Target Offers Quick Fix by Manually Inputting Coupons

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Target store scanning machines have taken a very early Christmas break. Reports began in August that the mass merchandiser was shortchanging coupon clippers nationwide, particularly when customers used coupons to make multiple-item purchases.

To avoid driving away frugal holiday shoppers, Target instructed cashiers Saturday to temporarily hand-process customer coupons and skip the scanners altogether. The directions were contained in a leaked email distributed from Target's corporate offices.

Customers have complained for months that many of the more than 1,750 Target stores across America have been crediting customers with only a fraction of the face value for certain manufacturer coupons. In the memo, Target admitted it had known about the problem since August but said the big-box chain is making sure, "cashiers understand the issue and how to make adjustments necessary at the registers."

"We care deeply about our guest experience," said Target spokeswoman Erika Svingen. "Coupons are very complex. We are working diligently to make sure the problem is fixed at the point of sale."

Svingen said the company expects to "introduce a technology fix into all Target stores within the next 10 days."

The Target memo instructed cashiers to set coupons aside and process them one by one at the end of the transaction, checking to ensure the full value of each coupon was applied.

According to the Chicago Tribune, "The glitch appears to stem from a common practice among retailers. Stores won't allow a coupon to reduce the price of an item to less than zero. Free is the best they will do, which is also Target's stated policy. But Target's computers apparently compared the value of a multiple-item coupon to a single item, rather than the total cost of items required for purchase. For example, it would not apply a $1-off coupon for the required purchase of eight 39-cent items. The best it would do is credit 39 cents."

Target also said devices used to measure the speed at which cashiers check out customers will temporarily be turned off to accommodate additional processing time. While the problem may mean more time spent in line for customers, it also means Target coupon clippers will receive full return on every manufacturer coupon.