This Target shopper received a tampered bag of dog food. Then she learned how Target expected her to return it.
Now, she’s calling out the brand online for its return policy.
Tammy (@thefoxypineapple on TikTok) says she ordered a $50 bag of Rachael Ray Nutrish dog food for curbside pickup from Target. However, when she received the bag, she noticed a corner of the bag had been taped up. It appears to have been opened and taped back shut.
Tampering at Target
“You can clearly see the bag has been ripped open,” Tammy says in her viral clip. “So I don’t know if this dog food is contaminated. I don’t know if somebody used it and returned it because their dog didn’t like it. I don’t know what’s going on with this.”
The TikToker, naturally, decided to return it. However, when she began her online return, Target told her she had to ship it back.
“I have to package up this 26 pounds of dog food, put a label on it, and take it to a UPS store or Fedex,” Tammy says. “And they will not issue me a return until they receive this bag.”
Tammy adds that she’s no longer a Target shopper after this experience. “I’m done with Target,” she says. “And this is not a political post. Do not make this political. This is not political. This is incompetence.”
She’s referring to the many months of boycotts in response to Target’s announcement of the cancellation of its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in January.
“In the meantime, they have $50 and I have a bag of dog food that has been opened and probably contaminated,” Tammy says.
Her video has garnered over 153,000 views since it was first shared Tuesday.
What’s wrong with an open bag of dog food?
As Purina notes on its website, once a bag of dog food has been opened, its best by date can no longer be used as a point of reference. While dry dog food typically has a long shelf life, it needs to be properly stored. Exposure to air can cause the food to go rancid, and exposure to water can lead to mold growth, per Whole Dog Journal.
And, as Tammy notes, she doesn’t know how the dog food she purchased could have been tampered with. If the food has been tampered with, it’s not legal to sell it, notes the Food Liability Insurance Program.
What is Target’s return policy?
Target accepts returns for most unopened items in new condition within 90 days of purchase, per its website.
For items purchased on Target.com, which includes curbside orders, customers can return them in-store or by mail. However, in order to return an item in store, the shopper must have either a valid receipt, a return barcode, or the payment credit or debit card used to purchase the item.
However, Target’s site also notes the company does not keep damaged items that have been returned. “Target doesn’t keep unexpected or ineligible (used, damaged, etc.) items sent to us,” the FAQ page states.
In Tammy’s experience, she says she wasn’t given the option to do an in-store return.
“My husband is going to try that today, but it’s not giving me the option to do a curbside or in-store return,” she said in response to one commenter who suggested it. “It is not letting me select the item to return, nor is there a barcode. Usually I can.”
Confusion in the comments
Several commenters thought it was strange Target gave Tammy opened dog food in the first place.
“I’m going on 8 years of working at target and this isn’t right anything that is open has to be defected out not taped and the whole shipping thing is bizarre,” one user wrote.
In response to this commenter, Tammy relayed what Target told her about the mix-up. “They told me it’s because this item is discontinued and the UPC no longer exist in the system because the manufacturer changed the packaging on that brand of dog food,” she said.
“Yeah if anything it ended up in go backs but you ain’t gotta put it in a fedex or ups box you can just return it in store. fulfillment should’ve noticed and not picked that one for the order,” another commenter said.
“I’m confused someone who used to work at target why are you having to ship it if you picked it up at the store. That doesn’t sound right at all,” a further user wrote.
The Daily Dot reached out to Target and Tammy via email.
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