Checked out a new Canadian Target store this week. On a scale of skip-it to wow, it’s better than okay.
If you’re familiar with Target you’ll recognize the look and feel of the store. There are lots of brands not normally seen in Canada including Mossimo (previously carried by Zellers, long ago) Oprah favourite Nate Berkus (formerly carried by Linens N Things) and others. The store is bright and cheery and in the case of London’s Westmount Mall location it’s still getting in stock. Some shelves are a little bare here and there but shoppers didn’t seem to notice.
I went on day two and it was packed. The parking lot was a zoo and the store was full of doe-eyed people acting as if they’d just fallen off a turnip truck in the big city for the first time. Lots of open-mouthed staring and people stopping dead in their tracks in the middle of aisles. Manners? Forget about it. They were in trances. A wonderful feature at the 2-level store is the automatic cart escalator. You and your cart go up or down a floor side by side, but separately. Men seemed especially transfixed by this piece of technology, which I have to admit is pretty cool.
Many shoppers have complained that the prices are higher than they expected and a company spokeswoman told Free-FM’s Avery Moore that there are more costs associated with shipping, etc. I did find the prices high in most cases. And having just been to a Target in Port Huron, I had some price-stickers fresh in my mind. An ottoman, for example, that was $35 in Port Huron was $55 in London. It’s still a great deal, mind you. And anyone unfamiliar with the Target offerings in the US would be happy to get the item for $55 and I’m sure that’s what they’re counting on.
Judging by the Disneyland-looking people I witnessed yesterday, Target just may have enough folks convinced that they’re exotic and unusual enough to capture their attention. Will it last long-term? I’m not sure. I’ll have to go back when it’s not so busy. And I’m certainly not immune to the company’s charms. I went in with $210 in cash in my wallet and came out with .50 change! They happened to have a rug that completed our new living room, what can I say?
Having never shopped in a Target, and thus being a true outsider, I’ve found the expectations and recent reviews by those consumers who have visited the recently opened stores to be completely ridiculous including those in the retail and business media. What Target will bring to the Canadian retail landscape is nothing more than further competition, product lines which have previously not been available in Canada and/or those we haven’t seen in years and competitive pricing to that of other Canadian retailers. Any Canadian consumer who believes that they’re going to see similar pricing to that which they can find at a US based Target, require a swift slap up the side of the head! Fundamental economics dictate that with increased labour, shipping and real estate costs, prices will be higher, how much, only time will tell.
Right you are Allan but it’s amazing how the masses just expect cheap, cheap, cheap. That’s all a lot of people are looking for! I know people who live in Sarnia who drive over the border to Port Huron every week to buy groceries and everyday items without giving a thought to a) pumping the money they earn in Sarnia back into the local economy to help keep their friends and neighbours employed or b) how much they spend in time and gas to save a few dollars. My friend Jenn and I must have spent 35 minutes at the border a couple of weekends ago, just to cross. Now when we go it’s for a lark and to hang out and spend time together. I will only buy things I can’t buy at home. But that can be a typical wait time to get into the US and on a Saturday, those are precious minutes. Target is here to offer something different to us and to make a profit. I’m amazed at how many people think every store should be another Walmart or Dollarama.