids clothing deals because I donate them to homeless children living in local shelters. I have 4 young kids of my own but the majority of the toys I buy at Target go to children who don’t have much. It is a shame that I may not be able to do this any more due to some selfish couponers who misuse them.
Can I just state the obvious? I know that this is not the concern of most of us (it’s simply being limited because of the actions of others hat’s bothersome) but really… Target isn’t going to keep up with whether or not you’ve used four of any kind of coupon per day/per household or whatever. While it may create the need for multiple transactions (probably not back to back) this really won’t kill alof of the shopping I do.
Side note- I personally don’t care if someone uses their coupon purchased items to re-sell and get more than they paid for an item. People do that all day every day in different formats (Ebay of note) and frankly what they do with their stuff after they pay for it is no one’s business. They own it. Big deal. Go make your money…. just don’t STEAL from stores in order to do it.
As far as the four “like” coupons, today I bought (or tried to buy) five packs of meat that each had a $3 markdown sticker on them. On the fifth package, the “coupon” wouldn’t scan and the cashier was surprised. She showed me the screen and it said that too many “like” coupons had been used. She could not get the final meat markdown coupon to be accepted at the register. The manager came over and said it was Target’s way of preventing someone from buying too many of an item and not giving others a chance. The cashier ended up selling me the final package of meat in a second transaction and it worked fine that way. So this must be the new coupon policy in action on the registers, however I never really considered meat markdown stickers to actually be coupons.
I’m sorry if someone’s already answered this but does this mean we cannot stack coupons anymore, i.e. one Target and one MF on the same item? The Target coupons say one per guest but I always thought that meant one Target coupon. This is how I save a lot of money by stacking so I hope they continue to allow us to do this.
I worked Guest Services at Target for 1 month and while I LOVE to shop there-to work there was another story entirely. I laugh at the term “guest” because if you called a shopper “customer” instead of “guest” Target management acted like I killed their cat….anyway-this comment is for the person who complained about the cashiers being dumb and/or “not listening” during training.
Target DOES NOT train the cashiers properly. I started my training on a Sunday-very busy day!- and was given a book to self train with including credit cards, giftcards, coupons, etc to use. This was a disaster-the giftcard wouldn’t load making me think I did something wrong only to find out that they knew some of the kits were DEFECTIVE to begin with but never said anything!! The only coupon discussion I was given was check expiration dates-that’s it-before they threw me on a register. I only learned whatever the GS person training me wanted or remembered to tell me-no dvd, no manual.
My store had the same issue with people using coupons to buy Food Savers, razors, Sonic toothbrushes and trying to return without receipts. There is a policy of $70 limit on returns without receipt , receipt lookup with credit card or registry for a rolling year to try to stop some of the fraud.
I am concerned about rule #3 also because the managers already find excuses for us not to get to use the coupons now. I had 1 who told me I had to buy the shirt pictured on the coupon and she also told me on another visit that I couln’t use a coupon on pjs because they are not apparel.
@Jayne
In regard to the return when you used coupon, whether I had my receipt or they looked it up they always gave me back the price before coupon. I even heard of a store saying it was to be done that way. So I don’t think the occasional person who did this wad committing fraud. I understand for those that did it to get $400 is abusing the situation. Someone I knows husband is mgr for T and she told they had someone doing this at his store and they no longer let him return there and he warned other stores close by.-
I find it interesting that they actually have to say in a policy that the item being purchased must match the description on the coupon including color, size, flavor, etc. Just more proof that these people that think just because a coupon will scan (even though they know it is not the correct item) it is not OK to use it. That should be a given and not necessary to have in a policy shouldn’t it? Coupon misuse IS affecting us ALL. And to the person above who spoke about using Target Qs at Publix, I wonder how much longer that will last and no limits will be imposed? At least at Target, their TQs won’t go through if it is an incorrect item. At Publix, I am hearing about people for example using the Buy 3 Get 1 Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Meat coupon to buy bologna which is not a DeliFresh Meat product. That is just one example of many of the misuse of TQs at Publix. I have no problem with Target’s new policy, although I am not crazy about the gift card thing either, but like was mentioned by someone above, it is once again due to those dishonest people that purchase with coupons just to return and get the coupon value. If something doesn’t work, fine, but it is a known problem that people are doing the returns this way. People are also buying items for next to nothing with coupons at Wags and CVS and returning them to WalMart and Target for full value gift cards. Recently when I was at Wags, a majority of their bodywash products had new sticky things on the front of them that said something like “this item intended for sale only at Walgreens” Extreme Couponing has gotten way out of hand in my opinion. I wish we could rewind a couple of years. Prices were better and most people seemed to be a little more honest about it all.
I agree with ally & laura, look at it from Target’s perspective… Shelf clearers = irate guests who can’t get the 1 or 2 items they want, denying transactions for fraudulent coupon use (for ex bogo coupons with missing expiration dates) = a bunch of itemsto be put away, returns against debit/credit cards for 8-10 boxes of crest white strips = $80-100 + price of items that they will hopefully get reimbursed for plus the time for someone to put it back, then if the shelf is full to be backstocked in the backroom.
So, yes I work for Target and coupon and Yes I agree with the changes. My store is coupon friendly and I love helping our guests save money, i do ask if they are aware of Target coupons at the register and around the store when i see people with coupons.
It is the excess and the fraud that causes problems. It is amazing what you see when you go behind the scenes and move from the guest/customer side to the store side. I also educate our cashiers to make transactions easier for them and our guests.
