Target Ends Price Match Guarantee With Competitors After 12 Years: What It Means for Shoppers and the Retail Industry

Minneapolis, MN – July 22, 2025 – Target Corporation, one of America’s retail giants, has announced a momentous shift in its consumer pricing approach. Effective July 28, 2025, Target will discontinue its longstanding Price Match Guarantee with other retailers, a move that will no longer allow customers to secure lower prices found at competitors such as Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy. This change concludes a 12-year run of a policy that many shoppers had woven into their savings strategy, sparking widespread discussion and mixed reactions among Target’s loyal customer base.

Target’s Price Match Guarantee: A Look Back

The Price Match Guarantee was first introduced in 2013 as a direct way to combat the growing dominance of e-commerce giants and brick-and-mortar rivals. Target initially aimed the policy at key rivals, with customers allowed to request a price match at the time of purchase or within a 14-day window following a purchase—a direct response to fast-moving online deals and Black Friday-style competition.

Before its year-round implementation, Target’s price matching efforts began during the holiday season under the “Low Price Promise” program, which started in 2009. This allowed limited-time matches to competitors’ offers—a tactic meant to reinforce Target’s image as a destination for value-conscious families and deal-hunters.

The Upcoming Policy Change: What Shoppers Need to Know

Beginning July 28, Target will no longer match prices from leading retailers outside its own ecosystem. Customers who find lower prices on Amazon, Walmart, or Best Buy will not be able to request a price adjustment at Target, ending a convenient savings avenue that many had come to expect from national chain stores.

From July 28 onward, Target’s Price Match Guarantee will only apply to:

• Lower prices found on Target’s own website.
• Lower prices available at other Target store locations.
• Target Circle promotional pricing.

Shoppers will still benefit from a 14-day price adjustment window if an item they purchased at Target drops in price within that timeframe—but only if that lower price is at Target itself.

Explaining the Decision: Value-First Strategy

Target’s leadership says the move is guided by customer preferences and a reassessment of how shoppers utilize the price match policy. “Customers predominantly price match with Target rather than with other stores,” a spokesperson told Retail Dive, emphasizing that most price matching requests were for differences within Target’s own inventory rather than external competitors.

Target officials argue that the company remains committed to “exceptional value” through everyday low prices, exclusive private-label products, timely promotions, and the Target Circle free membership program, which collectively, they believe, establish a strong value proposition even without matching outside retailers’ ads.

Public Reaction: Mixed Emotions From Shoppers

The announcement triggered an immediate response from shoppers—many expressing frustration at losing a beloved perk, while others voiced understanding due to the ease and reliability of Target’s in-house offers. Social media platforms and consumer forums quickly filled with posts from budget-conscious families tallying up what the change might mean for their monthly shopping habits.

One frequent Target shopper in Minneapolis wrote, “With inflation everywhere, every dollar counts. I relied on price matching to avoid shopping around for basics. This will definitely make me think twice about impulse buys.” Others noted that, with Target Circle discounts and occasional sales, their savings habits might not be dramatically altered, but called on the retailer to ensure its advertised “everyday low prices” remain competitive.

Historical Context: The Rise and Decline of Price Matching

The policy’s origin came at a pivotal time in retail history. In the early 2010s, online retailers like Amazon were rapidly eroding the market share of traditional brick-and-mortar stores, primarily through aggressive pricing and extensive selection. Target, Walmart, and Best Buy all introduced or expanded price match programs to slow this shift and reassure their customer base that they remained competitive—not just in experience and convenience, but in price competitiveness.

For more than a decade, price matching played a dual role:

• Retaining in-store traffic and keeping loyal customers from defecting to online-only catalogs.
• Forcing retailers to monitor each other’s pricing with software and rapid response teams, fueling a “race to the bottom” that, at times, squeezed margins and complicated promotions for both chains and suppliers.

As the retail landscape has matured—and consumer habits have shifted again—retailers are questioning the long-term viability and necessity of matching every advertised competitor price, especially as inflation and labor costs put pressure on bottom lines.

Economic Impact: What This Means for Shoppers and Retailers

Canceling the competitor price match could have a range of economic effects:

• For Target: Discontinuing the practice may support higher margins and enable the chain to invest more in exclusive products, store experiences, or digital infrastructure. It simplifies in-store operations, lessening the administrative burden on cashiers and customer service staff who previously handled price match requests.
• For Shoppers: While many shoppers may lose a direct price-cutting tool, Target bets its combination of consistent prices, private labels, and loyalty promotions will cover most value needs. Still, some deal-seeking consumers, especially those who bridge multiple retailers for savings, could migrate purchases elsewhere for particularly high-ticket or brand-name electronics, toys, or household goods.
• Wider Retail Impact: Retail experts suggest that Target’s choice could embolden other major chains to reevaluate their price match commitments, potentially fueling a return to a landscape where price differentiation is less about matching competitors and more about unique, value-driven offers.

Regional Comparisons: How Target’s Policy Shift Compares Across the U.S.

Price matching policies have long varied by region and chain. Walmart, for instance, ended its in-store price matching programs at many locations years ago, shifting focus to digital savings via its app and online price transparency. Best Buy maintains a version of price matching but often restricts qualifying online outlets and excludes certain major sales periods.

Grocery chains such as Kroger and Safeway have largely avoided price matching on a broad scale, relying instead on weekly ads, loyalty points, and digital coupons to appeal to price-sensitive shoppers.

Target’s latest decision aligns with a broader industry trend: as consumers get more comfortable with personalized discounts, app-based promotions, and closed loyalty ecosystems, the need for all-purpose, competitor-based price guarantees appears to be fading in many key markets.

The Future of Shopping at Target

For those mourning the end of the Price Match Guarantee with outside competitors, Target emphasizes continued investment in its store experience and digital platforms. The retail chain’s ability to keep prices competitive—while offering perks like Target Circle savings, same-day pickup, and exclusive product lines—remains a key test as the 2025 back-to-school and holiday shopping seasons approach.

Shoppers looking for the best deals are encouraged to:

• Regularly check Target’s online and in-app promotions
• Join and monitor the Target Circle platform for updates
• Make use of the 14-day price adjustment policy for internal price drops

Conclusion: A New Chapter in Retail Pricing

As Target pivots away from matching prices at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy, the change marks the end of an era for U.S. retail pricing. The upcoming weeks will reveal whether Target can deliver on its promise of everyday low prices and value, or if consumers—empowered by smartphones and digital deal-tracking—will push back for even more competitive options. The evolution of how Americans shop, save, and compare prices is far from over, but the latest chapter draws a clear line: for Target, the price to beat is now its own.