Target will allow you to return items from your car starting this spring

Curbside pickup of groceries and other big-box retailer goods had been growing for years, then boomed during the pandemic, reaching mainstream adoption. Now, Target is taking the opportunity to offer more services through its Drive Up curbside option, with this week's announcement that it plans to allow customers to return new, unopened items from the convenience of their car.

The launch could prompt rival retailers to offer support for returns through their curbside pickup services as well, as the addition could give Target a competitive advantage in the market. The convenience of the service could prompt consumers to shop at Target over others if they knew they wouldn't have the hassle of going inside the store and standing in line to return items that didn't work out.

The retailer shared the news earlier this week through a newsroom post but was light on details. We spoke to Target to get more information about the coming service and how curbside returns would work.

As the company explained, Drive Up Returns would be useful for a range of customers, and particularly those with kids or pets in tow, those with disabilities or anyone else who wanted to be able to more easily return items from the comfort of their car. Typically, these customers would have to park and go inside the store to the customer service counter, where there's often a line. Or, as in the case with many online orders, they'd have to re-package the item and drop it off with a mail carrier to be shipped back.

By using the no-charge Drive Up Returns service, the customer would instead simply hand over their item to a Target employee and receive their refund quickly.

Image Credits: Anthony Rathbun/AP Images for Target

The service, however, is not yet widely available, Target tells us, but will begin rolling out this spring to stores across the U.S. This rollout is expected to be completed by the summer, reaching Target's nearly 2,000 nationwide locations. Customers will be able to check their store's local website to see if their location offers the service as Drive Up Returns scales.

Target notes curbside returns had been extensively piloted across select markets with both staff and customers, so some of its stores will already have access to Drive Up Returns as of now. We understand Target won't be hiring additional staff to enable curbside returns, but will instead use its existing team members.