I Am a Target Junkie

I’m a Target Junkie

I’ve been trying to save money, stay on a budget (ok I haven’t actually created a budget yet), get my home in order, keep my job, make my family happy, look good in jeans, age gracefully, share more of my feelings, yada yada yada so on and so forth. 

Target keeps getting in my way of the money part.

What is it that makes this titan of retail so powerful? I cannot go in there and spend less than $100. I’ve tried. I really have. 

“Vitamins, all you need are vitamins. Get them and walk out.

Wait, pay first. Get the vitamins, pay for them and walk out. The pharmacy is right by the register, you don’t even need to go into the full store.

You could use a coffee, just get a small coffee. $3

Just take a look at the dollar section. Everything is so cute! Look at these socks! Metallic pencils, yes! I could put this sign at my desk: ‘Do Something Delightful Everyday.’ It’s so cute! Oh Oh! Storage baskets, this price is amazing! $13

OK we’re at the vitamin section. Good, get the vitamins, just what you need: Multi with Iron, B12, Biotin. Perfect. $30

Oh, look, Zinc vitamins will give me a beautiful complexion? Ok, why not. Let’s get out of here. $8

Shoot, we need bananas. Ok, I’ll just grab a few to tide us over until tomorrow. The grocery section is this way, no big deal, we can do this.

Look at these cute journals. Just looking, I don’t need a journal. Inspirational quotes! Wow, this could really help me get organized and motivated.

No, it’s just a journal. Walk away.

Wait, I DO NEED a 2020 Planner. This one is simple, not too expensive, oh wait, it’s so flimsy. Ok, I’ll just look at a few others. Inspirational quotes! $30

Just get to the bananas and get out of here!

Stop looking around. Get to the grocery section, get the bananas and get out of here. This is imperative. Move. Don’t stop. YOU DON’T NEED THAT MUG. $12

Here are the bananas, this bunch looks good. Six bananas, $0.50 each. Pretty much robbery, but ok, convenient. I’ll just throw some yogurt in there, too. I’m going to want a beer tonight, yup. That’s fine. I should probably get some tea, and these biscuits. Yes, ok, that’s it, let’s go. $28

Oh the frozen dinners are on sale! $15

What aisle is this? OK, I’ll just walk down the middle and then down to the registers. No big deal. I can do this. Straight to the registers. Keep going.

Hold up, is that a gold leopard lamp? On clearance? Holy schnikes, there’s a peacock, too!! $14

Get to the register NOW.”

The struggle is so very real and I’m not alone. There was a meme floating around the interwebs: “You don’t go to Target for what you need, you go to Target and Target tells you what you need.” I can go into virtually every other store and resist the urge to buy all the things (this is a lie, I have a shopping problem, but let’s pretend).

What is it about Target that has it thriving while other retail stores are failing? K-Mart and Sears have been closing stores all year, up to 100 of them by the end of 2019, including the K-Mart 10 minutes from my house. A.C. Moore (arts and crafts) is closing all its stores, with some being reopened as Michaels. Bed, Bath and Beyond closed or will be closing 60 stores in 2019.

I was having an oft repeated conversation with a woman about where to go for toys now that Toys-R-Us is closed. Side note: it’s coming back! She mentioned Target and super casually said it as if were a French company. Tarzhay. There was no hint of sarcasm, no fancy flourish. It has become such a staple in our shopping world, that even the fancy “joke” name has become the norm. 

According to an article on Inc.com, Target saw the trend of closing stores in 2017 and decided to take action. They leveraged the long view, built a brand, and essentially made their stores a destination. 

A destination: it’s like a mini-vacation each time you go. You get your caffeine fix, wander through the wide aisles, get lost in the rich fabrics, banana leaf baskets, and tasseled frames. No one bothers you as you make your third lap around the velvet pillows, touching each one just to make sure it’s as soft as the last time. Go ahead and flip through a best seller while you sip your tall, non-fat latte with caramel drizzle. Target won’t judge you. Target would never do that. 

When you leave 2 hours later and $300 lighter, you feel refreshed. You feel like you have just been to the spa, and the spa let you take home a stone sculpture and Egyptian cotton sheets.

Also, they’re open until 11:00pm.

How do you resist shopping when such a place exists? I’d like to say I can simply stop going there. In fact, my husband has banned me from ever stepping foot in there again after reading a rough draft of this article. It’s my go to for so many things, though. Birthday party: surely there will be a suitable option, plus they have a discount card section! Vitamins: they have the kind I like, and so many chewable options! Neighbor peeking through your window: the curtains are to die for!

It’s nearly impossible. 

This article and blog is in no way affiliated with Target, its subsidiaries, or anyone else, for that matter.