Changes are coming to Target department stores across Iowa and the rest of the country beginning on July 15th.

To be fair...there's a good chance this change doesn't affect you at all. Target will stop taking a once-popular form of payment beginning next week, and there's a good chance it's been years or even decades since you've paid at a Target register using one of these.

When did you last go to Target and pay using a personal check? I've gone nearly 34 years without writing a check at a Target register.

Target Changes

Target will no longer be accepting personal checks as a form of payment. According to Scripps News, "the company confirmed to outlets that it plans to fully stop accepting personal checks as a form of payment in stores starting on July 15."

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The reason for change at one of the most popular department stores in the world is pretty simple. No one pays with checks anymore! I know that's not exactly true and your grandma might occasionally bust out the checkbook when buying something, but Target has cited "extremely low volumes" of personal checks as the reason for the change.

How Many People Use Checks?

According to the Federal Reserve, people who pay with their credit/debit card surpassed the use of checks in 2009. Using ACH transfers or "electronic bank-to-bank" payments has grown another 72% since 2009.

Checks make up only 4% of transactions in the United States and there's a clear-cut age group that still uses them. According to Fifth Third Bank, 52.3% of people between the ages of 45 and 64 use checks regularly and only 8.6% of regular check writers are under 24 years old.

Can you really blame Target for no longer accepting personal checks? Thousands of businesses have gone away from accepting checks so I don't find it very surprising Target is doing the same.

I'm also not advocating for getting rid of personal checks completely. It is important that people learn how to write a check and how to read a check. Certain payments are better suited using a check, such as; rent, gifts to charities, payments to the government, etc.

If you or someone in your life normally shows up to Target and writes a check to pay at the register, whether it's your mom, dad, grandma, or grandpa, give them a heads up they will need to bring cash or their credit/debit card beginning July 15th.