Target

[giantsfan2016]

The Target in Southington, Connecticut added self checkout about a week ago.

[BillyGr]

The Target in Southington, Connecticut added self checkout about a week ago.

The ones here in Albany and East Greenbush added them as well - probably about 3 months ago (give or take).

[giantsfan2016]

Target is opening 3 small stores in NYC.

http://abc7ny.com/shopping/details-3-new-nyc-target-stores-opening-in-manhattan-brooklyn/1481317/

[retailisking]

What could possibly go wrong?
http://www.startribune.com/target-removes-kids-shopping-carts-after-litany-of-complaints/394342101/

[giantsfan2016]

They didn't even have them at the local Target in Southington, Connecticut. Price Chopper used to have them. I don't know if they still do. They have signs on them that say "Customer in Training."

[retailisking]

They didn't even have them at the local Target in Southington, Connecticut.

The trial was only at 72 stores in two states - 50 stores in Minnesota (Target's home state) and 22 in New York.

[JimSawhill]

Former Target in Quebec City to become a Simons store.  Below is the owner of the chain inside the former Target:

This location opened as a Woolco, then Walmart, then Zellers, then Target, then Simons



http://www.journaldequebec.com/2016/02/26/images-voyez-a-quoi-ressemblera-le-nouveau-simons-des-galeries-de-la-capitale

Simon's? Any info on them?

[retailisking]

Tar-zhay continues to have problems with perishables going bad and other telltale signs that the grocery side of the business is struggling
http://www.retaildive.com/news/how-target-can-refresh-its-failing-grocery-business/429890

[retailisking]

CEO Brian Cornell is bullish on the Target Express format
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2016/11/16/target-small-format-stores/93952078/

[retailisking]

http://fortune.com/2017/01/11/target-portrait-studios-close-lifetouch/

[giantsfan2016]

Target is an okay store. Sometimes their store in Southington will have a book my Mom or I are looking for that they didn't have at Walmart. The Pizza Hut stuff the have at their snack bar is pretty god.

What I don't like about them:

1. They don't have clothing for larger people. At one time I was 360 pounds and wore size 48 jeans/pants. They never had that size. (I'm 270ish and size 40 now). Depending one the style I wear shirts that are either 3X or 4X. Again they don't have those sizes.

2. They don't sells Men's footwear.

3. They don't play music in their stores.

4. I'm on their Do-Not-Hire list even though I've never been employed by them. A friend of mine who once worked there says it's probably because I've worked for 2 Union companies - Shaw's (2001-2006) and most recently Stop & Shop (2015-2016)

[TheFugitive]

4. I'm on their Do-Not-Hire list even though I've never been employed by them. A friend of mine who once worked there says it's probably because I've worked for 2 Union companies - Shaw's (2001-2006) and most recently Stop & Shop (2015-2016)

Sadly I think you are absolutely correct there.  Non-union retail companies live in mortal quaking fear of hiring potential organizers.  It was a major topic when I was in management at Ames.   We were discouraged from hiring anyone who had worked at Fisher Big Wheel or A&P, both unionized stores in town.

Target is even more paranoid.   They actually banned the Salvation Army bucket from their stores rather than risk a lawsuit by union organizers for the same level of access.

[busman_49]

Their stores are nice enough and I've gone in a few times for odds & ends, but I really don't care to go shopping there.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

Target is even more paranoid.   They actually banned the Salvation Army bucket from their stores rather than risk a lawsuit by union organizers for the same level of access.

Both Target and The Salvation Army are United Way members. Target had to find another way to reach out to The Salvation Army, since the red kettles were out due to their strict "no soliciting" policy. Target has made corporate donations to The Salvation Army as a way to work around this.

[TheFugitive]

Target is even more paranoid.   They actually banned the Salvation Army bucket from their stores rather than risk a lawsuit by union organizers for the same level of access.

Both Target and The Salvation Army are United Way members. Target had to find another way to reach out to The Salvation Army, since the red kettles were out due to their strict "no soliciting" policy. Target has made corporate donations to The Salvation Army as a way to work around this.

Glad to hear that.  The Salvation Army does good work.
It is one of the most efficient charities around (i.e. spends a smaller % on administrative costs)

[Zayre88]

Target's $7 billion spending plan still leaves some question marks

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/02/28/targets-7-billion-spending-plan-still-leaves-some-question-marks.html

[zonemad96]

CEO Brian Cornell is bullish on the Target Express format
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2016/11/16/target-small-format-stores/93952078/

I have been to one of these target express locations and I personally liked the one I was in a lot, It had a small electronics section, a pharmacy, and fresh food in the grocery section despite not being that much bigger in size than a dollar general. Every time I make a trip to dollar general I have to make a second trip to the grocery store a few days later anyway to get something I need but dollar general doesn't carry where as I didn't feel like that when I went to target express. Aside from purchasing clothing I think I could live off of only shopping at a target express I couldn't say that about dollar general.

[retailisking]

The company's chief innovation officer is out
http://www.startribune.com/casey-carl-target-s-innovation-chief-is-leaving/419960853/

[TheFugitive]

After a year of poor results, Target has slashed the pay package of their CEO.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3549168/posts


(*all the way down to $11 million.   Wish I could find a job where I'd make
$11 million for failing miserably)

[retailisking]

I have the distinct feeling that Cornell is dead man walking at TGT. Cutting his compensation by a few million is no substitute for executing at a higher level.

