Target Corporation announced it will discontinue its price-matching policy with competitors such as Amazon and Walmart, effective July 28, 2025. The decision marks a significant shift for the retail giant, which has long offered price matching on identical qualifying items at the time of purchase or within 14 days afterward. According to a statement shared with Retail Dive, a Target spokesperson explained that the change reflects customer behavior, noting that shoppers “overwhelmingly price match Target and not other retailers.”
The move comes amid a challenging period for Target, which has faced declining sales and foot traffic in recent quarters. The retailer is grappling with broader economic pressures, including consumer backlash over price sensitivity and a shifting tariff environment in 2025. During a May earnings call, Target CEO Brian Cornell described price hikes as a “last resort” to offset tariff impacts, underscoring the company’s efforts to maintain affordability. Chief Commercial Officer Rick Gomez added that Target is adjusting prices where necessary, negotiating with vendor partners, and exploring alternative sourcing options, such as shifting production to different countries, to mitigate cost increases.
Target’s decision aligns it more closely with competitors like Walmart and Amazon, neither of which currently offer direct price matching. Walmart discontinued its Savings Catcher price-matching program in 2019, citing a focus on everyday low prices instead. Similarly, Amazon has never provided a formal price-matching policy for competitors’ products, relying instead on dynamic pricing and its Prime membership benefits to attract shoppers.
The end of price matching is part of Target’s broader strategy to streamline operations and turn around its business. The retailer has been investing heavily in its Target Circle program, which offers personalized deals and rewards to members at no cost, as well as expanding its private-label offerings to differentiate itself in a competitive market. However, the decision to eliminate price matching may spark mixed reactions among consumers, particularly those accustomed to leveraging the policy to secure deals on big-ticket items like electronics or household goods.
Retail analysts suggest that Target’s move reflects a growing trend among major retailers to prioritize internal pricing strategies over reactive price-matching policies.
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