SAUGUS — Beginning on July 15, Target, which has a location at 400 Lynn Fells Parkway, will no longer accept personal checks as a form of payment.
“Target is committed to creating an easy and convenient checkout experience,” a statement from a Target spokesperson reads.
The move to stop accepting personal checks is a result of “extremely low volumes” of check usage, the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said that Target will be accepting payments with its new Target Circle cards, as well as through cash, debit and credit cards, “buy now, pay later” services, SNAP and EBT, and digital wallets.
While it has been reported that 46% of Americans did not write checks last year, people older than the age of 65 accounted for nearly a quarter of all checks written, at 22%.
Per census data in 2023, population estimates for those older than the age of 65 in Saugus are 21.4%, roughly 6,127 people.
With information from CapitalOne’s research department finding that sales at brick-and-mortar stores are lagging behind those of e-commerce by 75% and store openings from 2022 to 2023 are down 70.6%, it could be an indication of a downtrend in brick-and-mortar purchasing, as shoppers are increasingly shifting to e-commerce.
With those older than 55 overwhelmingly shopping in person and accounting for a combined 37% of personal-check use, disappointment at Target’s checkout counter might be on its way to some shoppers.
Checks are still being accepted at popular retailers in town such as Best Buy, Macy’s, Kohl’s, and others.
