Target will soon deliver Starbucks coffee right to your car. Here’s what to know
Target customers will soon be able to order Starbucks and return that pair of pants that didn’t quite fit — all from the store parking lot.
The big box store has plans to expand its same-day pickup services, including a new curbside return process, after it saw success with similar contactless shopping options during the COVID-19 pandemic, Target announced Wednesday, Feb. 23.
Customers can also ring up a Starbucks drink purchase on the Target app while they wait for their pickup order from the comfort of their car.
Ex-Target executive Chris Walton lauded the “game changing” additions, which will be tested in select markets starting this fall.
“It means Target shoppers can now virtually get or do everything they would normally do in a Target store without ever having to enter a Target store,” Walton told the Star Tribune. “That is the definition of being a great omnichannel retailer.”
Target hasn’t specified in which markets the new curbside options will be available. McClatchy News reached out to the retailer on Thursday, Feb. 24, and is awaiting a response.
Starbucks drive up orders were a “top request” among customers, the company said, prompting an expansion of curbside and same-day pickup options. Once the feature is available, coffee lovers can indicate they are “on their way” to the store using the Target app, according to a news release.
A team member will deliver the full order to their car once they arrive, the company said.
The process is similar for initiating a curbside return. Guests can start the process in the mobile app and complete it upon arrival in one of the drive up lanes, the release states.
In addition to new curbside offerings, Target said it is expanding its “backup item” functionality, allowing guests to choose from a wider assortment of categories in the event that their first-choice picks aren’t available.
“Our guests continue to tell us they love the ease and convenience of Drive Up, and they have been asking us to add even more of the Target experience to the service,” Mark Schindele, chief stores officer for Target, said in a statement.
Adding a Starbucks order and easy returns, while expanding our backup item options, will give guests even more of what they love about shopping at Target, quickly and easily.”
Target first launched curbside pickup at select stores in Minnesota in 2017 before expanding the service to stores nationwide, CNBC reported. Other retailers have rolled out similar contact-free options including Sam’s Club, Kroger Publix and Aldi.
This story was originally published February 24, 2022 at 11:52 AM.