This Pilot Program Will Mean You Can Do a Target Run Without Getting Out Of Your Car

If you’re likely to spend more than you’ve planned when you set foot in a Target, then you’ll be excited to hear about the retailer’s new pilot program.

The service, called Drive Up, is Target’s take on curbside pickup. A shopper can place an order through the Target app, click a button when they’re en route, and then park in a dedicated spot while employees bring their order out to the car for them. The Star Tribune reports that as of Monday, the test is now live at 50 stores in the Minneapolis area.

“Stopping for diapers and toilet paper may not be glamorous, but it’s still on a lot of our to-do lists,” said Dawn Block, Target senior vice president of digital. “Drive Up is our latest effort to make it easier and faster for busy guests to conveniently get what they need, and simply get back to their day.”

The service applies to nearly 200,000 eligible items, such as home furnishings, toys, electronics, household essentials, non-perishable food, baby-care items. Fresh and frozen food is not included, however. The service is free with no minimum order, and orders are most often ready for pickup in under two hours. Helpful if you can’t resist temptation when you’re at the retailer.

This isn’t the first time the company has tested curbside pickup, as CNBC notes:

Target first partnered with San Francisco-based Curbside in 2014, testing pick-up in parking lots at 11 of its San Francisco-area stores. By 2015, the partnership reached more than 100 stores in New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles.

Walmart and CVS have also added curbside pickup as of late, though Walmart’s is focused on those who use the service for groceries.

A spokesperson for Target told the Star Tribune that learnings from the test will inform tweaks before the program is rolled out more widely, but didn’t provide a timeline.

You can learn more about Drive Up on Target’s corporate blog.