Target is set to launch "drive up returns" at stores nationwide starting this spring, the company announced Tuesday.
The new option will be offered at nearly 2,000 stations across the U.S. "by the end of summer," meaning shoppers looking to return an item can "skip the line or mailbox and pull right in."
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WATCH HEREThe option has been part of a pilot that will begin expanding this spring.
“Our journey to expand our fulfillment options starts with making it easier for our guests to shop with us,” Mark Schindele, Target’s executive vice president and chief stores officer, said in a statement. “That’s why we’re launching Drive Up Returns. Allowing our guests to process a return from the comfort of their car underscores our commitment to helping our guests shop — and return — however they choose.”
Shoppers will be allowed to return most new, unopened items within 90 days of purchase from their car, for free. The time frame rises to up to a year for Target-owned brands, however.
Drive-up returns will be available for purchases made through Target.com accounts.
So how will it work?
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According to the company, shoppers can "initiate a return" through the Target app, and will then follow the "normal Drive Up" process. That means drivers will wait in their car and a team member will come pick up their item and complete the return at the car window.
The change is one of many the Minnesota-based company is planning.
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SIGN UP Last November, Target said it was slashing expenses with a goal of saving $2 billion to $3 billion over the next three years. At that time, it said shoppers were waiting to buy on sale, purchasing smaller packages and trading down to store brands instead of national labels, which tend to be more expensive.
But even as Target projects lower sales, the retailer is pushing ahead to accelerate its e-commerce strategy. It announced last week that it will spend $100 million to develop a larger network of package sorting centers that cut the cost of delivering online orders while increasing the speed of delivery.
Target also plans to open about 20 new stores in addition to renovating 175 of them.
Target also aims to launch or expand more than 10 owned brands. In addition, the retailer will appeal to price sensitive shoppers with more items starting at $3, $5, $10 and $15.
