What do you think of the remodeled Target stores?

[alisoncooks]

I'd gotten out of the habit of hitting Target regularly, so when I recently went in my local store, I was lost!

I can't say that I love the redesign. Some of the new layout doesn't make organizational sense (men's shampoo in a whole 'nother section than women's shampoo; shoes no longer all together -- why!?). Some of the aisles aren't in neat lines, but in odd groupings and perpendicular lines (which made it harder to find/get what I'm looking for). 

I mean, it looks okay, I guess...but I left (all 3 recent trips) slightly grumpy and dissatisfied. Not that Target cares, lol. At least they had the good sense to leave Starbucks alone...:p. Do you like the new Target?

[WendyLady]

Ha!  Ours had a massive Starbucks overhaul this year!  I'm not a huge Target shopper, but I think it's weird that the men's shoes are back hiding behind the men's clothes.  

[ikslo]

I am not at all fond of the remodels.  

DS says, “It’s like when a pretty actress goes and gets a poorly executed facelift.”

(Everyone asks, WHY?)

[theelfqueen]

I can never find anything. 

[TechWife]

They just finished ours last month. I don’t like it because it seems disorganized to me. Ours is constantly having stock issues now, too. Last week they had toddler size socks for girls but not boys - those pegs were empty. Once they had large black trash bags but not the kitchen bags I was looking for. I also don’t like that they have decreased the number of checkouts that are staffed. For some reason their self checkout never cooperates with me, so I prefer to go through a regular line. 

[Arcadia]

They remodeled the beauty products aisles which I don’t need so I walk right past those. I didn’t notice any changes in the clothing section but the only one who ever buys clothing there is my husband. We usually go to the cafe, electronics section and stationary/office supplies section when we go Target and those didn’t have any changes after remodeling. 

[solascriptura]

I can't find anything.  There must be some reasoning to it, but I can't figure it out.  I

[snickerplum]

Are they hoping you stay longer and therefore buy more? It’s definitely not as easy to find what you need in some departments. 

[Farrar]

They haven't done ours yet. I wondered if the two story models might get skipped actually.

[KrissiK]

I hate it. Hate it. Hate it!

[gardenmom5]

I admit I haven't shopped there much the last few years - but was in one recently.  not a fan at all.   I wandered for quite awhile before finally breaking down and asking for help to find a laundry basket!

ds was working there for a few years.  they're trying to give it a "more upscale feel".  (he was so happy to quit and be done with retail forever.)

I want to find what I want - and get out.

[J-rap]

Well, I don't know where everything is yet, but who knows, maybe once I figure it all out, I'll like it.   I like how everything feels much cleaner and more organized, not just big and cluttered.  The new Starbucks has a more pleasant atmosphere.

I don't understand how it feels like it has more open spaces now, when the physical building size is actually no bigger!  

The few times I've been in it though, it seems like everything I need is in opposite corners.  Those last minute items before checking out always used to seem close by.  Now I suddenly have to walk to a far-corner for one thing, and another far-corner for another thing.

[Carrie12345]

I don't like it. Not only have I not learned where everything is yet (did they really need to move pet stuff from the front ALL the way to the back?) I feel like there's less stuff!

And, sorry, but I'm not happy mine put in a Starbucks. I miss being able to grab an actual sandwich or sitting down to let the kids eat junky pizza and fries if I've dragged them around too long. I don't want coffee and sweets standing up, and no kid is eating a muffin in my car!!!

[Carrie12345]

Oh, also, I find the poop color to be a turn off. The red is iconic. Why screw with that? "Tarjay " was a joke, not a suggestion.

[J-rap]

4 minutes ago, Carrie12345 said:

I don't like it. Not only have I not learned where everything is yet (did they really need to move pet stuff from the front ALL the way to the back?) I feel like there's less stuff!

