TikTok Mom Uses Cat & Jack Target Return Policy To Get Over $700 In Refunds

Before you became a parent, you might not have known just how much money you'd spend on kids' clothes. Children grow fast, they play hard, and constantly replacing clothes adds up fast.

Well, Target feels your pain. In fact, they've developed a return program surrounding some of their kids’ clothing brands to help you save a little money on clothes — a generous return policy that lets you exchange Cat & Jack clothes up to one year after purchase.

Details about the Cat & Jack return policy can be found on the Target website, though many parents are finding out about it on TikTok before trying it out for themselves — and yes, digital receipts work and online orders count.

TikTok mom Tiarra Williams went viral for her video where she shows her Cat & Jack haul ready to go back to Target customer service to put the Cat & Jack return policy to very good use.

“The season changed. My girl grew. It's time to head to Target and get us something new,” Williams begins in her video while showing her giant haul of Cat & Jack brand kid’s clothing.

She explains that while yes, the return process does take some time, fussing with paper receipts is not necessary if you have the Target app. “It took about 30 to 45 minutes for us to get everything returned, but I have the Target app and all my receipts were in the app ... It saves all your receipts for a whole year,” she explained.

In the now-viral video — which has gained over 300k views — Williams shows her return receipts along with the total money refunded: $749.45!

Wait, is this... right?

Williams’ comment section was divided when it came to her tactic, due to some Target shoppers claiming Williams’ reasoning for returning the clothes did not match up with the Cat & Jack return policy.

One user wrote, “This is so dishonest.” To which Williams replied, “I was honest when I told them that she could no longer fit any of it. They still accepted it. So what's YOUR problem? Because they didn't have one. 😊”

Another wrote, “Yeah…not the spirit of the policy. If your kid wears through the clothes or damages them…return them. Change out your wardrobe cause the kid grew…no.”

“It’s supposed to be a quality guarantee for rips/damage/etc. the original policy had to be the same size 😂 it’s not meant to clothe them continuously,” another chimed in.

“So why did they accept all of my items? 😁” Williams replied. She claims she was honest with Target employees, and they accepted her used clothes anyway.

Though some criticized her approach, several others were flabbergasted that has never heard of such a thing before, defending Williams for taking initiative and getting money back. “Everyone mad bc she reads receipts and got new clothes. Either try it or don’t but leave this mom alone for being smart,” one user wrote.

Another echoed, “For everyone hating…..Cat and Jack is the brand. They made this policy and promote it!! Target is where it’s sold. Nobody is scamming lol”

What exactly is Target’s return policy for Cat & Jack items?

Target offers a one-year return policy from the date of purchase on Cat & Jack clothing, no matter the condition. Even better? The policy actually appears to cover all of the retailer's 32 owned and exclusive brands. A 2015 press release explained the extended policy, adding that guests also get a one-year return guarantee on Target's baby, college, or wedding Gift Registry. This was an adjustment from their previous 90-day window.

"At Target, we're putting our guests first and are committed to offering a shopping experience that's inspiring and rooted in ease," said Kathee Tesija, Target's chief merchandising and supply chain officer. "Our enhanced return policy offers our guests convenience we think they'll appreciate, while providing additional assurance of the quality of owned and exclusive brands found only at Target."

It seems like an urban legend, but it's the real deal. On Target’s website, it states, “If you’re not satisfied with any Target Owned Brand item, return it within one year with a receipt for an exchange or refund.”

How does the return policy look in action?

I took Target's Cat & Jack return policy for a test drive, and it was surprisingly simple. Let's say you're going through your kid's closet and realize some of their Target clothes haven't held up — the knees are worn, or something has a rip in the sleeve. Thanks to Target's one-year satisfaction guarantee for its exclusive brands, you can return these broken, worn, or damaged items.

Just gather them up, take them to customer service, and pull up your Target Circle barcode. A customer service employee will scan your barcode, then type in the item number for each piece of clothing. As long as each item number is matched to your account or receipt, you'll receive a full refund plus tax.

You can either have it returned to your card, take the cash (only available for items you paid cash or debit for), or have a store merch credit. Since you're at Target anyway, you're probably going to spend some money, so a merch credit is always nice.

What other Target brands have the same policy?

Per the press release, the following Target exclusives fall under the extended returns umbrella:

• Archer Farms
• AVA & VIV
• Boots & Barkley
• C9 Champion
• Chefmate
• Cherokee
• Circo
• Durabuilt
• Embark
• Fieldcrest
• Gilligan & O'Malley
• Kid Made Modern
• Liz Lange
• Merona
• Mossimo
• Mossimo Supply Co.
• Nate Berkus
• ProSpirit
• Pure Energy
• Room Essentials
• Shaun White
• Simply Balanced
• Smith & Hawken
• Sonia Kashuk
• Spritz
• Sutton & Dodge
• Threshold
• up & up
• Wine Cube
• Xhilaration
• Yoobi

What should you know before you go?

If returns give you anxiety, you’re not alone. Seriously, though, it’s easier than you think. Target put this policy into place to make life more convenient for parents! Still, here are a few helpful tips to (hopefully) put your mind at ease.

A receipt is suggested but not always necessary.

If you use the Target app and are a Target Circle member, all your purchases are automatically logged and attached to your account. If you don’t have a receipt, Target has a $100 yearly limit on returns without a receipt. That means once you hit $100 in receiptless returns per year on clothes or anything else, no more returns without a receipt. If have proof of purchase, though, even digitally, there’s no return limit.

Yes, you can return a Target.com purchase to a Target store.

According to Target’s website, it doesn’t matter whether you purchased an item in-store or online: “Items purchased on Target.com may be returned to any Target store using the receipt, the barcode found in the Target app, Target delivery or shipping confirmation email, or the original form of payment.”

Don’t cut those sewn-in tags.

While almost all of Cat & Jack’s neck and waistline tags are printed onto the clothing, you'll find a smaller, silky tag if you search hard enough — usually at the bottom of a shirt or in a pant leg. Those tags carry the item numbers that a Target customer service member will need to type in to verify your purchase.

Have a kiddo who is very sensitive to any and all tags? Keep the cardboard tag in an envelope until you’re ready to return. As a favor to the team member helping you, though, consider going through and matching tags to clothes before you bring in your returns.

Keep other guests in mind.

Be mindful of the people helping you. If you have a decent haul you're bringing back on a super-busy day, maybe do your shopping first and wait until the line dies down. If the Target team member has to enter 20-ish item numbers, it's really going to slow things down. That may not be a big deal for you since you're about to get a bunch of money back! But the six people waiting behind you to do returns may not be as pumped... and your poor team member shouldn't have to deal with any Target Karens today or any day.

Also, and arguably most importantly, don't be that person. You know the one. The "this is why we can't have nice things" person. Target does not technically allow you to use this refund to replace items that: your kid has outgrown (which is why so many commenters are up in arms about TikTok mom Tiarra Williams’ now-viral Cat & Jack return haul), they've just decided they no longer like, or were damaged by no fault of the clothing brands (like, your kid doodled a picture of Bluey on it in permanent marker).

Using the return policy for any of those reasons could be considered a loophole. And if Target feels too many people are using loopholes, it could easily revert the policy to the 90-day returns of yore.

Editor’s Note: Scary Mommy reached out to Target for comment but did not receive a response.