“Nancy says:
June 18, 2012 at 1:25 pm
Yep, #3 is a cop out and I personally know 2 managers that I know can’t wait for me to come in so they’ll be able to tell me they have the right to limit, refuse, etc. and not let me use my coupons just because of this coupon policy change. You know, power goes to some people’s heads. And not only the power, but they act like they’re jealous that I’m able to figure out ways to get things for free or very close to free. It’ll be interesting to say the least the next time I go into Target. And if by chance I do receive a not-so-friendly greeting at the checkout and am told I can’t use certain coupons without a valid reason and they cite this #3 line here, I will not be going back. We’ll have to see how this plays out. And I also agree about the return of an item, they get the item and reimbursed for the coupon? That means they’re going to make money when they resell the product or return it to the manufacturer. I understand it’ll be a wash with the coupon/gift card, but they have the product for which they will be able to resell or get credit for at full value. Just in general, I think all stores are looking for a way to make the deals more and more difficult and so are the manufacturers. P&G always gave you $1/1 Crest. Now it’s always 20 cents. Talk about a big adjustment. Even for a store that would double, you’re only getting 40 cents, and usually that’s at a grocery store where the prices are higher to begin with. Kerry, I’d love to hear you weigh in on this. I’d love to hear your point of view on these policy changes as well as what you think the future of couponing, especially at Target may look like in your opinion.”
Nancy, I can promise you the manager’s will not care if you return or not. We value guests who are not consistently trying to cheat the system and could care less if the couponers return. We are in the business of making money, not GIVING merchandise away. Coupons will be non-existent before you know it because of the constant abuse. Rule 3 is long overdue. And 99 percent of managers aren’t “out to get you”. If you weren’t abusing the system, they wouldn’t be so difficult for you to deal with. Those of you that use coupons as they are intended, kudos. Those of you that are abusers, you wouldn’t be upset if you weren’t trying to cheat the stores and having a negative impact on their bottom line.
My Target is no longer accepting any printable coupon that doesn’t scan, So check your ink and cross your fingers!
Well I wish I had seen this before I went to Target tonight! I was stocking up on baby food (I have twins) and got up to the front near closing time and as I was checking out 3 or 4 people got in line behind me. So I already felt bad that these people had to wait for me to use coupons and then they told me that the limit for coupons was 4 (I had 14). It was baby food for heaven’s sake! It’s not like I was buying 100 toothbrushes 🙁 My twins will eat 14 in a few days! The cashier was so sweet and I didn’t even make him take the extra stuff out of my order because so many people were waiting. I’ll just return them tomorrow. Also, they told me they aren’t allowed to push any coupons through anymore if it says “If item is in transaction hit okay” or whatever the wording is. That is understandable and frustrating because if you have a beeper you won’t know until the end and then you’ll have to ask them to take it off. Arrgghhh.
I think the policy is a good change, I have gone before and not been able to find a single Free after coupon Ibuprofen or cheap Nivea body wash before….my only problem is someone assuming that a limit of 4 is enough for any family…we are a family of 7, 2 adults and 5 teenagers/adults….I am also a full time Nursing student so I usually use our breaks (such as summer break now) to stock up on the things my family will need until the next big break so I don’t have to worry about us running out during the school semester…so right now is when I am stocking up on things we have little or none of….and this will not help me in anyways when I just want to be sure that on top of finals, I’m not also worrying about cat food or shampoo…..also, it’s not for me to judge what anyone else does or doesn’t buy or whether they change their mind about any purchase regardless of whether a coupon was used or not, that is up to the store to address as a corporations, which they apparently are, but not for me or anyone (regardless of whether you are an employee or not), it’s Target’s bottom line not mine or yours….again, not saying it’s right or wrong, just that it’s not up to me to decide that…I have a hard enough time trying to keep up with the deals for my family.
@ Amy Mac & Kristin L:
If you read my comment correctly, I am directing the last comment to all those consumers that ABUSE couponing, not to the average couponer, who actually does it to SAVE money, not make a profit out of it.
So don’t take your complaints out on me, but to the ones that ruin it for the rest of us.
They don’t want to reimburse the customer for the full amount in cash but will give you a gift card now instead? So instead of us being greedy and “stealing” from the manufacturer Target is now doing it themselves. I don’t see how this is making it right.
My frustration is that I am a family of 6. If I am trying to buy just 1 product for each family member they now are preventing me from doing so. I DO NOT clear shelves!! In fact it upsets me when I see their signature 1 item left displayed proudly in the front.. The comments on TV well you should have gotten there before them.. no way.. go home and use one of the already 50 items you already have at home! I just want to feed my family and save money at the same time! NOW I am not sure how to get what I need with this new change! So frustrated that the bad apples dictate what respectable people do!
All I can say is YAY!!!! The only ones who will get really mad at this change are the hoggies who hit Target like a swarm of locusts and leave nothing for others. If this offends, I’m sorry but I’m tired of not getting even one of a deal because of people who clear the shelves just because they can.
I work at Target{service desk/return area} and am a couponer too Im can tell you first hand the reason for the changes is because of the people take advantage of the (system) by using the high value coupons and return them to make money so you can blame all of them because there are A LOT of people who do this and ruined it for everyone else. We have a certain person who does this for his job and is proud of it so i cant wait to tell him sorry your gonna have to look for a “real” job. So if you dont return your items then you really shouldnt be bothered by it.