And, sorry, but I'm not happy mine put in a Starbucks. I miss being able to grab an actual sandwich or sitting down to let the kids eat junky pizza and fries if I've dragged them around too long. I don't want coffee and sweets standing up, and no kid is eating a muffin in my car!!!

That's interesting...  ours had a Starbucks before but no other eating area.  Now it has not only updated the Starbucks (on one side near the front) but it also added an entirely new eating area (on the other side near the front), so now we DO have that place to sit down and eat snacks and sandwiches!  (Also, our Starbucks has places to sit as well... does yours not have that?)

[Carrie12345]

4 minutes ago, J-rap said:

That's interesting...  ours had a Starbucks before but no other eating area.  Now it has not only updated the Starbucks (on one side near the front) but it also added an entirely new eating area (on the other side near the front), so now we DO have that place to sit down and eat snacks and sandwiches!  (Also, our Starbucks has places to sit as well... does yours not have that?)

😮 Nope! I think there might be a bistro table or two, if that, but it's hard to tell with the line at the counter.  My teens usually go over and grab a foo foo drink and it takes forever.

We used to have booths and 4-top tables. 6 or 7 of us could easily relax with comfort garbage after a big haul.

I have to make a trip today, so I'll look more carefully, lol.

[Ottakee]

I admit I rarely shop Target.  I hate when stores remodel and change the layout/location of everything.  One grocery store in our area did that and it made no sense and I never went back (even though it was the only grocery store in town).

The more time you spend wandering around in the store looking for things the more you are likely to spend.

[MEmama]

Ours only changed a small part of the center of the store--where the Hearth and Hand and other nice seasonal stuff is. They changed it from aisles to more open concept, I guess. It seems unorganized and messy now, and impossible to get a cart through if there are other people browsing. It's not a big deal though.

I'm a total Target junkie; I'm probably there 2-3 times a week. I love that I can get worthwhile groceries when I'm there to avoid going to the grocery more than I have to. The only time we've lived somewhere without one we were lost as to where to get daily necessities; we'd regularly drive 3 hours to stock up on benign stuff. Lol

[Heatherwith4]

They haven’t changed much of ours.  I’m hoping we don’t get a whole remodel.  

We already have both a Starbucks and the regular Target eating area.  

[alisoncooks]

28 minutes ago, MEmama said:

It seems unorganized and messy now, and impossible to get a cart through if there are other people browsing. 

This. It feels like a labyrinth. 

Our Target already had a Starbucks + snack court (my kids loved the $2 popcorn/Icee combo when they were little).  That hasn't changed.

My first comment to DH was that it felt like a fancy dept. store that happens to sell toilet paper. Just...strange. 

I have to kill time while DD is at a Christmas party this Saturday; maybe I'll stroll the aisles for a bit and see if I can make sense of the layout. 

[Wheres Toto]

Hate it.  And I was a huge Target shopper.  It's too hard to find things if you are looking for something specific.  Too scattered around.  

I went to buy dd sandals over the summer and they were scattered around the women's clothing displays.  And yes, with the tall wall racks in random places and at weird angles, it was very hard to see things without wandering in and out of each section.  We ended up buying her sandals at Walmart.  

Same with purses.  Can't just look in one spot and browse.  

I know the idea is to make you buy more but it's more likely to annoy me and I leave.

I order all my  Target stuff online now, if I possibly can.

[Valley Girl]

I dislike Target, so I rarely go there. But, yeah, the remodel makes no sense, and I do get the feeling they sacrificed being able to stock merchandise for aesthetics. I don't want to waste time wandering around. By the time I find what I'm looking for, I'm so irritated I no longer want to spend my money there.

[Annie G]

I don’t like it but dh does. I don’t go often but when I do, dh says he’ll see me ‘$100 later”.   Last time I went, it was the first after our remodel and I walked out without buying a thing. I told dh the remodel just didn’t leave me wanting to shop.  He said he wishes they had remodeled years ago.  G

[Just Kate]

I guess I will be the lone poster who likes it! We have two Targets in my area and the one that I frequent hasn’t remodeled yet (honestly, I didn’t even know that the Target stores were doing a huge remodel!). I had to stop by the other Target store just the other day to get some makeup and other beauty supplies for dd (for a dance performance). I loved the makeup section! It felt so nice and the way that everything was laid out made it more fun to shop around. 

