I find it hard to believe, in this day and age, that there is no way to tell, from scanning a barcode, whether or not the item was legitimately purchased.

Why can items be barcoded so that they need to be 'deactivated' by some electronic device when purchased? This way, if the item is returned, the barcode can be scanned and something could pop up showing that the item WAS purchased and where.

Or, maybe, when an item is purchased, if the purchaser states it is a gift, a barcode label could be printed up and attached to the tag as "proof of purchase".

Just thinking aloud - I see Target's position in this, but I see the letter writer's frustration too.