TARGET has revealed that it will no longer accept personal checks as valid payment.
According to the Minnesota-based retailer, personal checks are not the preferred payment method for most customers.
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Target announced it would begin refusing checks on July 15, joining other grocery stores that no longer accept the payment method.
“Target is committed to creating an easy and convenient checkout experience,” company spokesperson Brian Harper-Tibaldo said in an email to Star Tribune.
“And that includes providing our guests with numerous forms of payment, including our new Target Circle Cards (formerly known as Target RedCard); cash; digital wallets; SNAP/EBT; buy now, pay later services; and credit and debit cards.” , he added.
“Due to extremely low volumes, we will no longer accept personal checks starting July 15,” Harper-Tibaldo said.
“We have taken several steps to notify guests in advance to facilitate an easy and efficient checkout experience.”
Target’s payment method change is expected to come after the retailer’s annual Target Circle Week sale, which begins July 7.
Despite not accepting in-store payment, customers can still mail checks to pay their Target Circle card credit balance.
the use of checks has declined as many digital forms of payment, such as tap-to-pay or PayPal, have increased in recent years
Checks are often used for rent payments, gifts, or donations.
There are few retailers that still accept personal checks when checking out with a cash register; however, all major supermarkets began to abandon them.
Certain cash registers and some machines, including self-checkout operations, cannot automatically read and process information written on checks.
Speaking to the vehicle, Elisa Tavilla, director of debt advisory services for payments and banking consultancy Javelin Strategy & Research, said that physical payment causes “friction” at check-out.
“Certainly at the point of sale, it creates friction and can slow down the checkout process for other customers because it requires more manual input,” Tavilla said.
Latest self-checkout changes
Retailers are evolving their self-checkout strategy in an effort to speed checkout times and reduce theft.
Walmart shoppers were shocked when self-checkout lanes at several locations were made available only to Walmart+ members.
Other customers reported that self-checkout was closed at specific times and more cashiers were offered in its place.
While shoppers feared that shoplifting would fuel the updates, a Walmart spokesperson revealed that store managers are simply experimenting with ways to improve checkout performance.
One bizarre experiment included an RFID-powered self-checkout kiosk that would thwart fiercely contested receipt checks.
However, this test has been discontinued.
At Target, items are being limited in auto-checkout.
Last fall, the brand researched new express self-checkout lanes in 200 stores with 10 items or less for added convenience.
In March 2024, this policy was expanded to 2,000 stores in the US.
Not only are retailers accepting fewer personal checks, but shoppers are also using them less frequently.
In 2020, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta estimated that people only used checks in about 7% of all their transactions – writing about three checks a month.
An insight study conducted in 2023 revealed that only 1% of shoppers prefer to use checks in stores and restaurants.
A 2023 investigation by Washington Post found that more than half of Americans haven’t written a check in the last month.
The changes to payment options come as Target faces backlash over new rules surrounding self-checkout.
Target’s new rules state that express self-checkout lanes only allow the purchase of 10 items or less.
In March 2024, Target expanded the change to 2,000 stores nationwide.
US Sun has reached out to Target for comment.
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