Since I was only shopping for makeup, I didn’t go through the entire store, so maybe if I was shopping for toilet paper and cleaning supplies I would have felt differently. But dd and I (along with my mom), enjoyed the more upscale feel when we were there. 

That being said, what is up with the new puke green store front? Weird and super ugly!

[BarbecueMom]

I think the only stuff they moved around in ours was the stuff I never look at or use - cosmetics, hair products, pet stuff, and home decor.   Food, pharmacy, seasonal, hangers/tubs/filters and kitchen stuff weren’t touched.  I did end up doing three laps around the store last night, but that was my own fault for not realizing that $7.00 really was the cheapest box of Christmas cards they had.

[alisoncooks]

Funny enough, I didn't even notice a change to the store front!

If I were just going in for makeup or something, it probably wouldn't bother me. (The makeup area does look sharp!) But I'm usually going in for: makeup, toilet paper, kid shoes, light bulbs, ink pens, a can of soup. Those (while time consuming before) now have also become tedious/cumbersome. 

[GailV]

Ours seems to have revamped makeup, men's toiletries, and furnishings -- other than that, it's all the same.  Oh, and the shoe section looks smaller, now that I think of it, but I rarely look at their shoes and never could understand why they had such a huge shoe section for such a modestly-sized Target. Overall, not much has changed -- I can still zip in, find what I need (hah! I almost said "target the sections I need"), use self-checkout, zoom on to the next errand.  

I had the impression they're trying to compete with Ikea, but maybe that's just something I dreamed up on my own.  But, hey, your descriptions of "labyrinth" certainly fit the Ikea vibe of having you wandering the store for hours on end, looking for the item you actually came to purchase while heaving other random stuff into your cart.

[alisoncooks]

I went to IKEA for the first time this past spring. I loved it! But I was going for the experience (and a desk). It was the sole purpose of my trip.  My Target runs are usually squeezed between day-to-day activities. No time to leisurely stroll. Maybe if Target adds meatballs and cheap cinnamon rolls to the snack court, I'll forgive them. 😉

[meena]

I’m okay with the changes to the grocery side of the store, but the layout of everything else is kind of confusing and not very intuitive. I’ve started using their drive up option, though, so that eliminates the need to ever go inside to that part of the store. 

[SamanthaCarter]

They remodeled ours, but I can’t tell a huge difference. When I went in there a couple of weeks ago, I noticed they took out the cafe and replaced it with online order pickups. That didn’t make sense to me from a retailing standpoint. Seems like they’d want you to walk through the store and be tempted to pick up a few things before you grabbed your order for pickup. They made it so you can dash in and out. Too bad for them!🤣

[BarbecueMom]

Speaking of Target, the online price is often lower than the in-store price, but you can price match at the register.  I scan everything with the app, and show the cashier each scanned item that’s cheaper online.  We replaced our fridge with one that doesn’t have a dispenser, and the online price for an ice scoop and faucet filter were both cheaper than the shelf.  The actual filter cartridges were more expensive online though, so it goes both ways.

Also, the prices when I scan with the Target app on an iPhone are often lower than the prices on my mom’s Android app.  I think hers sets to the store prices automatically, but mine still shows online pricing.  I can’t find a setting for that, so I’m not sure how that happens.

[marbel]

Last time I was in, the remodel was going on. The store was a mess and it was so hard to find anything.  Stuff was in such weird places, like sanitary products in the midst of some of the clothing... but also, some of the clothing was way across the store.  I'd assumed that that was temporary due to parts of the store being worked on.  And we could not find men's deodorant anywhere.  Like, why separate men's and women's deodorant?  My daughter and I both use men's!  

