Discovering that a company has a pro-customer policy can almost feel like unlocking a forbidden “hack.” Or at least, that’s the case for one woman who almost thought that a regular Target mail-in policy was an exploit she shouldn’t reasonably post on the internet.
Kristin Kenney (@kristinbodinkenney), a Florida-based content creator, told her audience that she made three mail-in returns to Target. Only she didn’t send back any of the items. Each time she went to make a return, the company told her to keep the item.
Kenney thought that she may have discovered a secret that she shouldn’t exploit. Viewers, too, told her to delete her video in case Target stops allowing customers to keep mail-in returns.
As of this writing, Kenney’s video has more than 163,000 views.
Target’s Mail-In Return ‘Hack’
Kenney began her video as though it were a confession.
“ I’m afraid to say this. I don’t know why. I feel like I’m gonna get in trouble, but I’m gonna say it anyway,” she said.
She told her audience that she had done three mail-in returns with Target on three separate occasions. Each time, Target told her to keep the item.
“It happened a couple [of] weeks ago, and it told me to keep the item. I was like, ‘OK, whatever. It was something small … I’ll keep it.’ And then I just did it again this morning for two more items. Instead of doing the drive-up, just do a mail-in; it told me to keep those items,” she said.
Then she asked, “Does this happen every time? Are they just not accepting returns? You just keep it?”
Why Would a Company Let Someone Keep a Return?
Many retailers have “keep-it” policies for mail-in returns, at least according to CBS MoneyWatch. The logic behind a keep-it policy is actually straightforward. It can cost a company more money to process and redistribute a mail-in return than it does to allow a customer to keep the item.
CBS MoneyWatch cited a study from goTRG, a returns logistics company, which stated that 59% of companies surveyed offered “keep-it” policies for online goods. Twenty-seven percent of those companies allowed items under $20 to be eligible for a “keep-it” policy.
Other surveys say that “keep-it” policies are surprisingly common. One Narvar survey, for instance, found that at least 75% of customers have tried to return a product, only to be told to keep it.
Does Target Have an Explicit ‘Keep-It’ Policy?
In the comments section of Kenney’s video, viewers told the content creator to delete the video. They didn’t want her to expose the secret.
“[If] this blows up more, Target will change this. Just like they changed the cat and jack . I would delete this if I were you because target cracks down on a little of things,” a commenter said.
“Why keep this video up when 95% of the comments are asking to take it down. This could’ve been a TikTok story. Not a whole post. You’re going to take away the convienence and courtesy bring so much attention to this…” another commenter said.
Despite commenter warnings, it doesn’t necessarily seem like Target will be changing its policy. At least not because of one viral video. Target has already publicly discussed its “keep-it” policy.
In another CBS MoneyWatch article, a spokesperson for Target confirmed that the company has a “keep-it” policy. The spokesperson said that unwanted items can be kept or even donated to charity. The representative, however, stated that the policy only applies to “a very small number of cases when we determine it’s easier.” It’s not a uniform policy that applies to any item under $20, nor is it guaranteed for specific items.
@kristinbodinkenney Does this happen every time? 🎯 #target #targetfinds #return ♬ original sound – Kristin Kenney 🎀⭐️
Subplot News reached out to Kenney and Target via email for comment.
