Parents Cash in on Target’s Generous Returns Policy for Cat & Jack Kids Clothes

Parents spend a lot of money trying to keep up with their growing kids to make sure they are well-dressed. However, some parents have been taking advantage of Target’s generous returns policy on its Cat & Jack kids’ items to save money.

Jazmine Valdivia, a Target customer, said in a video she posted on TikTok in 2022, “Attention all moms, if you guys buy Cat & Jack for your kids, there is a one-year warranty that Cat & Jack offers if your kid outgrows the clothes, whether it’s stained, ripped, whatever it is, they’ll refund you.”

The video, which showcased Valdivia putting the policy to the test by returning a huge bag of clothing that had been used by her three children amounting to $537.80, got 1.2 million views, nearly 85,000 likes, and 26,000 shares.

In the overlay of her video, she said, “Didn’t spend a single dollar for back-to-school clothes.”

Valdivia isn’t the only shopper posting such videos on TikTok, as there have been many similar videos with smaller refund experiences.

User JMS_Steph added the following caption on a video showing return receipts worth $164.21, “Reason number 16293836286 why we love Target!”

Despite some videos and comments alluding to the company tightening up on the practice, Target’s return policy for Cat & Jack items is still the same as it is for its more than 45 private-label brands. Workers who wanted to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak to the media have said they continue to process returns on large batches of used children’s clothing.

According to Target, its Cat & Jack brand is the largest kids’ clothing line in the U.S. In March during the company’s annual meeting, Jill Sando, Target’s head of apparel merchandising, said, “We sell well over 300 million units of Cat & Jack a year, which comes out to about eight Cat & Jack items for every child in America under the age of 12.”

Like all of Target’s private label offerings, the brand is backed by an unusually generous one-year return policy. “If you’re not satisfied with any Target Owned Brand item, return it within one year with a receipt for an exchange or a refund,” the policy states.

As per a spokesperson for Target, the return policy reflects the company’s confidence in the value of its private labels.

Last year on an earnings call, Christina Hennington, Target’s chief growth officer, clarified that the policy is “one full year with free returns should anything not meet our guests’ expectations.”

According to a staff member in a Target store based in Illinois, the biggest receipt she refunded was about $300. She said the clothes were “absolutely used and in terrible condition.” She also noted that a significant amount of the clothing is returned unwashed, which in the end leads to those items being discarded.