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Target is taking additional measures so customers will feel safe
Target
Target Corp. TGT, -2.26% said Thursday that it is launching a number of new ways for customers to go “contactless” during a shopping trip, using technology to reduce the number of touchpoints.
Shoppers can now use the Target app’s mobile payment option called Wallet to self-checkout and customers can make a purchase anywhere in the store with a Target worker. The retailer has added 1,000 hand-held devices to manage the increase.
See: Target giving workers a $200 bonus
Target, like all retailers, will continue to control the number of customers allowed in its stores at one time. The company has also added a page to its website that will let customers know if there’s a line in front of the location they’d like to visit. Shoppers can make a reservation to hold a space in line, and will be alerted when it’s their turn.
The company is also enhancing its same-day service options including the addition of nearly 8,000 spots for the Drive Up purchase pickup service, and the elimination of the need for a worker to scan a bar code when customers arrive to gather their orders.
All of these changes come as the holiday shopping season kicks off and shoppers are expressing their ongoing concerns about going to stores during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Also: Average holiday spend per U.S. household expected to drop 7%, Deloitte says
The latest data from the Deloitte holiday survey shows that more than half of consumers (51%) have anxieties about visiting stores, and many plan to use alternatives like delivery or buy-online-pickup-in-store to do their holiday shopping.
Target stock has rallied 24.5% for the year to date while the S&P 500 index SPX, +0.52% is up 6.9% for the period.
