The next time you visit Target, your shopping experience may look a little different.
That’s because the store recently introduced a strange new policy that will affect every customer who visits the company’s approximately 2,000 retail locations nationwide.
Target’s new policy change is the latest in a series of policy changes the retailer has made as it grapples with a steep decline in sales.
It’s unclear how customers will react to the changes, whether it will encourage them to visit Target stores more often and help the chain turn things around.
Target has gone through quite a few changes lately, and not all of them have been popular.
On the one hand, after 11 years, in 2026 on February 1, the company’s CEO resigned. Target also ended its popular price-matching policy, which left customers very unhappy.
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However, this new change aims to make the stores more attractive as Target has now implemented a “friendliness” rule.
Specifically, as reported by Bloomberg News, Target employees must now follow official guidelines on how to interact with customers. The new guidelines encourage them to be more welcoming to store guests.
While Target has long encouraged employees to be friendly, which is the norm in the retail world, the new guidelines are much more specific than before.
Bloomberg News reported that the policy is known as the “10-4 rule” because of what it requires. Specifically, according to Target’s new 10-4 policy:
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If customers are within 10 feet of an employee, the employee must make eye contact, smile and say hello.
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If customers come within four feet of an employee, the employee must ask if they need help or check in to see how their day is going.
The policy is reportedly similar to Walmart’s long-standing policy of requiring employees to make eye contact if a customer comes within 10 feet. But she takes her demands a few steps further.
Target’s chief merchandising officer Adrienne Costanzo confirmed the change to Bloomberg News, stating:
While the policy change may appear to be aimed at improving the customer experience, ultimately the focus is on improving the company’s bottom line.
In fact, Bloomberg reported that Target learned that “key consumer metrics increased when shoppers were greeted or recognized.”
Target’s new friendliness policy is part of a broader effort to get customers back to shopping in person with the retailer. The rules are being changed at a time when the company has faced major struggles.