The holiday shopping season is about to start gearing up, and you're on the hunt for great deals and perfect gifts, one of your favorite retailers is making some important changes you need to know about.

Target, a top destination for holiday bargains, festive décor, and last-minute stocking stuffers made some changes you may want to pay attention to. As the holiday season approaches, Target is tightening its return policy in Michigan to combat a growing problem: return fraud. While the company will keep its original policy allowing most unopened items in new condition to be returned within 90 days, it’s now introducing stricter guidelines that could impact your holiday shopping experience.

The new policy, which the New York Times indicated was quietly introduced in July, will see a new policy giving Target the “right to deny returns, refunds, and exchanges” to prevent scams and discourage fraudulent behavior, “including but not limited to prevent fraud, suspected fraud or abuse", per the Target website.

"Items that are opened or damaged or do not have a receipt may be denied a refund or exchange", Target states on the new policy.

In the past, it was easy to just pop in and exchange or even return many items with the original tags still on the items, but a change became necessary after years of reports about customers returning heavily used or shoplifted items.

This isn't the first change to shopping Target has made this year. In July the retailer announced it would no longer be accepting personal checks as a form of payment at its stores.

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Shoppers should keep this policy shift in mind as they plan their holiday purchases, ensuring they review return guidelines carefully to avoid surprises at the counter. To make sure your returns go smoothly, always hang onto receipts, ensure items are in new condition, and check Target’s website for any category-specific exceptions.

With these adjustments, Target aims to strike a balance between customer convenience and preventing abuse. As always, the key to a smooth return process is understanding the policy and staying within its guidelines, especially as the holiday rush kicks in.

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