The Target employee discount is one of the best perks they give their workforce. As a matter of fact, you probably found this article because you’re considering applying for a job at Target, or maybe you’re a new hire seeking more info.

But like any discount that retailer’s hand-out, there are certain caveats and hacks that you should know to maximize your savings. With that in mind, let’s break down the employee discount at Target and answer all your burning questions.

Target Offers a 10% Employee Discount

Target hands out a 10% employee discount that they call their “Team Member” discount.

This discount is good for both in-store purchases as well as stuff you buy at Target.com.

Also, via the Target Wellness discount, workers get an extra 20% off fresh (and frozen) fruits and vegetables in addition to the 10% Team Member discount.

According to a comment from Rob, you can stack both discounts with the Target REDCard and get another 5% off.

See Also: Does Target Accept EBT? Let’s Make Some Sense Of It

The Forms of Payment Can You Use

Now this is kind of weird, you cannot use a standard debit or credit card when getting your employee discount.

In order to get the discount, you must use either cash, check, a Target gift card, SNAP or EBT, or a Target REDCard (Debit or Credit).

PRO TIP: STACK YOUR DISCOUNT

Open a Target REDcard credit, debit, or reloadable card and it’ll get you a flat 5% off your purchase. Next, add your REDcard AND your 10% employee discount to your account’s Wallet within the Target app.

Then when checking out, use the app and have them scan the Single Barcode to apply both discounts. They’ll take the off the 10% discount first, then the 5% discount on top of that.

So for example, if you’re making a $100 purchase, your discount will be $14.50, for a total price of $85.50. By stacking both discounts at Target you’ll end up with a 14.5% discount.

Some Items Are Excluded From the Discount

There are quite a few items that aren’t eligible.

Here are the big ones…

– Alcohol – Don’t go buying booze with your employee discount.

– Gift Wrapping – Gotta wrap your own gifts at home.

– Hunting/Fishing License – Have to pay full price to hunt or fish in your neck of the woods.

– Target+ Items – Not sure what these are but you can’t get 10% off when you buy them.

– Gift Cards – This one makes sense as it would be easy to make money off gift cards.

See Also: 7 Target Clearance Tips That’ll Save You BIG

Steps to Using Your Employee Discount

When shopping in-store, just go to any open checkout lane and present your Target team member card which has all the pertinent info on it.

To get your online discount, you’ll have to create a Target.com account and enter your Team Member number in the About Me section of your account.

PRO TIP: TARGET DEBIT CARD LAG

Keep in mind that the Target RedCard Debit card has notoriously long lag on it.

So, for example, if you make a purchase on a Friday using your employee discount and your Target debit card, it might not show up in your bank account for close to a week.

I had two separate Target employees tell me that this temporality messed up their finances and caused them to overdraft their bank account.

Discount DOES Work With SNAP Benefits

As briefly mentioned earlier, you absolutely can use your EBT card at Target and get your employee discount on top of that.

This is especially beneficial when buy fruits and veggies as you’ll get 20% off of those, which will really stretch your SNAP benefits every month.

Besides You, Only Your Spouse Can Use the 10% Discount

Only the employee and their spouse are eligible for the employee discount.

Don’t go shopping with your mom or boyfriend, use your discount, AND let them pay.

This is a bug no-no and can get you reprimanded or fired.

Of course you can always buy something for someone with your discount and simply have them reimburse you, but DO NOT overdo this as Target managers are notorious for keeping a watchful eye on employee discount abuse.

You Could Get Fired If You Flip Stuff for a Profit

If you get caught, you PROBABLY will get fired.

This includes selling stuff you bought with your employee discount on eBay, Facebook marketplace, or Craigslist.

It makes sense that they don’t want employees profiting from their discount.

PRO TIP: DON’T GET FIRED

Avoid raising red flags and potentially getting fired by Target.

For example, if you buy multiples of the same item, or excessively use your discount, it’s probably going to raise a red flag and get investigated by your manager.

There Is No Annual Maximum Discount

I asked a couple of my Target contacts and none of them were aware of a max “dollar amount” discount.

So you should be able to buy that $1000 70″ 4K Curved TV and get $100 off instantly.

Use the 10% Employee Discount on Black Friday

Black Friday. Cyber Monday. Arbor Day. It doesn’t matter, you still get your 10% off.

See Also: 5 Target Shopping Hacks Guaranteed to Save You Money

4 Other Great Target Employee Benefits:

1. Score 20% Off Wellness Items

All Target workers in the U.S. get 20% off all fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, Simply Balanced products, and C9 activewear.

The best part? The 20% off is stacked on top of the 10% employee discount.

2. Get 10% Off at In-Store Starbucks

If you’re lucky enough to work at a Target with a Starbucks inside, you’ll score an extra 10% off all drinks and food.

3. Target Tuition Assistance

Over 340,000 full and part-time Target employees are eligible for “free undergraduate and associates degrees, certificates, bootcamp programs, textbooks and course fees”.

Here are the details.

This just might be the best Target employee benefit of them all.

See Also: Know the Target Dress Code Before Your Interview

4. Target Matches Employee 401(k) Contributions

Each pay period, Target will match your 401(k) contribution dollar for dollar.

They’ll contribute up to 5% of your pay which is pretty dang cool. 

Ask the Reader: Do you work at Target? If so, how often do you take advantage of the employee discount and what’s the most money you’ve saved?

By Kyle James

Kyle James( Owner/Founder )

I started Rather-Be-Shopping.com in 2000 and have become a consumer expert and advocate writing about out-of-the-box ways to save at stores like Amazon, Walmart, Target and Costco to name a few. I’ve been featured on FOX News, Good Morning America, and the NY Times talking about my savings tips. (Learn more)