Target has announced it will end its long-running price matching policy from 28 July. The policy, introduced in 2013, allowed customers to have prices matched to competing retailers such as Amazon and Walmart.
‘We've found our guests overwhelmingly price match Target and not other retailers,’ a Target spokesperson told ABC News, adding that the change reflects ‘trust in pricing’ across the company's assortment.
Under the new policy, price matching will only apply to lower-priced items listed on Target.com, according to the company. The original policy was an industry first as physical stores faced increasing competition from online rivals.
Neil Saunders, a retail analyst at GlobalData, said the change highlights Target’s financial challenges. ‘If it wants to invest more in stores, then it needs to be more financially disciplined. Ending price matching helps achieve this, especially at a time when costs are rising because of tariffs.’
The company missed Wall Street expectations in May, reporting first-quarter sales down 2.8 per cent compared with the same period in 2024. It has also faced headwinds including tariff uncertainty, rising inflation and consumer boycotts linked to its decision to end some diversity initiatives.
Competitors such as Best Buy still offer price matching, while Amazon and Walmart do not.