I've had a tolerate/hate relationship with Target for a long time. I remember a near-meltdown in the toy aisle once over some Barbie dolls that looked like hookers. (I think they were a response to Bratz? This was quite a few years ago.) For a long time after that I just didn't shop there.  And when my daughter was little I would regularly get angry over the girls' clothing styles. Now I go in every now and then.  Now I want to stop by soon to see how the remodel finished up.

[forty-two]

1 hour ago, GailV said:

I had the impression they're trying to compete with Ikea, but maybe that's just something I dreamed up on my own.  But, hey, your descriptions of "labyrinth" certainly fit the Ikea vibe of having you wandering the store for hours on end, looking for the item you actually came to purchase while heaving other random stuff into your cart.

I haven't seen a remodeled Target, but the descriptions here make me wonder if they were trying to compete with Bed, Bath, & Beyond.  All those little in-and-out sections, a layout I can never predict, no shortcuts to anything, having barely enough room for one cart in the aisles (there's no way for a *person* to squeeze by a cart, let alone get another cart by - I hate how squished it feels).

[Lady Florida.]

Ours hasn't been remodeled. Is this all Target stores or just superstores? I was so excited 10 years ago when we finally got Target but disappointed it wasn't a Super Target. I still have to drive either 40 min. south or 35 min. west to get to one of those. 

[Lady Florida.]

10 minutes ago, forty-two said:

I haven't seen a remodeled Target, but the descriptions here make me wonder if they were trying to compete with Bed, Bath, & Beyond.  All those little in-and-out sections, a layout I can never predict, no shortcuts to anything, having barely enough room for one cart in the aisles (there's no way for a *person* to squeeze by a cart, let alone get another cart by - I hate how squished it feels).

I hate that. BB&B layouts are so annoying.

[chiguirre]

The one I usually shopped flooded in Harvey and when they finally reopened it was the new style. I hate it. I used to be able to see the whole store's layout from the doors and head for what I needed. Now, they have higher shelves in grocery and faux walls that block the shopper's view of the hanging department signs. Luckily, there's another Target that didn't flood and hasn't been remodeled that's also pretty convenient so I've switched to going there. I don't shop much in person anymore and, when I do, it's usually WalMart because they have more extensive hardware and OTC medicine sections and those are the items I'm in a real hurry to buy right.now.this.instant. Otherwise I shop online.

Edited December 4, 2018 by chiguirre

[Janeway]

I think it is terrible. The seasonal stuff is in the far back corner. I actually bought more electronics than I needed because the electronics were near the front. Same thing with seasonal stuff. But now, with all that tucked in back corners, there is no more over shopping for me. The toy aisles are too close together. People who work at our local Targets are quite apathetic about where things have been relocated to. I wanted the Disney Princess lip gloss and other children's things of that type and those have been so scattered around the store that no one knows where it is kept anymore. Their new design has no flow at all. It feels like they took a map of the original store, cut up up and put the pieces in to a bucket. Then dumped the bucket and where ever the pieces landed became their new design.

[historically accurate]

I went last week to buy girls' gloves and boots. It was like I was a mouse in a maze chasing a moving piece of cheese. We would find a display of about 2-4 styles of gloves, and kid would veto them. Other kid would point farther into the maze and say, "Oh, there's some more."; we would go to that display and repeat. We gave up after the 3rd display of gloves, and we turned a corner and found the shoe department. While she was trying on boots, I found yet another display of gloves in the middle of the shoes. We did come out with boots and gloves, but it was a weird experience. 

[Arcadia]

5 hours ago, Lady Florida. said:

Ours hasn't been remodeled. Is this all Target stores or just superstores? 

 

Here Target came out with the premium/upscale looking new and smaller stores, then remodeled the older medium size stores. So far the nearest few SuperTargets hasn’t been remodeled.

