Target price-matching policy (or lack of, in most stores).

[sanbot]

Castle Hill - Yes, but only against stores in the centre, must be a regular price (not a sale price), and must be in stock at that competitor.

Well at least they told u the same thing they told me when I went yesterday.

I actually asked the lady at Indooroopilly Target if I could laybuy Jetfire then price-comparison him during their sale. She said no, you commit to pay the price on the item at the time of doing the laybuy. :/

Again another example of the inconsistencies with Target. I remember when I layby'd Masterpiece Optimus before the sale and I asked if I could get it at the sale price when it starts and the guy there was like no problem! When the sale came and I took it off layby the person serving me said nope you can't get it at sale price! Luckily the person who told me I could in the first place was there at the time.

[griffin]

As recommended by nettie!, I rang up the head office and asked them if they have a price-matching policy. (this was a bit funny) She answered a definite NO, but, then started rattling off the conditions of price-matching (huh???)

So getting past the contradiction within the one sentance, this is what I was told:

It has to be currently advertised in both their (Target) catalogue and the competitor's catalogue, and has to be instock at both stores, BUT, price-matching is only honoured at the Store Manager's discretion.

Sooo, they have an unwritten* price-matching policy, but there's no guarantee that they will honour it at any store, at any time.

(* she told me that it was not something officially written anywhere.)

--------
While I had her attention, I also asked something that had been bugging me for quite a while now - why does Target only restock after lengthy periods of time instead of when the actual stock runs out?
She asked me if I was a customer, because 'customers don't ask that sort of question'. True, to an extent, so I told her that I run a site that monitors and tracks toy stock levels across the country, and Target had been known to not restock for ages after their items sell out.
She then told me that they wait until all their stores require stock before ordering in new stock from the supplier and ship it to stores. So if your Target store sells out faster than most, you'll have a longer wait for new TFs stock.
That is just a brilliant strategy to keep longterm customer loyalty...

I also gave her some feedback on stores not fully capitalising on the TFs movie while it is at its peak demand for toys. I said that I thought it was strange to not try to sell as many toys as possible now at full price, but instead was hearing that stores were holding them back until after the movie dies down and try to sell them at about 30% off during the toy sale.
She told me (rather rudely) it was just my opinion, and the toys will still sell. And with that unfriendly response, that was the end of the conversation.
It's not like I was a competitor, so I don't see why she needed to be so hostile. If anything, this site would be helping promote them, if they tried to live up to their claim of aiming for '100% happy'.

(no offense to the front line employees at Target. I only have a problem with the corporate decisions you guys have to deal with, and the cranky customers that results from it)

[nettie!]

Good work!!!

And they are total tools when it comes to their "100% happy" claim

in all my years at target I've never once thought to ask about the time between restocking... Very lame excuse! - I'll talk to the toy bm at my store over the weekend and see what he says lol

[sanbot]

Good to know Griffin.

I guess it kinda confirmed what many of us already felt about Target.

[Dkaris]

lol our head office staff, corporate staff and district managers are hated with a very strong passion, by both normal staff, night fillers and lower management, because at the end of the day their decisions make our job harder, and we have to deal with the public because of these decisions =[

[sanbot]

lol our head office staff, corporate staff and district managers are hated with a very strong passion, by both normal staff, night fillers and lower management, because at the end of the day their decisions make our job harder, and we have to deal with the public because of these decisions =[

I know the feeling, having worked at Myer's and the Pizza Hut call centre. Front line staff always cop the flack.

[griffin]

That reminds me of something else while I was talking to the Target Customer Service - she straight out said to me, 'why don't you just go and buy it from the competitor then if they are cheaper?'

Two things are wrong with that. One, she shouldn't be trying to discourage a customer from buying at their store(chain). Two (which I actually told her, and she didn't have an answer to it), what if I want to be buying all my stuff from one store and one item is known to be cheaper elsewhere? It may seem an obvious question if you are buying one item - it's easier to go to the competitor - but she wasn't thinking of the bigger picture, and at least try to do her job to encourage people to shop at Target. In the end because of this, she's discouraged more customers from shopping there.