I have no problem with these policies, and in my opinion the only people that will have a problem are the ones abusing the policy to begin with. It’s no big deal. Target’s deals aren’t that great (for free and super cheap items) compared to other stores, unless it’s a clearance item. I love it because of the gift cards so I’m just glad that they haven’t limited those….yet.
My only concern is discrimination. If a store refuses to accept/limit coupon usage of one shopper I sure hope the store is consistent in how they apply that power to the next shopper.
I still love my Target. The majority of the cashiers are friendly and the Supervisors are very helpful. We can work around this as we do with the P&G coupons. It really does help if all cashiers understand their own coupon policy, though. Less frustration for the employee and consumer both.
I think the new policy is great. Now maybe I will be able to get some of the GREAT deals. I am NOT an extreem couponer, nor do I buy 20-50 papers each week. I only clip what I know we use, and what we can save on. So it will be nice to be able to go to the store and buy peanut butter because I need it and now I may beable to find it on the shelves.
For many who don’t abuse the system this is a means of survival. It would be nice to not be thought of as a criminal but instead someone who is trying to provide for their family I for one spend a lot of time researching and clipping trying to stretch a dollar to make small salary go a long way.
@Jayne: Haha… I forgot about the receipt lookup, they did that at my store too.
Back when I used to work at Target in Guest Service, I would have been happy if they had added #2 at the time. There were several people who would buy expensive HBA items (read: items with coupons that were high value) that would come to guest service the next day (or the same day) to return them. It was so frustrating knowing that they were cheating the system but technically within the rules. At the very least, #2 *tries* to address the issue.
They started using gift receipts after a while so that they wouldn’t be noticed, but obviously…who gets gift receipts for some razors? With gift receipts you only get back the value on a gift card, so I’m thinking the effect on this type of person might be limited. On top of that, in California you can redeem the value of any gift card under $10 for cash–so I can imagine what the next move of people trying to abuse the system will do… 🙁
I think that these policy changes are fair. I appreciate Target (and the deals & info that Totally Target provides to us!) and think that they do a good job of providing good value to their customers. Next time you are frustrated by a cashier or manager not accepting your coupon, consider the fact that Target will not be reimbursed if the transaction is not correct.
I was very instrumental in bringing attention to coupon fraud when I worked at Target. To the point where my thoughts went up the ladder.
This is why they had to change:
Guest comes in and buys $400 worth of health and beauty items…think the expensive toothbrushes, expensive deodorant, and other high dollar coupons. Using Target’s previous coupon policy, they end up paying around $50 OOP. They bring it all back the next day and get the $400 refunded to them. Happened all the time. We caught on. Then, the thieves decided to quit doing the return by bringing in the receipt and began purchasing the items with a gift card. When they would come back in to do the return, they would claim no receipt and ask us to look up their purchase on the gift card…we couldn’t know they used coupons and they would get the whole $400 put back on a gift card. Our manager instituted a policy of no returns for these types of transactions without a receipt and if they did have a receipt the coupon amount would NOT be refunded to them. We would no longer do receipt look up for them.
Don’t blame Target. Blame the thieves who admitted to me on more than one occasion that this is how they made their living. They would go from store to store every week.
And I can spot a professional couponer a mile off and taught them to do it…be mad at me all you want…but when couponers promote a “deal” like wanting a 2 pack of deodorant for half price with a BOGO and you know full well that is not the coupon’s intent, shame on you.
As to the “4” product limit…that is on P&Gs coupons all the time, now.
@ Amy Mac: You took the words right out of my mouth!
@ PrincessSerenity: I doubt many people here appreciate being called “Greedy” just because we want to save money and find it frustrating that Target and its employees are so inconsistent in their policies and treatment of their customers. It’s also a little presumptuous to act like you know what the average person might need to buy in a single visit. You don’t know what situation people may be in, or why they might be purchasing more than 4 of the same item. My friend Mary shops for her own family of 6 as well as for her elderly next door neighbor, as well as for her church’s Food Bank when the sale is right. She is as far from being “greedy” as humanly possible, but she runs into problems all the time with cashiers like you who think exactly that.
My store is pretty good as a whole. The only thing I had pop up was when I tried to buy 2 of something and use 2-$1.00 off 1 target coupons with a $2.00 off 2 manufacturer coupon. The target coupons now say one per purchase and my store takes it as 1 target coupon per transaction. I never realized, and never had a problem with this until recently. So now, when I have 2 target coupons to use i just have my husband go with me and buy the other if possible.
I don’t have a problem with these except
3. We reserve the right to accept, refuse or limit the use of any coupon.
This exact thing is in the Food4Less (kroger) coupon policy. I tried using coupons there and they didn’t want to accept any giving me lame excuses. When I contacted Food4Less they told me they had the right to blah blah blah. If they are not going to accept any coupons at all they might as well say it.
This will give stores that don’t like couponers the excuse to reject all of your coupons if possible.
Brianna – I am hoping that is the case that there is a threshold. I really don’t want to have remember to dig a $.50 GC out of my overloaded purse after a hour of shopping with so many other things to do and remember.
