Back-to-school shoppers and others who loaded up the cart online at Kohl's during parts of July and August will want to double check their statements to see whether they might have been charged twice for the same item.
Kohl's acknowledged that some of its shoppers are seeing unexpected duplicate charges or returns for items bought online beginning July 24 through Aug. 5. The retailer, based in suburban Milwaukee, has 44 stores in Michigan.
The retailer blamed the billing snafu on a processing error. A Kohl's spokesperson confirmed with the Detroit Free Press that customers do not need to take any additional action for these charges to be reversed.
Kohl's declined to disclose to the Detroit Free Press how many online shoppers experienced such problems.
The good news, of sorts, is that shoppers are not required to dispute these charges with their credit card issuer because Kohl's is automatically fixing the system's mistakes.
Even so, I'd suggest it never hurts to double check your statements to make sure that you're not paying more than you'd imagine.
Kohl's online shoppers might want to take a second glance at their emails, too.
A friend and co-worker shared an email she received from Kohl's dated Monday, Aug. 24, that alerted shoppers to the situation that erupted on Kohls.com this summer.
"We are writing to let you know that you may have seen an unexpected duplicate charge or return related to a Kohls.com purchase made between July 24 and August 5," according to her letter.
"This issue resulted from a processing error, not a new purchase or return," according to the letter.
Kohl's told its customers that the processing error "did not affect the security of your personal or payment information."
According to the letter, Kohl's is working quickly to reverse erroneously processed charges.
"No action is needed from you for these charges to be reversed," the letter stated.
"Reversals are underway, and funds will be returned as your financial institution processes the correction. We estimate that it will be one to three days, depending on your financial institution," the Kohl's email said.
Back-to-school shoppers and others should review all receipts
The Kohl's news is a great reminder to review all of your receipts and statements, no matter where you shop. Mistakes and glitches do happen.
Typically, consumers would go first to the store or restaurant to dispute a charge. If the matter isn't resolved there, you'd call your credit card company as soon as possible. You also must send a written billing error notice within 60 calendar days after the charge appeared on your statement to protect your rights.
After receiving the notice, the company has 30 days to send you a letter confirming they received your billing dispute, unless they’ve completed required billing error resolution procedures within that time, according to an explainer online provided by the Consumer Financial Protection Keep a file, including copies of letters you've sent and notes that include dates and conversations related to follow-up calls.
The consumer watchdog agency's alert notes that you can still dispute a charge if you've already paid it. The credit card company will review whether you're owed the money or not.
Back-to-school shoppers to spend more than $850 on average
Big shopping seasons, like back-to-school or the holidays, can trigger all sorts of mix-ups. Many times, consumers stretch their budgets by spreading out their shopping over several weeks.
When you're shopping early and often, though, it's easy to miss potential trouble spots that can happen at checkout. Maybe you're charged full price when an item is on sale. If you spot the problem early, you often can save money.
Roughly 62% of consumers kicked off their back-to-school shopping by early July, according to the annual survey released July 14 by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics.
While the figure is down slightly from 67% at the same point in 2025, the group noted, it remains significantly higher than the 55% reported in 2024.
We're talking about nearly $900 in spending for many families when it comes to school clothes, shoes, supplies and electronics.
According to the survey, families with students in elementary school through high school plan to spend an average of $863.86 on items this year, up slightly from $858.07 in 2025.
The breakdown: K-12 shoppers plan to spend an average of $293.11 on electronics. They're looking at spending $250.29 on clothing and accessories. And they plan to spend another $174.01 on shoes and $146.45 on school supplies.
Total spending is expected to reach a record $43.3 billion, up from $39.4 billion in 2025 and surpasses the previous survey high of $41.5 billion set in 2023.
Contact personal finance columnist Susan Tompor: stompor@freepress.com. Follow her on X @tompor.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Odd glitch at Kohl's has online shoppers this summer seeing double
