Target "Self Checkout Hours" 11 AM to 7 PM

[ClownLoach]

Largely the difference I see is Target "Drive Up" took prime parking spaces that other customers previously used all day.

Wal Mart "Pick Up" typically took complete nosebleed parking spaces on the side of the store or in some other "off" area that didn't get used much, may have been employee parking, etc. This isn't always the case- I have seen some Wal Marts with the Pick Up Spaces right out front but there are usually only 4 of them in those stores, 1 is a Div 1 and 1 is an undersized Supercenter.

No retailer should allow returns without a receipt anymore unless we are talking some real low value type of returns. Like a single item under $5 and in that case you can have an exchange for the same item, not a refund, or credit toward some other brand if you don't like the store brand. The biggest elephant on this is private label "satisfaction guarantees." Many retailers with strict receipt required policies do allow returns on private label products without a receipt as a gesture of goodwill.

I recently did a return at Wal Mart. Every time I go there someone is trying to pull something. This time a person was there with an air mattress or tent or something like that in a shopping cart who said it was broken. The box looked all sealed up like it had never been opened. The sign behind customer service still says they offer returns with or without a receipt. The employee asked if they had a receipt. No. The employee told them they can't take it back without a receipt and they have to come back tomorrow to talk to the manager. The customer asked if they can leave it there in the cart overnight. The employee seemed confused by the request. The customer said it was too heavy to take and then bring back. The employee then said she'd have to ask her manager about that. The customer then said so you do have a manager here who can approve the return? The employee said no the manager who can approve the return isn't here until tomorrow morning but the manager who is here now can tell me if you can leave it here overnight or not... The customer said they were in a hurry and needed to go. The employee said wait so I can tell you what my manager says... Didn't stay to see what was going to happen with the interaction. After I shopped I walked back by customer service and saw it sitting there in the cart and the person who was trying to do the return was gone.

The old "deferral" strategy works wonders for frauds. I would always tell my managers to unexpectedly take the product and say something like "I need to go look this up on the office computer" then go there and page something to the effect of "Security dial 321" a few moments later. Just like magic the "customer" would suddenly need to leave for some reason, without their product never to return.

[BillyGr]

No retailer should allow returns without a receipt anymore unless we are talking some real low value type of returns. Like a single item under $5 and in that case you can have an exchange for the same item, not a refund, or credit toward some other brand if you don't like the store brand. The biggest elephant on this is private label "satisfaction guarantees." Many retailers with strict receipt required policies do allow returns on private label products without a receipt as a gesture of goodwill.

That assumes there is an exception for any item not fit for use (such as things that have been recalled).

People may not keep a receipt for those, as they have no reason to expect to return them, but once they find out it is not usable (due to danger of causing illness, injury etc.) they need to be able to get their money back to replace it with something that IS usable (so in those situations, a simple exchange doesn't help).

[ClownLoach]

No retailer should allow returns without a receipt anymore unless we are talking some real low value type of returns. Like a single item under $5 and in that case you can have an exchange for the same item, not a refund, or credit toward some other brand if you don't like the store brand. The biggest elephant on this is private label "satisfaction guarantees." Many retailers with strict receipt required policies do allow returns on private label products without a receipt as a gesture of goodwill.

That assumes there is an exception for any item not fit for use (such as things that have been recalled).

People may not keep a receipt for those, as they have no reason to expect to return them, but once they find out it is not usable (due to danger of causing illness, injury etc.) they need to be able to get their money back to replace it with something that IS usable (so in those situations, a simple exchange doesn't help).

Recalled items are always a mandated exception, and they are not a problem because the items aren't on the shelves anymore. Nobody can pull them off the shelf and sneak over to the return desk then claim they need a return without receipt. I would estimate a third of thefts these days are the fraud returns, they either get receipts out of the trash or just take items off the shelf and ask for a return hoping to get a gift card or cash.

[storewanderer]

Largely the difference I see is Target "Drive Up" took prime parking spaces that other customers previously used all day.

Wal Mart "Pick Up" typically took complete nosebleed parking spaces on the side of the store or in some other "off" area that didn't get used much, may have been employee parking, etc. This isn't always the case- I have seen some Wal Marts with the Pick Up Spaces right out front but there are usually only 4 of them in those stores, 1 is a Div 1 and 1 is an undersized Supercenter.

No retailer should allow returns without a receipt anymore unless we are talking some real low value type of returns. Like a single item under $5 and in that case you can have an exchange for the same item, not a refund, or credit toward some other brand if you don't like the store brand. The biggest elephant on this is private label "satisfaction guarantees." Many retailers with strict receipt required policies do allow returns on private label products without a receipt as a gesture of goodwill.

