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By Suzanne Blake
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Target has updated its return policy, and shoppers will now have extra time to return purchases through the holiday season.
Products sold between November 1 and December 24 could be returns as late as January 24.
Why It Matters
Many retailers have updated their return policies to offer buyers more flexibility during the holiday season.
Read More on Shopping
Target’s competitors, Amazon and Walmart, have similarly adjusted return timelines.
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What To Know
For Target purchases between November 1 and December 24 the return window starts on December 26.
Those who bought electronics and entertainment items (excluding Apple and Beats) have until January 24 to make a return.
Meanwhile, Apple and Beats products and mobile phones must be brought back earlier, by January 9.
Walmart previously updated its return policy as well, enabling products purchased from October 1 to December 31 to have additional leeway. Shoppers can return them until January 31.
However, for specifically Consumer Electronics products, these items must be returned within 30 days. And wireless phones are returnable within 14 days.
“It’s the classic domino effect in retail: once one major retailer announces extended return windows, everyone else falls in line. Easy, hassle-free returns have become a real competitive advantage,” Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group and the host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek. “Those who don’t adapt risk losing market share quickly.”
What People Are Saying
Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek: “With returns during the holidays, major retailers extend deadlines to better accommodate customers and a surge of post-holiday refund requests. Target is extending their return deadline for most goods through January 24 to give customers more time to decide on whether to keep their holiday purchases and gifts… As a customer, staying informed on these dates is pivotal in ensuring you don’t miss your opportunity to receive a refund.”
Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group and the host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek: “By adding an extra 30 days after Christmas, retailers give shoppers the breathing room they actually need. A traditional 30-day window doesn’t help much when a gift has been sitting under the tree for three to four weeks.”
What Happens Next
Shoppers should stay aware of the specific return policies for their purchases, noting the earlier deadline for Apple and Beats items.
Thompson said the change makes it “far easier to return items without the post-holiday scramble.”
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