Target
Scraping Teardown

The robots.txt file for Target delineates a broad set of rules for automated crawlers, markedly limiting the areas of the site these agents can access. The file includes stringent Disallow: /co-cart, Disallow: /orderdetails and Disallow: /account/orders directives which prevent bots from reaching integral sections. These instructions apply to the general population of user agents, with only particular bots such as Googlebot and Bingbot receiving special allowances through specific rules.

Despite a wealth of restrictions, the robots.txt file also includes entries like Allow: /c/*, Allow: /p/* and Allow: /s/* which permit access to some areas. Additionally, it provides references to specific sitemap locations. Practically, this establishes an environment where unrestricted web scraping is decidedly hampered with a few roads left open for general bots. Precisely, the robots.txt file suggests a restrictive posture to automated scraping with moderate allowances under specific conditions.

The terms of service for Target include explicit statements about automated access and data extraction. The terms state:

Any person or entity who interacts with the Site through the use of crawlers, robots, browsers, data mining or extraction tools, or other functionality, whether such functionality is installed or placed by such person or entity or a third party, is considered to be using the Site.

Make any use of data extraction, scraping, mining or other data gathering tools, or create a database by systematically downloading or storing Site content, or otherwise scrape, collect, store or use any Content, account information, product listings, descriptions, prices or images, except pursuant to the limited license granted by these Terms & Conditions;

This covers all scraping, crawling, or bot-driven collection across both public and logged-in parts of the Site (which the document defines broadly to include “all other sites, mobile sites, services, applications, platforms and tools”). While enforceability can depend on whether a user has explicitly agreed, Target frames assent as universal for anyone accessing the Site:

BY ACCESSING OR OTHERWISE USING THE SITE YOU AGREE TO THESE TERMS & CONDITIONS.

Target’s terms do not reference a public API for general data access. They also prohibit automated tools beyond normal browsers and warn against bypassing technical safeguards:

Use or attempt to use any engine, software, tool, agent, data or other device or mechanism (including browsers, spiders, robots, avatars or intelligent agents) to navigate or search the Site other than the search engine and search agents provided by Target or generally publicly available browsers;

For violations, Target notes account and access consequences:

Target reserves the right, without notice and at its sole discretion, to terminate your account or your use of the Site and to block or prevent future access to and use of the Site.

As a result, scraping is forbidden; only manual, personal, noncommercial viewing/copying within the limited license is contemplated, and attempts to evade barriers (e.g., automation or security testing) risk blocking and termination.