Go to the Target Greatland in Troy, Mich., for Murphy’s Oil Soap and — a couple hours and a Diet Coke later — you may come out with an over-the-door canvas shoe organizer you didn’t know you needed; a CD by the Kaiser Chiefs, a punky rock band from England on the verge of making it big; a sweater shaver; batteries; laundry detergent and a really big laundry basket; a couple of Lean Cuisines; and an odd appreciation for a pink flamingo cookie jar that you absolutely do not need but really, really want and may go back to buy because it’s not very expensive and it makes you smile.It’s easy to spend way more time and money at Target than you planned. Which is exactly what Target officials want.
"If I went shopping to Saks or Neiman Marcus, the shopping spree wouldn’t be complete without stopping at Target," says JuJuan Taylor, a communications professor who lives in the penthouse of a Detroit high-rise and adores Target. "I did my whole dining room for Thanksgiving by Target. I have a beautiful vase in my coffee table. It came from Target. It looks as good as the Waterford that my best friend, Pam, bought for Christmas. I love the store, what can I say? It’s like an adult Disney World!"
Still, Wal-Mart, which appeals largely to less affluent shoppers as well as rural shoppers, operates 5,200 stores around the world. Its first-quarter sales amounted to $70.9 billion, compared to $11.5 billion at Target.
Environmental impact papers have been filed by Target and Home Depot for a site at the Interstate 20/Morgan Road interchange in Oxford, indicating that they’re going to be part of a new shopping center now being built there. Oxford officials have not confirmed that Target and Home Depot are coming.
Target, which is based in Minneapolis and opened its first store in 1962, lures shoppers by making a good first impression. Its ads are crisp, sharp, clever and inescapable — everywhere you look, there’s that Target bull’s-eye. On the side of buses. In magazines. On billboards.
Inside the stores, the good impression plays on. The stores themselves are clean and brightly lit, making them cheerful and inviting. The department signs that hang from the ceiling are easy to read. The carts are in good repair. Target began using red plastic carts instead of metal ones in 1978, one of the first retailers in the country to do so, because they are less expensive and easier to keep clean.
When survey information in the 1980s showed that shoppers were unhappy with the service, Target executives changed their management style. They started calling shoppers "guests" and employees "team members." They provided employees with better training in how to work with shoppers. They put more team members on the floor. Their service mantra: "fast, fun, and friendly."
Knowing that it can’t possibly compete for dominance with Wal-Mart — which almost always wins when it comes to the absolute lowest prices — makes it essential for Target to take a different approach.
In her book On Target: How the World’s Hottest Retailer Hit a Bull’s-Eye (Wiley, $24.95), author Laura Rowley reports that Target aims its advertisements at people who are younger than their typical shopper — the median age is 46 — in an effort to catch potential shoppers before they’re old enough to develop loyalties to other stores.
Not wanting to lose the shopper base it has, and knowing baby boomers are aging, in 2004 Target introduced its Linden Hill line, loose and flowing clothing that’s similar to what’s found at Chico’s, a favorite store with women over 40.
In the middle of the winter, generally a dreary time for shoppers and retailers, Target created excitement with a limited — it lasted six weeks — Global Bazaar line of household items and furniture imported from all over the world. Pillows from India. Bookends from Kenya.
That Target also has a sense of humor with its merchandise — a cup made from a coconut? Yes! — only ups the fun quotient.
Ditto for its loopy promotions. The day after Thanksgiving, usually one of the busiest shopping days of the year, Target arranged funny pre-recorded wake-up calls for shoppers from an assortment of celebrities including Ice T, Heidi Klum and Darth Vader.
That’s not to say Target always hits the bull’s-eye.
Last winter it angered some shoppers by refusing to allow Salvation Army bell-ringers to stand in front of its stores. Target doesn’t allow any other on-site solicitation and says it didn’t think it appropriate to show favoritism to one group. Some shoppers boycotted the store, but the anger quickly passed, and holiday sales still increased.
Creating an image gets shoppers in the doors, but what keeps shoppers coming back is the store’s ability to offer the ultra-stylish merchandise at very affordable prices, which, of course, is different from the lowest prices.