Hey Princess, I think you just proved all our complaints about cashiers. The vast majority here are not complaining about the policy so much as sharing our experience with the lack of consistency with the coupon policy across stores and no lack of attitude. You just stereotyped all of us as greedy scammers who can’t read, the very thing you claim you don’t do. So not appreciated.
can’t believe any of you have better luck at Walmart! I hand 3 coupons to a walmart cashier and they sigh and roll their eyes and act like I am the only person they have had all week that MADE them do something extra like scan a coupon, While at Target they cheer me on and tell me how much I saved and give me MORE coupons!
i know what one of the shelf cleaners does with all her stuff, she resells it at garage sales throughout the year for more than she paid, so she is making a living with her coupons. I don’t have a problem either with the limit of 4 identical items, maybe I can actually find some the good deals now, since the shelf clearers will be done hopefully!!!
From working at guest service I do not see how number 2 will work out as our system will not allow us to put an amount under $5 on a GC even if that is how you bought it. So my guess is that it is to prevent those who buy items with huge coupon values from making a profit. If you used a .25 coupon you will most likely get it back in cash unless you return a ton of other coupon items with it
Just another reason I love Publix – my Publix takes Target coupons, they allow all overage, and I can get up to 10 of the same item using coupons in the same order.
See now im starting to like my Walmart more! But I only go on Sundays or Mondays because a cashier i’ve known for awhile works those days & she coupons & also price matches..Never have a problem with her! BUT I did go in Memorial Weekend because a local store had a 4 day meat sale & I told my sister! The cashier was extremely rude actually told us we needed to go outside & look the ad up show her proof because I quote” there is no way in hell any store would sell New York strips for $3.99 a lb) I dropped my jaw! So we did pull the ad up & she refused to price match,called over the so called asst. manager & he said no too! SOOO we called Corporate,then the actual store manager! I haven’t seen either one since! AND the cashier was the same one that told me awhile back she could not keep taking $1.00 coupons off of my purchase..lol Well if im buying what it states in the coupon then why not? Seriously! Sadly I love Target for the stacking,but like some have said I never find the deals here!
As a Target cashier AND also a Target shopper, I agree WITH ALL THESE new policies 110%. I also use couponing to save some money, but the main difference is that I always read the fine print on EVERY coupon and don’t ABUSE couponing like several shoppers do. I never treat my guests like “criminals” or “thieves”, since I use coupons too and I know how hard the economy is right now, but I have had SEVERAL of those “shelf-cleaners” and “greedy consumers” try to get away with all these coupons to purchase a multitude of identical items ( that surely no one can use 20 Monopoly board games or 20 Shampoos etc… ). And besides 4 identical items– of anything– are really on average, what a family needs for a month or so, anyways. So instead of complaining about the new policy, why not try to abide by it and DON’T BE GREEDY???
@ Mel: My target did this last friday also. I had bought DH Denizen jeans that had the $5 target GC used on them. Had to return to get a different pair. They did an exchange instead of a return to make sure I didn’t lose the value of the target coupon.
Mel – interesting! You returned those today? Possibly an unclear point with GS on the new policy? They never refunded the value of TQs previously – nor should they! It doesn’t make sense that they would start since TQs aren’t submitted for reimbursement.
i tried to use 2 like coupons the other day and the cashier refused 1 because she said it had printed on it 1 coupon per person or something similar. My hubby told her to remove it from the order and he would buy it separately and for whatever reason she had a hard time doing that so she said nevermind and accepted it – so I never got to read the coupon. Didnt realize printed coupons had such verbiage. My hubby doesnt coupon with me often and made the comment that he felt she was just being difficult! Even he could see it 🙂 Fun ahead!
in reply to Katie (reply 49) There is no way to physically give you the coupon back, as they are shoved in a bag and sent off for redemption. That’s why they will return the coupon value in the form of a GC. What they are trying to do is limit people who unfortunately take advantage of the system (like purchase a high end item, use coupon/s then turn around and get refunded the full value in cash, or credit card if that’s how they paid) So that person profited from the return. But now you have no choice but to spend the money right back at their store if you do a return using coupons, so its a win-win all around for Target.
Now, AFA Target coupons, I bought ds 2 C9 shirts that were on sale $8 and used the $2 coupons. Didn’t fit, so I brought them back. Cashier refunded me 12 in cash, then gave me $4 back on a GC, so it must work the same as if returning using manuf q’s.
I only shop at the local Target here in town–the SuperTarget is too far away and plus my Target is pretty coupon friendly. I’ve been couponing there for a year now and I’ve never once had a problem before. However, I only have 2 computers so I can never use more than 4 identical coupons on an item anyway. I do like that it’s limited now because this is the only Target in town unless you drive 45 mins to SuperTarget and there’s a certain couponer that goes around and clears all the shelves. I say this because I’ve seen her do it and she doesn’t care of she clears the shelf either. I find it frustrating and hopefully this new policy will help keep things on the shelf a little longer for other couponers.
As for the other parts of the policy, I am a little weary that cashiers can now refuse my coupons, but the cashiers are friendly at my Target so I’m just going to cross my fingers and hope that no one is having a bad day. If they are and just flat out refuse it, then I’ll just hop over to another cashier or even go to customer service.
