Business ProfileforTarget Corporation

On March 4,2022, Target Corporation entered into a Stipulated Final Judgement with the State of California. The Judgement settles allegations of false advertising relating to the price accuracy of merchandise sold by the business. The allegations included claims that the business unlawfully charged consumers higher prices at checkout rather than the lowest advertised price for the items.   Under the terms of the Judgement, the business agreed to no longer engage in false or misleading advertising nor charge a price higher than the lowest advertised price for an item.  Target also agreed to no longer use technology that causes pricing in the mobile app to change based on the user’s location; to disclose where consumers can obtain items at the prices listed on the app and is required to maintain a price auditing program in California stores for at least seven years. Target must also pay a fine of $5 Million in civil penalties plus $373, 618 for investigation costs.  

The Judgement was for settlement purposes only and should not be considered as an admission of guilt or finding of violation of the law.

BBB contacted Target Corporation and they provided the following statement: “Target is committed to accurate pricing in our stores and has taken steps to improve our processes. The majority of issues identified in California occurred when promotions signs were not removed immediately after a promotion ended. The investigation also inquired about a technology called “geofencing” and its use with respect to pricing shown in the Target app. Geofencing is no longer used in the app with respect to pricing – and has not been used in that way for several years.”