Here's why Target is ending its long-running ‘price matching' policy this month
"We've found our guests overwhelmingly price match Target and not other retailers, which reflects the great value and trust in pricing consumers see across our assortment and deals," a Target spokesperson told ABC News.
The policy, introduced in 2013, allowed customers to buy items in Target stores at reduced prices if they were being sold for less on Target.com, or at Amazon or Walmart.
Under the new policy, the price match will only apply to lower-priced items on Target.com, according to the company.
Target's policy was an industry first as brick-and-mortar chains faced increasing low-price competition from online retailers.
Neil Saunders, a retail analyst at the research and analytics firm GlobalData, said the change was a sign of Target's continued financial challenges.
"Target's profitability and margins have weakened over recent years, and if it wants to invest more in stores, then it needs to be more financially disciplined," he told USA TODAY. "Ending price matching helps to achieve this, especially at a time when costs are rising because of tariffs. That said, this is only one part of the puzzle and there is a lot more Target needs to do to bolster its bottom line."
In May, the company missed Wall Street expectations and announced sales were down 2.8 percent in the first quarter, and had declined compared with the same period in 2024.
Target, along with some of its competitors, have faced financial headwinds including uncertainty over the Trump administration's on-again, off-again tariff regime, rising inflation, as well as multiple consumer boycotts in the wake of the company's decision to align with the priorities of the new administration and end some of its diversity initiatives.
Target competitors such as Best Buy retain a price match offer while Amazon and Walmart do not.
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