Yep, #3 is a cop out and I personally know 2 managers that I know can’t wait for me to come in so they’ll be able to tell me they have the right to limit, refuse, etc. and not let me use my coupons just because of this coupon policy change. You know, power goes to some people’s heads. And not only the power, but they act like they’re jealous that I’m able to figure out ways to get things for free or very close to free. It’ll be interesting to say the least the next time I go into Target. And if by chance I do receive a not-so-friendly greeting at the checkout and am told I can’t use certain coupons without a valid reason and they cite this #3 line here, I will not be going back. We’ll have to see how this plays out. And I also agree about the return of an item, they get the item and reimbursed for the coupon? That means they’re going to make money when they resell the product or return it to the manufacturer. I understand it’ll be a wash with the coupon/gift card, but they have the product for which they will be able to resell or get credit for at full value. Just in general, I think all stores are looking for a way to make the deals more and more difficult and so are the manufacturers. P&G always gave you $1/1 Crest. Now it’s always 20 cents. Talk about a big adjustment. Even for a store that would double, you’re only getting 40 cents, and usually that’s at a grocery store where the prices are higher to begin with. Kerry, I’d love to hear you weigh in on this. I’d love to hear your point of view on these policy changes as well as what you think the future of couponing, especially at Target may look like in your opinion.
There’s no way they can enforce the no more than 4 identical coupons per day per family. Shoppers will just do multiple transactions at different registers.
I am pretty disturbed about #2. They will be making a profit from any items returned, because they don’t give you your coupon back! They get back the merchandise, but they still get reimbursed for the man. coupon? I think that’s very unethical. If they don’t give you your coupon back, they should reimburse you for its value.
Does anyone know if you can use Target web coupons @ Walmart?
There seems to be a lot of confusion about returning items that you used a manufacturer’s coupon on.
If you buy a razor for $20, and use a $5 manufacturer’s coupon, you end up only paying Target $15, right? Ok. So then that $5 coupon gets sent off to the manufacturer and Target gets reimbursed the $5 plus a few extra cents to cover cost of shipping or whatever. So ultimately, Target is getting paid the FULL amount because the manufacturer reimburses them for the value of the coupons you use.
So when you go to the store to return that razor, you should get refunded the FULL $20 PRICE. Which means the manufacturer basically foots the $5 bill (coupon value) for you trying out their product. That is how it works at every retail store I’ve ever been to If Target didn’t give you back the full price and only gave you back the $15 (as some people have mentioned), then Target is pocketing that extra $5 b/c they sure as hell aren’t sending it back to the manufacturer!! So if it is a choice between Target pocketing all that extra money on returns or giving it back to the customer, I am totally on board with giving it back to the customer. It took me a while to wrap my head around the concept, and obviously it’s not really totally fair (to the manufacturer that is since they are the ones losing money on said returns)…but there’s just not any kind of better system set up.
Also, over time I’ve come to think of coupons more like marketing tools/lures rather than “nice money-saving opportunities.” What I mean is, at the end of the day you have to realize that the reason coupons even exist is NOT because the manufacturers are trying to save you money. Coupons exist because manufacturers are trying to MAKE more money by enticing people into buying their products. Of course, people (like many of us) who are savvy with coupons can end up saving a ton of money. But how many people out there (even many of us) see a coupon and end up buying things that they wouldn’t have bought otherwise? Or maybe don’t even really need? (I am totally guilty.) That’s why coupons exist. B/c they are a great marketing tool for manufacturer’s so they can get people to buy their stuff.
So anyway, my whole point of this little diatribe is to say that when you return an item that you used a manufacturer’s coupon on, you should get refunded the ENTIRE price (including the coupon amount). If the store doesn’t do that, then the store is cheating you and pocketing that money themselves. And personally, I think Target’s new policy of refunding manufacturer’s coupons as Target gift cards is pretty cheat-tastic. The manufacturer is still losing their coupon reimbursement money to Target, and Target is now refunding that money in a way that ensures you come back and spend more money at Target (or like others have mentioned, they end up pocking all that extra money if people lose their gift cards).
When I first started couponing, I shopped at the Target in Mission Valley San Diego. The cashier and manager (Alex) treated me so badly. The manager wouldn’t let me stack Target Qs with Manu Qs, wouldn’t give me a GC if I used Qs purchasing the product. They gave me every excuse they can so I can’t use Qs. There was a Q on cereal where I had to buy 3 of them and get $1 off and the manger said I was buying too many of the same item and she wouldn’t let me buy them. I was so upset and left the store, forgetting my coupon binder and came back and it was gone. There was no doubt in my mind that the store took it. I had never in my life felt so humiliated, insulted and treated so poorly. They treated me like a criminal when I tried to use a few coupons.
Anyone from San Diego, whether you are a couponer or not. Please boycott this store.
By the way…What happen to Target’s Motto’s of “Expect More, Pay less”? I guess it is now “Expect Less, Pay More.”
I use to love Target too! I am a Target Red Card holder and I live within 2 miles of three Target stores. I notice that there is a difference between each store. One Target has the nicest cashiers who have no issues accepting stack coupons and multiples. They don’t turn their noses up and they actually like to see how much you are going to save. On the other hand, the Super Target is another beast. I notice the managers there like one of the readers is always on the cashier’s back to move the line and guest services is picking about price matching with certain local stores ad. The Super store cashiers will refuse your coupons without even scanning. I hate that there are changes to the policies but that is what happens when people scam stores like Jaime did on TLC’s Extreme Couponing and when other customers complain about shortage of products. Target needs to make their coupon clear and transparent to customers and educate their associates.
