Target.com is Right on Target with Fast Shipping and Automatic Discounts
Written: Apr 17 '06 (Updated Apr 18 '06)
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I have discovered yet another reason to loathe the Britax brand of baby gear, price fixing. Bemoaning my inability to find the car seat I needed at a discount I was pointed in the direction of mass merchandisers who offer discounts off a total purchase, specifically Target.com
The Basics
Target.com carries a wide variety of merchandise for the home, including small appliances, electronics, baby gear, toys, clothing, furniture and media. Target includes a wedding and baby gift registry as well as a wish list. Some of the merchandise is available in their brick and mortar stores as well as items exclusive to their website. Target.com is powered by Amazon.com.
Navigation
The website is easy to navigate with the major departments listed along the top. Down the left is the same list of departments with subcategories for each department. There is also an area along the left where Target.com lists their current sales and specials, such as free shipping and you can link to their in store sale flyer.
Since I knew the exact item I was searching for I simply entered this into the search box at the top and I was brought directly to a page with search results. The results page includes a thumbnail, estimated shipping lead time and price. You can select the picture or product name to link to more information, or opt to add the item directly to your cart. Already knowing everything I wanted to about the car seat I sent it directly to my shopping cart and I was ready to check out.
Check-Out
You must create an account to make a purchase at Target.com. However, if you already have an Amazon.com account you can use that. I opted to login with my Amazon information. I started by selecting the correct shipping address I have saved with Amazon. I was then asked to select a shipping method standard (3-5 business days), 2-day or 1-day shipping. A summary of my order appeared to the right, which included an automatic 10% off of my purchase price. While discount codes are usually pretty easy to find, I liked that the big payoff was done for me. Below was a space to put in my free shipping code and to a button to update my order. I proceeded with check-out by opting to use my existing saved credit card, but there is an option to pay with AmEx, Visa, Master Card, Discover or your Target card.
Shipping
Target has a rather large matrix for determining shipping charges. There is a flat rate applied based on the department(s) your items are shipping from, plus a fee per item or per pound depending on the category. Our 29 lb car seat would have cost $16 to ship without the free shipping code. Most deliveries are made via UPS, USPS or Eagle, however our car seat was shipped via FedEx. Returns for items sold in stores can be returned to Brick and Mortar stores, but internet exclusive items must be shipped back for refunds.
Who’s Out Front?
I ordered our car seat after ER, making it close to midnight on a Thursday. I immediately received an e-mail confirming my order. Since my free shipping code only applied to the standard shipping I expected our car seat to arrive by Wednesday or Thursday of the following week. I received an e-mail the following day to expect my package on Wednesday, which was right in keeping with my own estimate. I was quite shocked to see FedEx pull up to our house on Saturday morning! I had my car seat less than 36 hours after I ordered it. I received exactly what I ordered shipped in the manufacturer’s original box and it good condition.
Will I Be Buying from Target.com Again?
Probably. The biggest drawback I find to on-line shopping is that fact that I want it now. For this order, Target.com was able to get me my item before I would have been able to track it down from a local baby store. I know that not every order will be quite so fast, but I am certainly willing to give them a try again.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Britax Regent Youth Seat
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Member: Mary Ellen
Location: Nutmeg State
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