You May Be Overspending at Target—Here’s How to Check

We like to think that we’re seasoned bargain hunters. So when we caught wind of an investigation into Target’s app, our interest was instantly piqued. KARE11 did a two-month investigation into the Minneapolis-based retailer’s app, and discovered that the prices on certain items change depending whether you are inside or outside the store.

Here’s an example: Target’s app price for a specific Samsung 55-inch Smart TV was $499.99. But when KARE pulled into the parking lot of a Target store in Minnetonka, the price suddenly went up to $599.99 on the app. They follow this up with an additional investigation of 10 other products, and found that the price jumps occurred on four of them. In fact, with no indication that the prices had changed, the 10 chosen items came out to a total that as $262 cheaper in the back of the parking lot vs. in the store.

The company responded to KARE11 in an emailed statement, saying “the Target app shows in-store pricing while in store, and online pricing while on the go. If a guest finds any item for a lower price across any of the ways they can shop Target, we’ll price match it.”

So how does Target know exactly where you are? Well, if you allowed it to access your location when you downloaded the app, then Target can get just how close you are to one of their stores. If you’d like to remedy this, click on your name icon in the bottom right of the screen and scroll down to app settlings. Where it says “location,” click it and switch it out to “never.” This means the app will not longer be able to see your location, and all prices will reflect the online prices no matter where you are.

KARE actually decided to go a step further and test this out with the apps at Macy’s, Best, Buy, and WalMart, but didn’t find any price changes when they walked into each store.

On the plus side, Target is trying out their new loyalty program starting later this month. CNBC reports that the Target Circle program in currently being tested in Charlotte, North Carolina; Denver, Indianapolis, Kansas City and Phoenix. It allows customers to take advantage of perks like 1 percent back on all Target purchases to redeem later on, and rewards on birthdays. Shoppers can also choose which local nonprofits the company will donate to.