I had the worst time last week at Target,The cashier had to call her superviosr because she said they had just gotten a memo that thy could only take 1 mfg coupon per item per transaction per day. I wanted to do the Schick deal.Supervisor called her manager and she said that was the policy. I was so upset, so I called guest relation to verify if that was true and they said no. They told me if it happen again, to call them when I’m there in front of the cashier, and they will talk to them. They asked me for the manager’s and supervisor’s name. Maybe they are making these changes, because they are getting alot of compliants from customers. Hopefully this will help at least with my store.
Now if they can just eliminate the “one offer per guest” on their coupons to make it match the policy ….
But, they won’t have a problem selling you 4 identical items, just no more than 4 identical savings.lol
i really can’t get the hang of couponing so i rarely have more then 1 or 2 of a item w/ coupons. Our Target is so much better then Walmart here,Walmart literally treats me like a criminal for using coupons and will not let me use any coupon if the machine beeps.
I use to shop at Target at least 3-4 times a week. But a few months ago the cashiers got rude about me using my coupons. They made smart comments ,making rude faces and talking under their breath. I had one really nice cashier also but she’s not usually there when I go now. I don’t shop there but 1-2 times a month there now. They have lost a lot of business. I always treat others how I want to be treated. If everyone would do this , things would go a lot smoother. Also I would like to say I have never been a shelf clearer. At times the store just runs short of stuff.
I knew there were changes coming last week when trying to use a few coupons. My cashier just kept eyeballing me about the printed coupons from Target.com website. So when I got all done the amount was much higher than anticipated. So I stopped one of their managers an d asked about my receipts. She really went out of her way to make sure that it was right. She went over to the register and pulled all the coupons and went thru receipt matching everything up. Turned out they gave me a gift card for $22.47 for the differences. Now I’m not sure if it was because there was a store tour and a lot of big wigs there. On another note my local Walmart won’t take 2 like coupons per transaction. I guess they had someone try and pass like 20 of the same printed coupon. Which has now hurt the honest couponerr.
Actually Mary, I had a $5 off coupon for Kohl’s ended up returning the item because it was used on a gift (which they already had one of) and I was given a refund for what I paid, as well as a $5. I was shocked when she handed it to me, and the girl laughed at me when I tried to give it back. LOL!
I think it’s their way of getting you to do more spending in the store. Same for Target now. It’s a way to get you to do a little more purchasing. Example: If you used a $0.50 coupon on an item you returned, you aren’t going to go grab something that’s $0.50 to use than mini giftcard. You’ll probably end up spending closer to $4-$5.
Maybe my Target is heaven on earth, but I’ve never had any problems doing stacks or using Q’s there. Granted, I’m in a college town so cashiers are younger and care less, but still. On the occasion that I do have a beep, the cashiers just make sure I bought something in that category and send it through. None of these changes really affect me, at least that I know of
If you have problems with your store write and email Target at the Corporate Level. Let them know you don’t appreciate being treated badly. Be nice. Be patient. It will take some work.
Laura- I’m glad to see someone works there is well and understands why couponing is sometimes difficult! I work at a Target as a GSA and it is a big hassel sometimes. Espeically when last year we got hit BIG TIME by a fraudulent couponer. Basically she got 600 worth of groceries for nothing because the cashier didn’t realize the coupons were copied. Now we are a little bit harder with couponers. That being said…I personally walk up to fellow couponers and ask them how much they have in coupons, and strike up a conversation with them as they’re checking out about great deals they’ve gotten. I love watching people save money. This also means I will stand behind a cashier and see what doesnt go through….sometimes the item is legitamitely there but for some reasons our registers do not pick it up…happens to me all the time. I am the first one to tell the cashiers to patch the coupons through.
I’m sorry to all of you who don’t have friendly couponing Targets! It does suck when someone challenges a coupon for an item you clearly bought. I even had one of my own cashiers ask a supervisor to challenge my coupons when I was off the clock one day…I know people exist that make simple situations more complicated! I ended up getting the coupons accepted but afterwards I said “Do you honestly think I would use coupons for items I didnt purchase….AT MY JOB?!” The cashier didn’t know how to respond.
But we have a lot of shelf clearers….and since our store is now finishing up a remodel we haven’t been getting as much merchandise as normal……I am a bit frustrated with the changes but maybe it wont be so bad….you learn to deal I guess!
Thanks for the heads up though! (I don’t work the next two days….might not have heard about this otherwise….lol)
My shopping at Target has gone down 75% since I started really couponing. Our cashiers are ridiculous. They said if the register beeps at all that means the coupon isn’t for what I am buying. Even if the item is pictured on the coupon and says for it specifially and there’s a beep? No go. I hate sweating while being in line at Target hoping that they will take my coupons that are valid for what I am buying. Takes all of the fun out of getting a good deal.
I think limiting 4 of a like coupon is a little extreme personally. Many will just either bring an additional person or visit the store more than once a week. This will only cause more traffic volume and more time to check out additional people. It should have been left to store management to make the limits based on availoable product of an item. I do agree its not fair for one person to clear the shelf using mass amounts of coupons,but I buy for 2 households and usually have 10 coupons for an item that I have to buy alot of like can goods,dogfood,baby food,etc. I think in time this is going to be aggravating to both cashiers and shoppers. Thus, losing some customers to other stores.