[KungFuPanda]

8 hours ago, alisoncooks said:

I went to IKEA for the first time this past spring. I loved it! But I was going for the experience (and a desk). It was the sole purpose of my trip.  My Target runs are usually squeezed between day-to-day activities. No time to leisurely stroll. Maybe if Target adds meatballs and cheap cinnamon rolls to the snack court, I'll forgive them. 😉

 

6 hours ago, Dotwithaperiod said:

I think they’re trying to set themselves apart from other places like Walmart, trying to make it seem like a more upscale department store. Maybe there’s a study that found people don’t mind wandering around aimlessly and they end up spending more money. I hate IKEA, the layout and the crappy mass merchandise, so hopefully the closest Target here won’t do the same.

 

Is it remodeled if they added the Magnolia section?  I haven't noticed a big difference.  

One of my favorite things is taking someone to Ikea for the first time.  I make them block out at least 4 hours and we eat twice while we're there.  I know people hate their stuff, but I've only ever had one thing be flimsy and that's a wooden shoe rack that I could stabilize with a few screws,  I still use it and keep meaning to fix it.  I have a chair that looks brand new after 20 years and all of our bookcases have held up.  I have two of the squarish cubby bookcases and they look great.  My kids are adults now, but the wooden table and chairs I bought before my son was born is still good.  I still use those chairs as step stools and the table as an end table.   

[TechWife]

8 hours ago, Lady Florida. said:

Ours hasn't been remodeled. Is this all Target stores or just superstores? I was so excited 10 years ago when we finally got Target but disappointed it wasn't a Super Target. I still have to drive either 40 min. south or 35 min. west to get to one of those. 

Our Super Target remodeling was completed last month.

Edited December 5, 2018 by TechWife

[Plagefille]

I do not like the remodel. I can't find anything.

[Arcadia]

From a 2015 Fortune article http://fortune.com/2015/05/20/target-upscale-walmart/

“Since Brian Cornell became CEO last year, the retailer has been looking to better cater to middle-class and upper-middle-class shoppers by borrowing some moves from the department store playbook. It’s put mannequins on the floor to showcase clothes and added beauty sections staffed by associates who give advice.

An even bigger project is to reinvent Target’s dull food assortment, which is expected to be completed next year. That includes more focus on organic and natural food and less on processed food younger shoppers and more affluent consumers are increasingly avoiding.

Target had lost its way during the recession, trying to compete head on with Walmart on price and letting a lot of its merchandise become indistinguishable from rivals. Target may be mass merchandise retailer, like Walmart, but its shoppers are five years younger on average than its rivals, and make approximately 23% more ($68,957) per year, according to new data from Kantar Retail. That means it has to offer something different, whether it be occasional collaborations with top designers like Lilly Pulitzer, or hip cookware or organic baby food.”

[Wheres Toto]

12 hours ago, Just Kate said:

I guess I will be the lone poster who likes it! We have two Targets in my area and the one that I frequent hasn’t remodeled yet (honestly, I didn’t even know that the Target stores were doing a huge remodel!). I had to stop by the other Target store just the other day to get some makeup and other beauty supplies for dd (for a dance performance). I loved the makeup section! It felt so nice and the way that everything was laid out made it more fun to shop around. 

Since I was only shopping for makeup, I didn’t go through the entire store, so maybe if I was shopping for toilet paper and cleaning supplies I would have felt differently. But dd and I (along with my mom), enjoyed the more upscale feel when we were there. 

That being said, what is up with the new puke green store front? Weird and super ugly!

Ours is still the red and white color scheme.

They say they're trying to look more like the Department stores but have they noticed that quite a few of the department stores are closing?   We lost Macy's, Sears, and Lord and Taylor around here.

[Dmmetler]

It’s frustrating because every store that sells groceries has remodeled in the last year or so due to the bill passing to allow them to sell wine. I’d just gotten used to Target’s moving things around for that reason-only to have them remodel again!