[giantsfan2016]

Target has announced an $18.5 million data breach settlement.

http://clark.com/consumer-issues-id-theft/5-things-you-need-know-after-any-retailer-data-bre/

[retailisking]

It's a small one (60K square feet) at the University Mall in Burlington, taking over the soon-to-close Bon-Ton location

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/2017/10/19/vermonts-first-target-open-store-s-burlington/779223001/

[JJBers]

It's a small one (60K square feet) at the University Mall in Burlington, taking over the soon-to-close Bon-Ton location

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/2017/10/19/vermonts-first-target-open-store-s-burlington/779223001/

Huh, I thought Vermont would already have at least one location...I mean Killingly has one, and it only severs 50k in the area.

[danfifepsu]

OK, I AM HAPPY THIS IS HAPPENING!!! I THOUGHT IT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN!!!! 2018 it opens.

[BillyGr]

It's a small one (60K square feet) at the University Mall in Burlington, taking over the soon-to-close Bon-Ton location

Huh, I thought Vermont would already have at least one location...I mean Killingly has one, and it only severs 50k in the area.

It's not the size of the areas (towns and population) in the state, but that Vermont has some unusual rules.  One of which prevents stores from building newer buildings if there is a way to reuse ones that exist.

For instance, Bennington (in the SW corner of the state) has a Walmart in an old 5 an 10 which was for many years about 1/2 (or less) the size of a standard (not Supercenter) store.  They did finally get permission to expand it, but even then the expanded spot would be closer to the size of an original store than a Supercenter.

Also there is a Home Depot which takes up a former Ames AND a former Price Chopper supermarket next to it.  It makes for a store that is probably fairly close in size to a standard Home Depot but an unusual shape - about half as deep front to back and twice as wide left to right (or, take a standard store, cut it where the aisle runs across the store and put the back half next to the front half).

This is why many stores haven't gotten into the state, as they tend to want to build the same exact store every time and it is hard to do so with the VT rules - those that have adapted (like the examples above) have done just fine (though that Walmart does have a Kmart nearby that has, at least as far as I know, remained open so far, unlike so many), and (at least with the Bennington area) it has left it with very little of the empty, decaying buildings seen in so many other areas, so it seems to work on that front as well.

[JJBers]

It's a small one (60K square feet) at the University Mall in Burlington, taking over the soon-to-close Bon-Ton location

Huh, I thought Vermont would already have at least one location...I mean Killingly has one, and it only severs 50k in the area.

It's not the size of the areas (towns and population) in the state, but that Vermont has some unusual rules.  One of which prevents stores from building newer buildings if there is a way to reuse ones that exist.

For instance, Bennington (in the SW corner of the state) has a Walmart in an old 5 an 10 which was for many years about 1/2 (or less) the size of a standard (not Supercenter) store.  They did finally get permission to expand it, but even then the expanded spot would be closer to the size of an original store than a Supercenter.

Also there is a Home Depot which takes up a former Ames AND a former Price Chopper supermarket next to it.  It makes for a store that is probably fairly close in size to a standard Home Depot but an unusual shape - about half as deep front to back and twice as wide left to right (or, take a standard store, cut it where the aisle runs across the store and put the back half next to the front half).

This is why many stores haven't gotten into the state, as they tend to want to build the same exact store every time and it is hard to do so with the VT rules - those that have adapted (like the examples above) have done just fine (though that Walmart does have a Kmart nearby that has, at least as far as I know, remained open so far, unlike so many), and (at least with the Bennington area) it has left it with very little of the empty, decaying buildings seen in so many other areas, so it seems to work on that front as well.

Why can't they demolish the old building and rebuild? It wouldn't still leave an abandoned building, right?

[Zayre88]

It's a small one (60K square feet) at the University Mall in Burlington, taking over the soon-to-close Bon-Ton location

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/2017/10/19/vermonts-first-target-open-store-s-burlington/779223001/

A lowercase Target logo, that's new

[giantsfan2016]

In early 2018 they began renovations of the Southington, Connecticut Target that are now complete. They renovated the Pizza Hut/Starbucks snack bar area. I believe they removed the Jewelry Department. They changed the Woman's Clothing area around adding a larger section of Maternity clothing and clothing for Plus sized women. Some things they changed around just for the sake of changing things. For example in the Men's Clothing area they reversed the socks/underwear with the jeans/pants. When walking down to the Men's Clothing area socks/underwear used to be to the left by the fitting rooms and jeans/pants used to be to the right. Now it's the opposite.

Now they also have something planned for the parking lot. I don't know if they're planning a redesign, but to me it seems like they're going to be doing more than just paving. There are a lot of chalk outlines. Particularly around the things in the middle of the parking lot where they got trees and plants planted.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

Target plans to add to their toy departments following the departure of Toys "R" Us.

[jason83080]

Our local Target - Avon, OH - added the Self-Checkouts recently in place of "Guest Services Registers 1-3," at the expense of having an in-store cafe of any kind, instead putting their Guest Services/Pickup counter where the Food Avenue section was. Sure, there's still a Starbucks in the *old* Guest Services area (left of the vestibule when you walk in), but now there's no food option. :( I mean, sure, the Guest Services/Pickup counter looks pretty with its hardwood accents and all, but why have zero food options?

Unless, of course, ANOTHER renovation is in the works to put a cafe/Pizza Hut Express in somewhere...