Target used to be my favorite store but with all these new policies and cashiers full of attitude it’s not worth going there anymore
i used to love target but about 6 mths ago both targets by me became very unfriendly for coupons… i’ve been told that I’m scaming the store and company etc, and I ALWAYS GO by policy. I’ve actually walked out in tears after being accused of trying to “steal” items that were made free by coupons, I never complain or even try to make my point anymore… it’s pointless at both of these targets. But I have literally looked to see who is the cashiers before I even shop, if any of the ones who give me hassle over just having coupons (as I think some just dont like dealing with them) i walk out and don’t even try!
looks like the new policy (which isn’t bad mind you) will add to their I don’t want to take your coupons mind set.
I’m already shying away from Target. Even majority of their cashiers don’t even know their own policy. Maybe they slept through the training. If they want us customers to following the policy their damn stupid cashiers need to know the policy 100%. I get some dumb cashiers all the time. Anyways, #1. Wow per day.. really how can they track me? I can go back later and do more transaction. #2. Understandable. #3. okay WTF, so we have to be nice to the cashiers now or else they can refuse us. What if the cashier is on PMS that day… they can refuse us… BS. #4. Duh! Anyways, I’m gonna stop shopping at Target.
I not only shop at Target, but I work there as well. I have noticed a lot of the front end staff are unaware of how coupons work. I have spent a lot of time explaining to each cashier about taking certain coupons and stacks. I am probably received better because I have a relationship with the store, but I rarely have a problem now.
I have the same situation where I get stares from the people behind me in line. So before people stand behind me, I explain I have quite a few coupons. Usually, if I’m up front about it, no one in the line gets angry. Instead they can’t wait to see how much I save. The cashiers get a bit uppity due to the amount of coupons because they are graded on a system of “cashier speed” which calculates the amount of time in a transaction based on the number of products scanned. So every time a price check is needed or someone can’t find their wallet, it negatively impacts the cashier’s score (even though it isn’t the cashier’s fault). Although a cashier’s score is an average per week, a few negative scores can really hurt them. Especially if they are a bit slower to begin with. Then, if there score is low for the week, they can get coached about it. I think it is an unfair system because it forces the cashiers to rush through every guest transaction, but it is a corporate policy. Although it is never good to make anyone feel bad about a transaction, I hope this explains a bit why your cashier may seem a bit exasperated when you lay down a huge stack of coupons.
Mary – they should give you the full amount back when you use a manufacturers coupon because they are going to be reimbursed for ti from the company. If they didn’t, that would be them scamming us!
I think this is a bit ridiculous. My biggest concerns are #2 & #3.
#2 If you use an MQ, you should get the full amount back, not the coupon amount put on a gift card. I agree with a pp who said that they are probably banking on those giftcards not being used. Seriously, if a coupon is .25 you are going to issue me a giftcard for that that amount. Ridiculous! I also agree with others who stated you will not get the money you saved from your target coupons back, just the money from mq’s.
#3 If the cashier is having a bad day, they can just refuse to do any coupons. That is absurd! I am hoping that this doesn’t happen, but I know that if I go in even 1 time and spend an hour shopping around the store and then get to counter and have the cashier refuse my coupons they will lose my business forever.
So anyone complaining about the gift card is actually saying they want back the full purchase price, even though they didn’t pay it in the first place? Who’s the scammer? 🙂
Seriously, why should a business pay you back more than you paid for the item? They’d soon go out of business! Kohl’s takes off the coupon amount on any returns, and they don’t give it back to you in a gift card – are you going to stop shopping there, too?
That said, I don’t shop at Target very often because they rarely have the “deal” items in stock. I use them for basics that I can’t get more cheaply anywhere else. Example – Weight Watcher Smart Ones meals are around $1.88 and the best deal I find anywhere else is $2.69 or higher at grocery stores. I buy their loss leaders and leave the rest behind.
And to everyone whining about “empty shelves” and “shelf clearers” – that’s exactly what #1 hopes to stop. If you really need 8 of something and have 8 coupons? Drag your husband along or a child and have them check out separately. Or take your first purchase out to your car and go to a second cashier for your second purchase – they seriously do not have time to “police” the check out area for people who go through a check out twice or use more than 4 coupons in a day.
The reason for refunding coupons with a gift card is because people return items they used high price coupons on just to get to cost of the coupon back in cash. Example: they buy an electric toothbrush and a men’s electric razor. They had a $10 coupon for each item. After returning them they now have $20. Some people do this on a regular basis. I have been told this by friends who work at guest service.
Like a lot of you above, I too have limited my shopping and couponing at Target, which is a shame bc I love the store. My store almost never allows a stack anymore, because usually the MQ says “limit one coupon per purchase”; they also won’t let me use 2 MQ in the same transaction if I buy 2 of the items if the coupon says limit 1 per purchase. I assume that to be 1 per item I am purchasing, but they said no, my whole transaction is the “purchase”. Hrm….I wonder if that will change with #1 (probably not). I have called customer service numerous times to complain about using coupons and how rude the cashiers are when you try to use them. I’m not trying to steal anything…I just like a good deal every once in a while!! 🙂
Wow, I love my Target!! They’re very good about coupons. The limit of 4 is going to cramp me just a bit, but I can work around it when I need to. I just bought 11 Dial pump hand soaps the other day, but I rarely buy more than 4 of anything, so this isn’t too bad.
I think some are getting confused here about #2. You will not be refunded the value of a Target coupon on a giftcard. That is only for MQs which you should have received the value of when you made the return. Once you return something that had a TQ attached to it that value is gone.
