I learned a valuable lesson @ Target tonight.

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So last week, Target had Ben's formula on sale and if you bought two, you got a $5 gift card.  Three separate times I made a trip there, they were totally out of the kind he uses...and wouldn't give me a rain check.  Finally on the 3rd trip, I said to myself "Screw this." and bought a different kind of Enfamil with the intentions of exchanging it once the kind he uses was back in stock.

I went tonight to do that.  The woman exchanged them with no problem.  However, I noticed that she put these red stickers on both cans and then tossed them in this big trash bin.  I said to her, "That doesn't get thrown out, does it?"  She said that yes, it does.  I told her (again) that I never opened the cans.  She said it doesn't matter, it's a liability issue for them to resell it.  I said, "Well they could donate it to a shelter or something." She said that they won't.  Again, liability issue.  She also told me that they throw out a TON of stuff.  She said that all the cribs, strollers, high chairs, etc. that are on display - all get trashed.

I feel like such a jerk that I was so worried about saving a few bucks and now two huge cans of formula will just be tossed in the garbage.  And I'm sort of disappointed in Target that for as much as they advertise that they give back to the community, that they waste so much product.

So, don't return formula to Target with the thought that it will get resold to someone else.  They'll just throw it out. 

nosoup4u

Oh noes, that does suck! I've heard that Anthropologie burns their merchandise that doesn't sell, rather than having it be sold at places like TJ Maxx. All the wasted food grocery stores throw out is so depressing, too, but I still can't make myself become a freegan, ha ha.

maryymere

Everybody is so uptight in this world that you have to cover your @ss for every tiny thing you do.  Thank all the millions of people that sue for every ridiculous thing they can think of.

Dobie_Mama

Wow!  That's terrible.  Don't feel guilty - you didn't know what would happen.  I also would have assumed that the formula would have been re-sold if unopened.  It's just totally wasteful on Target's part to throw away so much merchandise.

SarahBukisi

yeah, all places do that. walmart included.

next time really push to get the raincheck. this is key, because the raincheck for the out of stock item can actually be redeamed for any similar item... so go get the raincheck for target brand formula, then go back to the baby isle and get the Enfamil... or whatever brand you want, and then you pay target brand sale price on your non-sale Enfamil can!!!! YIPPEE ... the joys of target rainchecks!!!

this can be done with ANYTHING in the store, towels, shirts, jeans, dishes, etc... 

maryymere

This also makes me want to do a drive by at the Target dumpster now..lol

Collski:-)

I think Target sucks in general with their return policy of no receipt NADA.  They can't give an even exchange!  They could give it to a hospital. I have two cases of formula that the pedi said they'd take.  Ethan was on an expensive formula, as long as its not expired or opened they will take it.  HTH

Karey08

I had a similar situation with a Target -- my mil's mom thought she was being extra prepared and helpful by buying baby food for Aidan before we got to her home on vacation this past summer.  I made all of his food and had brought it with me frozen already for the week so I thought I would just return it all - they took it all back, but the same thing, she just threw it away after tagging it.  It had never even been broken out of the double packs.  I wish I would have just kept the $10 worth of food and donated it.

maryymere

cmeon_the_water:

Do you realize how often baby formula is tampered with, and put back on store shelves? People put flour or salt in the cans and return them, cut formula with cocaine and heroine to smuggle it and make it go further (and these could make it to babies), and even poison the cans intentionally. You're lucky that they accepted them as a return- many stores won't take formula (or baby food) back at all.

 We just had a lady here in Fl tampering with baby food on the shelf.  She was trying to inject it with a black tarry liquid.  I never heard the follow story to find out exactly what it was but it does happen!

MsLindseyLou

I already knew this - my sister works at Target. Some woman bought 1st foods instead of 2nd foods and returned it all for 2nds. It was like $50 worth of baby food all in the garbage.

But it makes sense - I can't imagine what would happen if it indeed had been tampered with. They just can't have that liability.

 And I wouldn't worry about their carseats, strollers, they are not real ones. My sister says they are all just display models. They cannot be used as real carseats/strollers. They have tags on them that says this.

lhuttlinger

food for thought:

Trader Joes donates anything that could possibly be edible ( stuff that expires the next day is taken off shelves and donated, food that is bruised is donated.) The only stuff that doesn't get donated is moldy.

It gets donated to local food banks.

?

cool story:

One of my co-workers at Trader Joe's was from a poor-ish family and had been receiving TJ's food from the food bank that Trader Joe's had been donating to. So, the food really does make it back in to the community! Kind of cool, huh??

punkn

I was given some cans of similac formula that I wanted to return to Walmart and get the brand we used, our walmart wont even take formula back.

Mc_Newlywed

I agree that they shouldn't accept food items as returns. You just don't know what kind of sickos are out there. ?

But it would be a good idea to tell you that they are going to throw it out. That way you can decide if you really want to return it or if you'd donate it instead. ?

tobeMrs.Wagner

They also throw away medicines you return even if you didn't open them.  I can see why they do it but it does seem like such a waste.

BJKL

I know for a fact that Target donates almost all perishable out of date items to local food shelves.  The baby items are a different story as the liability of donating out weighs the good will. 

The other poster was correct that baby display items are not actual items.  They are constructed specifically for display purpose and may lack key components of the actual items.

Also...Target donates the majority of its old clearance product to Goodwill/Salvation Army/etc to be sold for those charities to make a profit.

johnsoar

That happened to us with a car seat.  I kept telling them it just didn't fit in our car and it was fine but they said they couldn't sell it again.

funchicken

Thanks for posting this seans_grl.  I had no idea they did this.  It makes sense, but it's still a shame.