I recently did a return at Wal Mart. Every time I go there someone is trying to pull something. This time a person was there with an air mattress or tent or something like that in a shopping cart who said it was broken. The box looked all sealed up like it had never been opened. The sign behind customer service still says they offer returns with or without a receipt. The employee asked if they had a receipt. No. The employee told them they can't take it back without a receipt and they have to come back tomorrow to talk to the manager. The customer asked if they can leave it there in the cart overnight. The employee seemed confused by the request. The customer said it was too heavy to take and then bring back. The employee then said she'd have to ask her manager about that. The customer then said so you do have a manager here who can approve the return? The employee said no the manager who can approve the return isn't here until tomorrow morning but the manager who is here now can tell me if you can leave it here overnight or not... The customer said they were in a hurry and needed to go. The employee said wait so I can tell you what my manager says... Didn't stay to see what was going to happen with the interaction. After I shopped I walked back by customer service and saw it sitting there in the cart and the person who was trying to do the return was gone.

The old "deferral" strategy works wonders for frauds. I would always tell my managers to unexpectedly take the product and say something like "I need to go look this up on the office computer" then go there and page something to the effect of "Security dial 321" a few moments later. Just like magic the "customer" would suddenly need to leave for some reason, without their product never to return.

I was impressed with this late teen's employee. Dealing with them in the past on self checkout they didn't say much and seemed disengaged/indifferent, but their handling of what looked like a fraudulent return to me was very good; they were very calm and polite the entire time. There was also an older employee at customer service who was obviously more experienced (had 15 year name badge) listening to the entire interaction and seemed ready to "jump in" but never needed to. I guess with the amount of unusual activities that occur at these Wal Mart refund desks, it doesn't take long for the employees staffing them to get up to speed on how to deal with this sort of thing.

[storewanderer]

No retailer should allow returns without a receipt anymore unless we are talking some real low value type of returns. Like a single item under $5 and in that case you can have an exchange for the same item, not a refund, or credit toward some other brand if you don't like the store brand. The biggest elephant on this is private label "satisfaction guarantees." Many retailers with strict receipt required policies do allow returns on private label products without a receipt as a gesture of goodwill.

That assumes there is an exception for any item not fit for use (such as things that have been recalled).

People may not keep a receipt for those, as they have no reason to expect to return them, but once they find out it is not usable (due to danger of causing illness, injury etc.) they need to be able to get their money back to replace it with something that IS usable (so in those situations, a simple exchange doesn't help).

Recalled items are always a mandated exception, and they are not a problem because the items aren't on the shelves anymore. Nobody can pull them off the shelf and sneak over to the return desk then claim they need a return without receipt. I would estimate a third of thefts these days are the fraud returns, they either get receipts out of the trash or just take items off the shelf and ask for a return hoping to get a gift card or cash.

Wal Mart could address this issue of people finding receipts in the trash as easily by printing way fewer receipts if it wasn't for the receipt at door thing. They already have a link for a text or print of receipt on self checkout. I suspect many customers would happily decline the receipt if they weren't worried about having to show the receipt at the exit. Most customers do not know the policy is you only have to show the receipt for unbagged items.

Some stores I shop at ask if you want a receipt or not and if you don't want one, one doesn't print. Most common at convenience stores and fast food for cash sales but has been that way forever in those business types and returns aren't so much of a thing at those. The Holiday/Sav-Mor chain in rural Northern California comes to mind. However if you use self checkout a receipt always prints for some reason.

[veteran+]

Interesting that people do not want their receipt.

[storewanderer]

Interesting that people do not want their receipt.

I certainly want my receipt. I want proof of purchase. I probably have 200 receipts sitting around as a result of this that I'll throw away over time.

CVS is another. Self checkout - do you want a receipt? Print, digital, or no receipt? One thing if you earn Extra Bucks and do "digital" you have to go into the app and "send to your card" within 7 days of the transaction. After that point it will expire 30 days from when you send it to your card. If you print the receipt, the earned Extra Bucks expire 30 days from date of receipt print. So this is one instance where I started to not take a printed receipt (assuming the total was what I expected it to be). I've also lost Extra Bucks from digital receipt transactions due to failing to send them to my card in the app within 7 days.

Also as I recall more recently Rite Aid has a receipt prompt on the pinpad as well.

[BillyGr]

Interesting that people do not want their receipt.

Maybe more that people don't want the printed version, figuring it is easier to keep track of a bunch of emails or whatever then have to hold on to the paper copies if they are needed (which is actually fairly rare for many things).

[veteran+]

Interesting that people do not want their receipt.

Maybe more that people don't want the printed version, figuring it is easier to keep track of a bunch of emails or whatever then have to hold on to the paper copies if they are needed (which is actually fairly rare for many things).

True but I rather see what I was charged at the point of sale (or at least review in my car if not walking) rather than later and away from the retailer.

[ClownLoach]

Interesting that people do not want their receipt.

Maybe more that people don't want the printed version, figuring it is easier to keep track of a bunch of emails or whatever then have to hold on to the paper copies if they are needed (which is actually fairly rare for many things).

True but I rather see what I was charged at the point of sale (or at least review in my car if not walking) rather than later and away from the retailer.

Target got rid of the optional receipt because it made it impossible for the LP folks to monitor the self checkout. "Oh yeah I didn't want my receipt for this Playstation 5 and this TV, it's not like I'm going to return them"

All the other retailers that followed are just drones who think if Target did it, they need to as well without understanding why.