#1- I’m happy about this, this is probably to stop the greedy “shelf cleaners”
#2- This is quite nice, because you never really technically get your “coupon back.” You buy an item for $7.99, use a $2.00 off coupon. You were only gonna get $5.99 returned to you anyways! It’s nice to get the extra from a coupon and be able to use that on whatever future purchase that you like!
#3- As far as I know these two have always been like this.
The Idea that they offer coupons on their site and then persecute you for using them is ridiculous. Instead of changing the policy why not try an educate checkers on how to read coupon lingo? Teaching checkers how to read the coupon would eliminate many checkout issues and speed up the process (I have often been told if it doesn’t match the picture on the coupon I can’t use it, this includes many target issued coupons)
Tonia – the store can still tell you have their own rules. They do that already. If you were loosing your coupon value previously, you were being ripped off. The store should have refunded you full price. These are MQs btw, not TQs. TQs always came off a refund.
So if the coupon has no limit, you can still only use 4?
I can only pray people don’t start taking advantage of Policy # 2 ………
I’m loving these changes! Now I have it in writing that I can use 4 of the same coupons. Just a few days ago, I was told the limit is 2. I had to go out to the car and have my bf come in to use my other 2 reddi-whip coupons and my 1 Cutter coupon. How annoying! Also, I’ll take the coupon value on a gift card any day. Until now, we jsut lost that value!
WM may have a nicer looking coupon policy but my store is soooo coupon UNfriendly despite all the advertising in the store. They can’t take it for this reason or that reason or the other reason. The latest one was a jar of Vlasic pickles coupon recently in the Sunday paper inserts. It didn’t have “manufacturer’s coupon” printed on it.
Extremly disappointed. I just had the worst experience on Saturday. They wouldn’t accept 4 of my coupons for the Glade Sense and Spray, they just wanted to accept one, even though they were fully stocked and the sale was ending on Saturday. I left without taking a single one. I will not be shopping at Target very often any more. They were never coupon friendly, and now with a coupon policy behind me, they can just make up their own rules as they please. That’s a shame.
They do make you feel like you are scammer or thief when you use coupons. Sometimes it’s embarrassing when they make a fuss and people behind you are whispering. I never deliberately misuse a coupon, it’s a shame that they make honest people feel bad for using a legitimate way to save a little money.
My biggest annoyance is #2. I understand the reason, and I return very little of what I buy but really – A gift card for $1? If I don’t remember to use it right away, it will be lost in my purse of doom! I have to wonder about Target banking on many of those not being redeemed. I’m curious if their receipts will be any cleaner and actually have the coupon attached to the item rather than some showing up at the bottom.
Must say as a Target shopper I am very disappointed in this. Makes Wal-Mart Coupon Policy look a lot better everyday. Wal-Mart does not limit you to the number of coupons plus will price match.
It all sounds pretty fair for the most part.
Thankfully with my area, since my Target’s not a SuperTarget, I don’t think they have many issues with coupons…
Tereza, I’m sure if you go to two different Targets, you can use 4 at each location. I don’t see why it would be 4 total per day at any and all Targets. That would be a little crazy, I think.
I’ve pretty much stopped shopping at Target because I can never seem to get the deals that most of you are able to get with coupon stacks. My Target will always come up with some reason why I can’t have the deal, and I walk out so frustrated. They scrutinize every coupon, and then find ridiculous reasons to deny them, and management is of no assistance whatsoever. Honestly, I wonder how much of this is Target, how much of it is the end of couponing as we know it, thanks to Extreme Couponing?
how they can enforce 4 identical coupons per day per household? What if I go one target use 4 same like cpns and then same day i go to other target location and use again 4 same like coupons?
Actually I think all of that is pretty fair, and I realize #3 is just a blanket policy in case someone is taking advantage of the system but it worries me when power to deny coupons is so simply stated.
The new policy talks about 4 like coupons… Does this apply only to manufacturer coupons or also their web coupons?
I shop at Publix and sometimes use Target web coupons as competitor and certain stores will not allow more than one Target coupon since it’s stated on the coupon that it’s only one per guest.
#3 sounds like a cop out…an all inclusive rule to just not deal with coupons/coupners. I love Target, but am totally frustrated with the attitude I get from the cashier/team members for trying to use coupons. I had one ‘team member’ apologize on my behalf for my long check out…and she didn’t wait for me to leave the register!
I know the Target by me must have some shelf clearers because everytime I go in on Sunday morning stuff is wiped out..:( makes me angry! Oh well I’ve been limiting myself from Target since they have a mean old cashier that looks at every coupon & watches the price & if their is any overage she changes it! OR I get the poor handicapped kid that only has one arm & then I feel terrible about going through his line with coupons!
Yeah, My target is ridiculous about accepting coupons (even their own from the target.com website) They tell me thing like ohh you bought a sponge? Thats not considered a cleaning item and we cant take you Up&Up cleaning item coupon? Ive never had so much trouble and now I think it’s going to get worse. As a couponer I don’t like to be made to feel as if I am doing something wrong when trying to save money for my family =/ So jealous of those of you who have the nice targets around u!
A cashier told me about this last week. They had a meeting about it. She made it sound like even if the cashier just didn’t feel like dealing with your coupons, they could refuse to take them.
Good to know. Unfortunately, I think Target has already been really difficult with accepting coupons, at least at my location. I am surprised they are being even more restrictive when most of their competition makes returns even without receipts for the full price. I’ll have to be a lot more careful and restrictive with what I buy there now, and it’s a shame because I love the store and what they have available.
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