I Used to Return Everything I Bought at Target Until My Kids Shamed Me

It all started with matching family outfits.

I wanted a family portrait in which my family of seven wore similar outfits — some combo of pink and white. I spent hundreds of dollars at Target on shoes, dresses, pants, and shirts.

After the photo was taken, no one in my family wore those outfits again. My five children, ages 11 to 1, expressed how much they hated the clothes. My girls never liked the shirts in the first place, complaining that they were itchy and tight. The boys didn’t like the pink stripes on theirs.

Every time I saw the pieces we wore only once hanging in the closet, I felt a slow creep of regret and frustration. The discomfort of those negative feelings ultimately spurred me into action.

I didn’t have the energy to sell the outfits on Facebook Marketplace. My local consignment shop doesn’t take Target’s brands, and they weren’t interested in the adult items.

I wondered if I could bring everything back to Target. To my surprise, the Target sales associate accepted all the items — no questions asked for a full refund. I didn’t even have a receipt or the tags.

Suddenly, I unlocked a new hobby, but in the end, I felt ashamed of my hack.

I’ve continued returning most items I buy at Target

For the last three years, I’ve been shopping at Target, using the Circle app, and returning everything we don’t use more than once.

Before heading to Target, I perused the house in search of items I could return. For example, I recently discovered a cake stand and pitcher we used for my daughter’s 11th birthday brunch. If we had another party, she’d want a new aesthetic, and the items would continue to gather dust. I returned both and got back $20.

I also recently went through my boys’ clothing, which is mostly Target’s Cat & Jack brand. I found khakis, Hawaiian button-downs, and graphic T-shirts. They no longer wear these clothes because they’ve grown out of them.

The Cat & Jack return policy allows customers to return any item to Target for a full refund within one year of purchase — as long as they have the original receipt.

I returned all those clothes for over $100.

There were some benefits to returning most of my purchases

I found that buying, using, and returning items alleviated some of the financial and organizational mental load of parenthood.

My kids could participate in activities — like family photos, Halloween costumes, and school spirit days — without accumulating clutter. I thought of it as the ultimate decluttering technique.

The financial benefits were a bit murkier. Of course, I was just getting the money back that I already spent a few weeks prior — to buy more items.

But recycling the same cost kept me from overbuying. I bought what we needed, keeping our family spending budget low.

Plus, there was a dopamine award. I was getting what I wanted at Target without seemingly spending extra money.

I now feel ashamed of this hack

I thought I discovered the ultimate parenting hack, but I started to wonder if I was doing the right thing.

“Just pick something! We can always return it,” my daughter yelled at her sister in a store once.

That’s when my “greatest parenting hack” sounded more like a dirty little secret coming out of my 11-year-old daughter’s mouth.

That moment forced me to reflect on the integrity of this behavior. Returning things felt like the responsible thing to do. But was it? Is buying something with the intent to use it and return it wrong?

Suddenly, it felt like I was misusing a financial loophole. My hack reminded me of credit cards: You can buy whatever you want, especially things you can’t afford, but in the long run, you’re just worsening your credit — and screwing yourself over.

I didn’t want to teach my kids to think that when they grew up, they could buy whatever they wanted as long as there was a loophole. I want to teach them smart financial literacy and consumer decisions — not ones like returning everything you buy.

So, I’m trying to slow down with the returns and set a good example for my kids. Now, when I head to Target, I try not to bring any items with me.